The Lowering Palm of Baguazhang

Start in Wuji Posture facing in the counterclockwise direction on your circle. Raise your hands to the height of your belly button with the palms facing down. Remember the lessons from Holding the Moon Posture in your standing exercise. The shoulders and elbows need to have that sinking feeling, without rolling forward and down. There will be a gap between your outstretched fingers that should correspond to the center line of your body.

Turn toward the center of the circle with your torso, but keep your hands in front of you. You can imagine that you are holding a ball under water with your palms as you walk.

When you have walked a certain number of circles in the counterclockwise direction, perform a Simple Change while keeping the upper torso turned to the center of the circle.

Lowering Palm as a Mother Palm of Baguazhang

Being able to hold the upper body in a fixed position while your feet maneuver under you is a significant advantage, and one that we engage in without thinking. Consider carrying a large object, like a television set, up a flight of stairs, down a long narrow hallway, and into your apartment or bedroom. You have to twist and turn your torso and feet at different times to maneuver the television through narrow doorways, over stair railings, and onto a countertop.

As a Mother Palm of Baguazhang, the Lowering Palm has two benefits. It puts your focus on your lower body. The hands held low at the waist means that you do not have to extend the mental or physical energy of keeping them upright. Use this palm posuture to focus on your stepping, being balanced, and rotating the body around a fixed position.