Three Empty Places
In Chen Taiji there are three parts of the body that remain “empty”. The center of the palm remains arched, not flat, like a Chinese roof tile. The hand is gently curved which leave the palm rounded. Seventy percent of the forms in Chen Taiji use the open, rounded, roof-tile palm.
The space between the thumb and the first finger, wu ko, is the tigers mouth. It is held as if the thumb and forefinger are holding something, perhaps like a wrist. Even in the space between the thumb and first finger there is Peng, roundedness. There is an elastic-ness to this hold. As the thumb and first finger form the Tiger’s Mouth, the center of the hand remains empty.
The chest remains empty also. When breathing there is no horizontal breathing. Breathing is vertical going deep to the dantian. When the chest moves out with breathing the breath becomes horizontal.
The third empty place is at the center of the foot. The toes stick to the ground, they grab the ground. The only time the center of the foot is felt is upon landing.