I face my partner in natural stance, knees locked. I raise my arms fully extended, elbows locked, to chest height. My partner raises her hands and places her palms on mine. While I remain stiff and resistant she begins to push. She slowly increases her pressure until I am taken off balance. She notes how much force was needed to move me.
We reassume our initial positions. This time I relax, keep one point and let my knees and elbows bend slightly. As she begins to push I make no attempt to resist the incoming force, instead I absorb it into my body and let it flow into the ground. I notice that my bent arms help to dissipate her force so that only a portion of which reaches my shoulders which, being relaxed, give it no place to rest. I find that I can stand on one foot or move into my partner with relative ease as I gain more and more experience coordinating mind and body.
Beginners can start this exercise in right or left stance, bringing the rear foot closer to the front, as they gain more experience in absorbing the force, until they are in natural stance. When working with a beginner, push with just slightly more force than it took to push her off balance in the first repitition of the exercise as she learns to relax and absorb. This will enable her to gauge her progress, learn how correct feeling manifests itself in both mind and body and provide positive feedback on her efforts.
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