In Tai Chi, Listening Hands (Ting Jin) is the refined ability to sense and interpret changes in movement through light touch. Rather than reacting with tension or force, we cultivate a quiet awareness, attuned to subtle shifts in our partner’s intention, direction, or pressure. This sensitivity allows us to respond rather than react.

Standing in bow stance, with our hands or forearms lightly touching, we ‘listen’ through the body. We feel when our partner changes weight or direction, and we respond by yielding, centering, and then gently redirecting.

A key expression of this skill is the horizontal circle—a smooth, rounded motion of the torso. Instead of simply shifting weight forward and back, the upper body draws circles. Imagine a hula hoop around each person’s waist - this is the shape we’re creating. As we turn, the torso traces that horizontal circle, guided by the waist.

Rather than resisting pressure directly, we guide the energy to the side, using a circular movement . This circular movement is not led by the arms alone; it is powered by the waist, the central pivot of the body in Tai Chi. The waist acts as the axis of rotation, allowing energy to travel through the body like ripples in water.

As the waist turns, the arms follow, not through effort, but through connection and alignment. This integrated motion forms the foundation of the horizontal circle: soft, rooted, and responsive.

In this practice, the whole body listens and responds in a coordinated flow. The arm senses, the waist initiates, the body responds. Yin and yang continually shift: yielding becomes strength, softness transforms into power, listening becomes intuitive. Instead of meeting force head-on, we circle around it, remaining stable and rooted.

Through circling and listening, this exercise teaches us how to neutralize conflict, how to stay grounded and relaxed, and how to move in harmony with another’s energy.