As anyone who has practiced or taught Tai Chi and/or Qigong would expect, there are many contradictory theories and interpretations circulating. Many have even been passed on throughout the years. No surprise there!
Many of us have been told only that this is “the way we do it” without any clear understanding regarding theory or physiology. Once we understand the “why”, it will probably improve our practice and strengthen the flow of Qi in our bodies. In any case, we will at least understand the rationale.
Important to Know:
The left side of the brain controls the right side of the body and vice versa. We can all agree on that, right? According to Western Medicine: The right side of the brain “controls the left-hand side of the body and receives information from the left visual field, controlling creativity, context, and recognition of faces, places, and objects”. The left side of the brain “controls the right-hand side of the body and receives information from the right visual field, controlling speech, language, and recognition of words, letters, and numbers”. *
Here’s where Yin and Yang come into the picture/explanation: The left (Yang) side of the brain is more logical, structured, light, active, warmer, expressive, energetic, expansive etc etc. - Yang characteristics. Yin (right side of the brain) is considered inward, nourishing, stabilizing, passive, static, more intuitive, solid, heavy, calming, cooler, and flowing - Yin characteristics. Therefore, the left hand is more Yin and the right is more Yang.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the left side of the body is considered Yin, while the right side is considered Yang. Yin and Yang are complementary and we need both working together in order for us to stay healthy! The body is “a living balance of Yin and Yang”.
According to Chinese cultural belief, male is left brain and female is right brain. Which is why some (not all) Qigong books suggest that male practitioners place their left hand on their Dantian, while female practitioners place their right hand there first. See more explanations below. Based on this theory, I tease my classes and say that it is because women are always right! (Tongue in cheek!) Hey, I’m a woman!
Yin (left hand, right side of the brain) hands on top of the Dantian with the right hand on top strengthens Yin energy as supported by Yang. Placing the Yang (right hand, left side of the brain) on top of the dantian will strengthen the Yang energy as supported by Yin. Sounds a little confusing at first, right? Especially when some intructors teach that males should place their left hand on the Dantian first to balance their Yang qualities. Others state that a man should place his right hand on top of his Dantian to strengthen his Yang qualities. Contradictory, right! By now, you see some of the problem with trying to discern which is correct!
Unfortunately (or fortunately), ancient texts are not clear about which practitioners should first place their left hand on top of their Dantian, and their right hand on top of their left hand. As one practitioner stated, in his school, whether practitioners are both male and female, it doesn’t matter which one of their hands is on top. He, personally, has for years placed his right hand on his Dantian first, covering it with his left. He states, “it has not changed me from being male to being female”.
Does Hand Placement Matter and, if so, Why?
Let’s look at why we put our hands over our Dantian. First, think about your lower Dantian as an energy field (like an internal battery) which gathers and distributes Qi throughout the body. Once we understand this, we begin to better understand the function of the lower Dantian.
The main purposes for placing your hands on your lower Dantian are either to activate and balance Qi energy or to settle and/or store Qi from other parts of your practice. Putting your hands over your lower Dantian is a relatively easy way to support balance.
Traditionally, men have placed their left hand (Yin) on the lower Dantian first with the right (Yang) hand on top. On the other hand, women place their right hand (Yang) on their lower Dantian first and cover it with the left (Yin) hand. A bit confusing, I agree! However, it matters when attempting to balancing your other characteristics and settle the system.
It’s not necessarily about gender (although this is the way of the ancestors). It’s actually about bringing complementary energy inward to settle the system. For instance, drawing Yin inward supports “grounding, receptivity, and regulation.” We draw Yang inward to support “warmth, circulation, and containment.”
When do we place our hands over our Dantian?
Placing our hands over our Dantian at the beginning of practice helps to activate our enery and prepare it to circulate Qi. At times, we will cover our Dantian between certain exercises as we transition between postures (one phase to another) to gather and move Qi. At the end of practice in order to settle and store energy. And when focusing on the Dantian while practicing certain movements, breathing, and other energy work.
Why and how should we place our hands over the Dantian?
Hands have a naturally strong energy flow, neural pathways, and a rich blood supply. The energy flow in the hands easily projects to wherever or whatever the hands touch. This brings not only energy, but awareness to that area.
It’s really about balance and what you are trying to accomplish. For example, if you are a very Yin female, you may benefit from Yang stimulation to keep your Yin in balance. Or as a female, you may possess strong Yang qualities, you may benefit from Yin stimulation to support your Yin qualities.
Do all instructors/practitioners and even Masters agree?
Absolutely not! For example, Dr. Alex Hui doesn’t necessaryily agree about changing the position of the hands. Original Chinese Culture put men on the left and women on the right. As he explains, at a Chinese wedding, the man would be on bride’s left. Dr. Hui suggests follow the “wisdom of the ancestors” and doing men left and women right in order not to disrupt Qi flow. Here’s his video":https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9hop2gzWnU
Gender Neutral
How about health? If you have an infection - no matter what gender you are - you may benefit from Yin stimulation. However, if you have weak energy or digestion, you may benefit from Yang stimulation.
No matter which hand is first placed on the Dantian, it may feel hot as it gathers energy on it.
Suggestion: Try each way of placing them and see what feels “right” for you. Of course, that can change from time to time. Whatever supports and feeds your energy is the “right” way at that time. Once you become aware of which has the greatest affect on your energy, you can change according to your needs as your life and circumstances dictate.
Interesting video to help you decide which hand to use: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6OIT8LKOo4
*The Brain and Characteristics according to Psychology - if this is of interest to you.
According to psychology, while the brain does have distinct lateralized functions, the two hemispheres work differently and specialize in different kinds of information. Personality split is a myth, and evidently neuroscience does not support it. Individuals are not strictly right or left brained.
When individuals are healthy, the hemispheres work together “in constant, high-speed collaboration”. It is Neural plasticity that allows the brain to adapt and share duties. Cognitive processs are not restricted to a single side and complex tasks require both emotional context and analytical decoding.
Patterns are familiar - such as language and logic in the left hemisphere and social cognition and emotion on the right. However, these sides can be reversed in individuals and each function has some “equalivent on the opposite side of the brain.
Bottom line: it’s not which side a person leads with but which “regions are doing the work”.
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