Push Hands Interview
Lauren Smith
This interview was done by Ronnie Robinson at the 2010 International Push Hands Meeting in Hannover, Germany, organised by Nils Klug.
To provide an insight to the many ways push hands in taught and practised in Europe (and beyond) these same 10 questions were put to a number of teachers and students who attended the event.
You can also subscribe to our YouTube channel and send your own responses or comments for publication.
Lauren Smith began body-oriented training as a high school wrestler in America. He began meditating in 1984, and in 1988 began studying tai chi in Taiwan, in the line of Chen Panling, Wu Jianquan, Yang Shaohou, Ji Zixiu and Xu Yusheng. He studied a mixed Taichichuan form with Ken Duhamel, a student of Bo Sim Mark and in 1990 began training in Taiwan with Serge Dreyer, a student of Wang Yennian. Lauren also began baguazhang study with Lai Kanzhao, a student of Wang Shujin, and came into contact with students from the Chen Manching lineage, most prominently, Tao Pingxiang in Taibei.
With his teached’s support he began competing in push-hands competitions, practicing with hundreds of Taichi players from all schools. He has won seven first place medals in competitions in Asia, the USA and in Europe and attained two University degrees in Chinese, a BA from Brown University, USA and an MA from the University of Münster in Germany. His final papers were translations and commentaries of various texts on tai chi chuan.
Living in Germany since 1993, Lauren has trained with western movement techniques such as Feldenkrais, Rolfing Movement and Bothmer Gymnastics. Elements from massage, meditation and body work in general have found their way into his courses. As well as pushing hands, Lauren also teaches form and various aspects of movement and awareness in general. Most importantly, he transmits tai chi as a chance to discover our inherently peaceful, powerful and playful center. He teaches workshops throughout Europe.