I often get asked by my students should I have my eyes open or closed when I do my Tai Chi. This is a good question as the eyes are your balance if you are doing a stand up type of practice such as Shibashi or the Fan or Tai Chi Form.

What ever you feel comfortable with try with eyes open then as you get better with the movements try having them half closed and fully closed on certain movements. Balance comes from your eyes and energy grounding to the earth so by taking this away you will have to rely on your other senses. This is good practice and training when the lights go out other senses come into play you will never know when you will need this being in the dark.