The Form of Tearing at the Western Wall

How should the tearing be done at the Western Wall?

In the Shulchan Aruch, it is written that one tears all his garments, by hand, while standing, on the left side, until the heart. The custom is to tear even with a tool, one garment, and a tefach. If it is easily possible to tear by hand, while standing, and on the left side until the heart, it is commendable to be stringent.

Rambam wrote in Chapter 5 of the Laws of Fasting, Halacha 17: "All these tears are done by hand and while standing, tearing all garments until the heart is revealed, and these tears are never sewn, but it is permitted to bind, twist, gather, and sew them like ladders." This is also ruled in the Shulchan Aruch, Siman 561, Paragraph 4. However, the Raavad wrote there: "All these tears are done by hand and while standing. This is not apparent from the Gemara (Moed Katan 22), as it is stated in the Tosefta that they are compared to father and mother only regarding sewing, but with a tool, all garments until the heart is revealed are not compared, but tearing outside in front of people is compared only to the president." Practically, the Raavad's opinion is that it is not necessary to tear until the heart, nor all garments, and the poskim wrote that the custom follows the Raavad.