Tai Chi Exercises for Balance and Longevity
7 Tai Chi Movements
The Tai Chi practice described in this video is characterized as a simple and accessible practice focusing on building harmony between the left and right sides of the body. This is achieved by repeating movements on both sides while maintaining a fixed stance.
The practice is based on movements drawn from Yong style Tai Chi.
Key Concepts and Fundamentals
• Wuji: The practice begins and ends in Wuji, defined as “doing nothing”. This is the basic stance where the practitioner focuses on standing, relaxing, feeling the stance, and connecting to the breath.
• Harmony and Coordination: A central concept is building harmony between the left and right sides. Specific movements, such as Cloud Hands, emphasize left-right coordination crossing the midline, which is noted as being beneficial for both the brain and the body.
• Alignment: Movements require proper alignment, such as ensuring hands and feet, elbows and knees, and shoulders and hips are lined up.
• Breathing and Pace: The practitioner is encouraged to find a pace that works for them and let the breath flow naturally, either in and out through the nose or the mouth.
• Challenging Variations: For increased difficulty, certain movements (like Tiger Washes Face and Cloud Hands) can be performed with offset feet, requiring shifting weight back and forth.
Specific Tai Chi Movements
The practice incorporates several named movements:
1. Opening Movement: Involves a gentle sink into the ground, followed by an inhale to lift and a release down. The hands and fingers are encouraged to work like a paintbrush.
2. Tiger Washes Face (Grounding Yin Circle): This involves the right hand crossing the center line and lowering, followed by the left hand crossing the center line. The practitioner should turn the waist and feel a connection to their feet through their stance.
3. Cloud Hands: Requires lifting the hand across the body and pulling it across the center line. The gaze should passively follow the hand. During this movement, the practitioner should maintain even pressure in the feet, “pressurizing back and forth as if you were on a boat”.
4. Golden Rooster: This is a one-leg balance exercise. Practitioners shift weight to the grounded foot to lighten and lift the opposite leg. If lifting is challenging, practitioners can practice by lifting the heel while keeping the toes down. The goal is to find “rooster claws” in the feet to stabilize the grounding.
5. Playing the Peepaw: This movement involves bringing the arms to the belly, rubbing the belly, squeezing the midline, and “hitting the brakes on your car”.
6. White Crane: Requires crossing the hands, pulling across the body, lifting one heel, lowering the hands, and repeating on the other side. This movement creates a stretch across the back and out to the fingers.
7. Crossing Hands: The final movement involves stepping slightly wider, lowering down to scoop up “like you’re grabbing a sack of potatoes,” opening the arms, and releasing down.
8. Yin Circles: These are performed at the end for final grounding breaths before settling back into Wuji