Tai Chi Instruction
Basic Guidelines

We used to think that following a written Tai Chi instruction was one of the hardest things to do - then we tried to write our own.

We were wrong. We now think that writing instructions - so that you have a good chance of understanding them - is next to impossible.

We've broken the instructions down as far as possible to make each bit simple to do - the harder bit will be for you - when you put them all together

Turning directions in Tai Chi

Many of the Qi Gong moves require you to turn in different directions - and it is easy to end up facing the wall when you should be facing the window!

To prevent this dreadful scene we are using a traditional clock face for directions.

Imagine you are standing in the middle of a big clock. In front of you is 12:00 and 6:00 is straight behind you. 9:00 is to your left and 3:00 is to your right.

Tai Chi Breathing directions

Qi Gong breathing is deep and relaxed using abdominal breathing rather than upper chest breathing. And normally you would breath in and out through the nose.

The slower and deeper you breathe the more relaxed you will feel. The important thing is to keep the breathing pattern smooth and regular.

Breathing direction is shown in blue and will be in, out or hold. You keep doing what the instruction says until the next instruction changes it.

So when we say breathe in we don't mean take one huge gulp of air! And the same goes for breathing out - don't just go 'whoosh'.

We mean that you should start to inhale or exhale at gentle regular pace.

As a general rule of thumb in Qi Gong you breathe in when raising the arms or body and out when lowering the arms or body.

However, Qi Gong exercises are very forgiving. You can always work within your limits and still get benefits.

Speed of Tai Chi exercise

Slow to very slow!

What do we mean by slow? Good question! It's up to you - but remember that Qi Gong looks graceful and flowing - not like a speeded up video.

Breathing in and out is indicated in the instructions so in some ways the speed is dictated by the breathing. And you should never find yourself breathing fast.

We practice to Qi Gong music and use the rhythm of the music to dictate the speed of our moves. Find some nice slow rhythmic music and get comfortable.

General Posture for Tai Chi

The most important thing in Tai Chi and Qi Gong is to release tension from the muscles. This means you keep all joints, knees, wrist, elbows and shoulders relaxed.

Be especially careful when you raise the arms to shoulder height - there is a temptation to raise the shoulders and hunch them round your ears - keep them relaxed.

Be even more careful when you sink the body. Many Qi Gong beginners do this by bending their knees forward - this is very bad for you.

Sinking the body is like sitting on a stool. Your bottom lowers first bringing the body with it. Your knees do bend slightly but so do the hips!

Your knees should never extend beyond your toes.

Try this experiment - stand in front of a wall with your toes hard up against the wall. Bend your knees - and see how far they go.

It's not far is it? Hold this pose!

Now lower your bottom slightly - this is sinking the body.

And at the same time you need to keep your back straight with your tail bone tucked in to smooth out the curve in the lower spine.

This comes with practice. We're told that Qi Gong experts can lower their body so that their thighs are parallel with the ground! We're not there yet.