Practice strategies

Let's expand a bit on a strategy for Tai Chi practice you can use outside of class. Remember that you want to make Tai Chi an integral part of your daily life. What you discover in Tai Chi should affect your daily routines - how you sit, stand, walk, breathe, and respond to events around you, so it's not something you do once or twice a week and forget in between.

Try to do at least 10-20 minutes of Tai Chi play daily. This could be mindfully performing the form(s). If you don't yet know a complete form, then spend some time taking the key stances and adjusting your position till you meet the requirements of the stance and start to feel comfortable.

Do walking exercise to get the feel for shifting your weight, turning your waist and maintaining a comfortable, erect posture. You can also practice the "circling" (Silk Reeling) exercises or the "Roll Back and Press" sequence, if you know it, to improve your sense of flow and fluidity.

If you can't remember the individual postures just yet, do the warm up and loosening exercises and especially try balancing on one foot (touch a wall or chair at first, if need be, for a little added stability) while loosely kicking the other foot as we do in warm ups.

Practice your basic posture by backing up to a wall with your heels and back and relax as you sit into a gentle, shallow sqat (keep your knees behind your toes). Breathe smoothly and evenly and keep your shoulders and neck relaxed.

Mindful daily practice, even for just a few minutes, will begin to yield big benefits, both in class and in your daily life.