Your First Steps in Tai Chi
This is taken from an article written by Dr. Paul Lam, founder of the Tai Chi for Health Institute...
"If I could give a beginner only one exercise to begin with, it would be tai chi walking.
People often ask me whether this is simply walking done slowly. It is not. In ordinary walking we use momentum. We lean forward a little, let gravity carry us, and catch ourselves with the front foot. There is nearly always some weight on both feet, and that is one reason people trip and fall.
In tai chi walking you do it differently. You shift your weight completely onto one leg and find your balance there first. Only then do you move the other foot, placing the heel down gently before lowering the whole foot, and then gradually shift weight onto it. The foot you are about to move should be so light that you could lift it without any effort. We call this the empty foot, and it is the single most useful thing a beginner can learn.
Keep your spine upright as though a string were gently lifting the top of your head. Let your knee track over your toes and never past them. Look ahead rather than down at your feet.
You need no equipment and only a few metres of clear floor. Five to ten minutes a day is plenty. You can even do it in small pieces. A minute here and a minute there while you are waiting for the kettle adds up to a great deal over a week.
To be honest with you, tai chi walking is a wonderful beginning, but it is not the whole of tai chi. If we compare it with a complete, well constructed tai chi set, it is like comparing one item of food to a whole balanced diet. A full set trains posture, balance, coordination, leg strength, breathing and mental focus together, so it brings much greater benefit, more importantly it is much more interesting. Start with the walk, and when you are ready, go on to a complete program, any of my Tai Chi for Health program can bring more enjoyment and health benefits."
Most of our instructors make Tai Chi walking in some form a part of every class. I like it because it embraces so much of what makes Tai Chi Tai Chi: finishing each step before you move weight into that leg and foot; turning your body with your dantian; maintaining an upright posture; and instead of leaning into your walking and relying on momentum you move forward from your dantian, mindfully.
Dr. Lam says "If I could give a beginner only one exercise to begin with, it would be tai chi walking." I would say if I could give our beginning students one exercise to do between class it would be Tai Chi walking.
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