The Chinese art of tai chi is a complex system of movement designed to stretch, strengthen, cleanse and balance your body and mind. Basic tai chi exercises, also called "foundation exercises," can help improve your technique. Once you understand each exercise, work to do it in a relaxed manner, smoothly and without stopping. Always ask a doctor before embarking on any physical exercise program. Tai chi is best learned from an instructor.
Dan Yu (Sitting in the Waist)
Place your feet 1 1/2 shoulder widths apart. Point your toes out slightly. Keep both feet flat on the floor as you do the exercise.
Bend the knees and sit back with your bottom as if sitting down in a chair. Keep your torso upright. As you descend, push the knees to the sides. Don't allow them to collapse inward. The knees might ride forward slightly, but don't allow them to go out beyond your toes. Only go as low as is comfortable, even if you can only descend a few inches. When you reach the lowest part of your sit, push your feet into the floor to stand back upright again. Repeat, moving down and up slowly and smoothly.
S.H. Verstappen, martial arts expert and author of "Blind Zen: A Case Study of Sensory Enhancement for the Visually Impaired," recommends exercises such as this one to enhance balance and develop leg muscles.
Tor Yu (Spine Turning)
Standing with your feet together, turn one foot out 45 degrees. Take one full step straight forward with the other foot. This is the basic position of the feet in a tai chi long step.
Keeping your feet in this position, straighten your back leg and bend your front leg. Ensure that the front knee doesn't go over the foot. As you push forward, square your hips so that your navel points in the same direction as the front foot. Now push back, straightening the front leg and bending the back leg, turning so that your navel points in the same direction as your back foot.
Once you're comfortable with the leg movements, add the hands. As you push forward, push both arms ahead of you at chest height. As you push back, the hands cross and push straight down, slightly away from the body. When you get tired of working on one side, change your feet and work the other side. According to the Taoist Tai Chi Society of the USA, the tor yu exercise is the foundation for all movement in tai chi.
Pa Qua / Ba Gua Stepping
Stand with your feet at a 45-degree angle to each other. As you work, maintain this angle. Take a small step forward with your right foot. Don't commit weight to this foot yet. Simply place it on the ground. Roll off your left heel so that the ball of the foot is down and the heel is up. As you roll, transfer your weight to the right foot. Step forward with the left foot. Roll off the right heel to push your weight onto the left foot. Repeat.
According to John Bracy and Liu Xing-Han, authors of "Ba Gua: Hidden Knowledge in the Taoist Internal Martial Art," the flowing movements of pa qua reflect the constant change that is the essence of the natural world in Taoist philosophy.
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