The steps
- Warm up Roll your shoulders. Turn your waist gently.
- 1 · Commencing Breathe in, float arms to shoulder height. Breathe out, sink.
- 2 · Shift your weight Slowly right, center, left. Knees soft.
- 3 · Cloud hands One hand high, one low. Turn and trade places.
- 4 · Part the horse's mane Hold a ball at your hip. Step and sweep one hand up. Switch.
- 5 · Brush the knee Step forward. One hand brushes the knee, the other pushes. Switch.
- 6 · Close Hands float up, cross, lower. Three slow breaths.
Why it may help
Tai chi (太極拳) began as a Chinese martial art and is now practiced by millions worldwide as a gentle, slow exercise. Its movements shift weight continuously from one leg to the other while the mind stays with the breath and the body.
For older adults, tai chi is one of the best-studied ways to improve balance and reduce falls, and the CDC lists it among recommended fall-prevention exercise programs — so for balance and falls we rate it strong. For mood, reviews summarized by the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health find tai chi may ease depression and anxiety symptoms and improve sleep and quality of life, with more mixed quality evidence — moderate.
Try next
Baduanjin (Eight Brocades)
Eight flowing qigong movements practiced in China for about 800 years. Gentle enough for most bodies — with a full chair version.
5-4-3-2-1 grounding
Use your five senses to come back to the room you are in. Quiet enough to do on a bus or in a waiting room.
Want to invite someone? Send them a minute of calm with a personal note.