Tai chi lesson 3: first arm movements

You have learned the tai chi stance, a calm breath and how to shift your weight. Now you add your arms with two classic moves: Commencement, the gentle opening that starts most tai chi routines, and Wave Hands Like Clouds, a soft, flowing side-to-side move.

Both moves are slow and easy on the joints. You can do them standing or sitting, because tai chi can be adapted for either.²

Why this step matters

Tai chi joins slow movement, steady posture, calm breathing and focused attention.¹ Arm moves bring the whole body into the practice and give your mind something to follow.

Keeping your balance while your arms move is a skill. Tai chi balance programs train this kind of coordinated, two-sided movement.³ In a trial of 195 people with Parkinson's disease, a tai chi program led to about two-thirds fewer falls than stretching over six months.⁵ For older adults in general, a large review found tai chi lowered the number of people who fell by about 1 in 5.¹

That matters because more than 1 in 4 adults age 65 and older falls each year.⁷ The CDC suggests older adults do balance activities each week.⁸ Tai chi can be one of them.

Before you start

• Warm up with 5 slow breaths in the ready stance from lesson 1.
• Check your space. Stand near a sturdy chair or counter, with no rugs or cords. You need room to reach your arms out to the side.
• Know your limits. If you have shoulder or neck problems, arthritis, or a recent surgery, ask your doctor how your health affects your activity.¹² On a day when one joint is swollen or sore, rest it and work on another area.¹²

Steps: Commencement

Commencement means "the beginning." It is short and quiet. Do it slowly enough that each part takes one easy breath.

1. Take the ready stance. Feet about shoulder-width apart, knees soft, body tall. Arms hang at your sides, palms facing your thighs.
2. Turn your palms back. Let your palms face behind you. Fingers relaxed and slightly apart.
3. Float your arms up. Breathing in, let both arms rise slowly forward, as if they were floating in water. Lead with your wrists. Keep your elbows slightly bent and your hands shoulder-width apart.
4. Stop at shoulder height or lower. Your hands are in front of you, palms facing down. Your shoulders stay down, not lifted toward your ears.
5. Settle your elbows. Let your elbows drop a little toward the floor. Your hands come slightly closer to your chest.
6. Press gently down. Breathing out, lower your hands slowly in front of you, palms down, as if pressing a ball into water. At the same time, bend your knees a tiny bit.
7. Finish at hip level. Your hands rest just in front of your hips. Your knees are softly bent.
8. Straighten slowly and repeat. Let your knees rise again as your arms hang. Repeat 5 to 8 times.

Steps: Wave Hands Like Clouds

Also called Cloud Hands, this move has your hands drifting past your face like slow clouds. Learn it in two stages.

Stage 1: arms only

1. Stand in the ready stance, feet a little wider than your shoulders, knees soft. Keep your feet still.
2. Set your hands. Raise your right hand in front of your face at about chin or shoulder height, palm facing you, elbow bent and low. Your left hand is in front of your belly, palm facing down or in. Picture holding a large beach ball with a slanted grip.
3. Turn to the right. Slowly turn your waist and chest to the right. Both hands travel with your body. Your eyes follow your upper (right) hand.
4. Switch hands. When you have turned as far as is comfortable, turn your right palm outward and let that hand sink down slowly in a curve. At the same time, your left hand rises in a curve across your body to face height, palm turning toward you.
5. Turn to the left. Now your left hand is on top. Slowly turn your waist to the left, with your eyes following the left hand.
6. Switch again. At the left side, the left palm turns out and sinks. The right hand rises across your body to face height.
7. Keep it going. Turn right, switch, turn left, switch. Each hand traces a slow, flat circle in front of you. Do 4 to 6 turns each way.
8. Finish. Let both hands lower to your sides. Take 3 easy breaths.

Stage 2: add the weight shift

When stage 1 feels smooth, add lesson 2. As you turn right, shift most of your weight into your right leg. As you turn left, shift it into your left leg. Move from your waist and hips, not your shoulders. Hands, waist and weight all arrive at the side together.

The full routine adds small side steps. Leave those out for now.

The chair version

You can do both moves seated.² This is a good choice if you use a wheelchair, tire easily or feel unsteady.

1. Sit near the front of a sturdy chair without wheels. Lock wheelchair brakes. Feet flat, hip-width apart, back tall.
2. For Commencement, float your arms up to shoulder height or lower, then press them gently down to rest above your thighs. Skip the knee bend.
3. For Cloud Hands, turn gently from your waist, not just your arms. Keep the turn small. Your hands pass in front of you exactly as in stage 1.
4. For a "weight shift" while seated, let a little more weight sink into the sit bone on the side you turn toward.

Try it this week

Common problems

My shoulders get tired or sore.

Lower your hands. Commencement can stop at chest height, and Cloud Hands can pass in front of your chest instead of your face. Keep your elbows bent and dropped. If pain lasts, talk with your doctor or a physical therapist.

I can't remember which hand goes where.

That is normal at first. Practice stage 1 slowly in front of a mirror, saying "top hand, turn, switch." Some people find a video helpful. But learning from a video alone does not make sure you are doing the moves safely and correctly, so a class can help later.²

I get dizzy watching my hand.

Keep your turns smaller and move more slowly. You can also let your eyes look softly ahead instead of following your hand. If dizziness keeps happening, sit down and talk with your doctor.

I lose my balance when I add the weight shift.

Go back to stage 1 for a few days, or practice the shift alone (lesson 2) near a counter. Or do Cloud Hands in a chair. See fear of falling and preventing falls.

Slow breathing makes me more anxious, not calmer.

That happens to some people during relaxation practice.⁹ Let go of matching breath to movement. Breathe normally and keep your eyes open.

Next lesson

When both moves feel smooth, go on to Tai chi lesson 4: a short sequence. You will link the stance, weight shift and arm moves into one flowing routine, with a daily practice plan.

To review, see lesson 1: stance and breath and lesson 2: shifting weight. You can also follow along in our tai chi practice studio, read the tai chi overview, or try the gentle arm moves of Baduanjin.

Education only. This page is general information written from the sources listed. It is not medical, legal or financial advice and does not replace a doctor, therapist or lawyer who knows your situation. How we write and check pages.