Tai chi lesson 4: a short sequence

In lessons 1 to 3 you learned the ready stance, slow breathing, weight shifting and two arm moves. Now you put them together into one short routine of about 3 to 5 minutes.

Linking moves is what turns single exercises into tai chi. One move flows into the next without stopping. This page also gives you a daily practice plan and explains how to find a tai chi balance class.

Why this step matters

More than 1 in 4 adults age 65 and older falls each year. One fall doubles the chance of another.⁷ The CDC advises older adults to include balance activities in their week, along with aerobic activity and muscle strengthening.⁸

A flowing sequence trains balance in a way single exercises do not. Your weight keeps moving while your arms change position. In a trial of 195 people with Parkinson's disease, a routine of linked tai chi moves led to about two-thirds fewer falls than stretching over six months. The benefit lasted at least three months after classes ended.⁵

For older adults in general, a large review found tai chi lowered the number of people who fell by about 1 in 5. Side effects were minor, such as sore muscles.¹

Before you start

• Clear your space. Stand near a counter or the back of a sturdy chair, with no rugs or cords on the floor.
• Check with your doctor if you have a heart, joint or balance problem, or recent surgery. If a joint is swollen or sore, rest it and work on another area.¹¹
• Breathe naturally. You do not need to match each breath to a move. A large tai chi trial simply used natural breathing.⁵ Never hold your breath.

Steps: the short sequence

Move slowly, as if through warm water. Each part melts into the next without a pause.

1. Ready stance (about 30 seconds). Stand with feet about hip-width apart, knees soft, body tall and arms resting at your sides. Take 3 to 5 slow, easy breaths. Feel your weight even on both feet.
2. Step out. Shift your weight into your right leg. Let your left foot get light, then place it a little out to the side, so your feet are about shoulder-width apart. Settle your weight back to the middle.
3. Commencement (3 rounds). Float both arms forward and up to shoulder height or lower. Let your elbows drop. Then press your hands slowly down to hip level as your knees bend a tiny bit. Rise gently and repeat.
4. Flow into Cloud Hands. On the last press down, do not stop. Let your right hand drift up in front of your face and your left hand settle in front of your belly, as if you are holding a large slanted ball.
5. Cloud Hands with weight shift (4 to 6 turns each way). Turn your waist to the right and shift most of your weight into your right leg. Your eyes follow your top hand. Switch hands, then turn and shift to the left. Your hands, waist and weight all arrive at the side together.
6. Return to center. After your last turn, come back to face forward with your weight even. Let both hands float down to waist height, palms facing down.
7. Closing (2 rounds). Breathing in, let your hands rise slowly to chest height and cross loosely at the wrists, as if holding a light ball against your chest. Breathing out, uncross them and let them lower to your sides.
8. Bring your feet together. Shift your weight into your right leg and bring your left foot back next to it. Stand quietly for 3 breaths. Notice how your body feels.

When you are ready: add side steps

In the full form, Cloud Hands moves sideways. After a week or two, you can add one small step: as you turn left, place your left foot a short step to the left, shift into it, and bring your right foot in closer. Stay near your counter. Skip this if you feel at all unsteady.

The chair version

The whole sequence works seated.² Sit near the front of a sturdy chair without wheels, feet flat and back tall. Lock wheelchair brakes.

1. Ready: Hands on your thighs. Take 3 to 5 slow breaths.
2. Commencement: Float your arms up and press them down to rest above your thighs. Skip the knee bend.
3. Cloud Hands: Turn gently from your waist while your hands pass in slow circles. Let a little more weight sink into the hip on the side you turn toward.
4. Closing: Cross your wrists in front of your chest, then lower your hands to your thighs. Sit quietly for 3 breaths.

Family caregivers can do the chair version with a loved one, including a person living with dementia. Sit facing each other and move slowly, so they can copy you like a mirror.

Try it this week

Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance

A class can help you keep going and check your form. Learning from a video or a web page alone does not make sure you are doing the moves safely and correctly.²

Tai Ji Quan: Moving for Better Balance is a fall-prevention class built from the simplified 24-move tai chi routine. It is for older adults at risk of falling and for people with balance or movement problems, such as Parkinson's disease.³

• How it works: Group classes meet twice a week for one hour, for 24 weeks.³
• What you learn: A core set of 8 moves, with practice variations, plus a short set of simple therapy moves.³
• Where: Classes are held in community centers, in some health care settings, and online. Leaders are trained through the program.³

In a trial of 670 adults age 70 and older who had fallen or had trouble walking, the program cut falls by about 58% compared with stretching. It also had about 31% fewer falls than a general exercise class with balance, strength and aerobic work.⁴ That means people in the tai chi class had a little more than 4 falls for every 10 in the stretching class.

The CDC lists this program, and Tai Chi for Arthritis, among its recognized physical activity programs.⁹

How to find a class

• Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 to reach your local Area Agency on Aging. Ask about tai chi or balance classes.¹⁰
• Call the Arthritis Foundation Helpline at 1-800-283-7800 to find tai chi programs near you.⁹
• Ask your doctor or physical therapist to recommend a teacher.²
• Ask about the teacher's training. Tai chi teachers are not licensed, and there is no national standard for training.^1,2

Common problems

I can't remember the whole sequence.

Learn it in pieces: steps 1 to 3 for a few days, then add Cloud Hands, then the closing. Our tai chi practice studio can also guide you.

I feel wobbly when I turn and shift at the same time.

Make the turns smaller and slow down. You can also do Cloud Hands with your feet still for a while, as in lesson 3. Stay near a counter, or use the chair version. See fear of falling.

Is tai chi enough exercise on its own?

It is a good balance activity. Older adults also need about 150 minutes a week of moderate activity, such as brisk walking, and muscle strengthening on at least 2 days.⁸ See strength and balance training and the walking plan.

What comes next

This is the last lesson in the series. Keep practicing daily, and consider a class to learn more moves. To review, see lesson 1: stance and breath, lesson 2: shifting weight and lesson 3: arm movements. For the research, see tai chi for mind and body. For more gentle movement, try qigong and Baduanjin, or read about preventing falls.

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.