5 Ways to Practice Tai Chi (and any other art)

Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art that's now often practiced just for health. As a holistic form of movement, it focuses on balance, flexibility, relaxation, and whole-body coordination. It’s often used in conjunction with other exercises such as Qigong, Mediation, or Kung Fu to improve overall fitness and wellness.

Here are 5 simple ways to get the most out of your Tai Chi practice (and any other movement art)

1. Start with a Warmup

Before practicing any new activity, it’s essential to warm up first. This helps prevent injuries and improves performance. A good warmup includes some light stretching, breathing exercises, and mobility drills.

2. Focus on Breathing

In addition to warming up, it’s also important to focus on breathing during practice sessions. This will help keep you calm and focused throughout the session.

3. Follow Through Properly

If you’re practicing tai chi, make sure you follow through properly with each movement. You should never stop moving until you’ve completed the entire sequence. This created continuity when doing the form as self-cultivation. But it also helps develop power when practicing the sequence form a martial perspective.

4. Move Slowly

Tai chi is a slow form of exercise. That means you shouldn’t move too fast when you practice. Instead, focus on making small movements slowly. This will help you build strength and flexibility while improving your balance.

5. Relax

You should feel relaxed during your practice sessions. If you find yourself tensed up, try focusing on your breath instead. Breathe deeply and slowly as you perform each movement.

Bonus 6th Way: Move Quickly

This one seems counterintuitive... until you remember that Taijiquan was originally a martial art. Sure, it is an internal martial art that uses "Qigong Principles" but a martial art, nevertheless. And if someone thinks they're going to go slowly and "feels the cheeze" when it comes to self-defense, then they got another thing coming. Sometimes you've just got to move quickly. Especially when you have to blast the bad dues with devastating Fajin strikes.

You may use each of the methods as a primary focus during your practice. Once you're comfortable with one method of practice, then change it up. For example, if you always do the form slowly, then next time you practice, you might focus on the breathing, or speed it up. If you really want a challenge, you can start the martial training in Tai Chi.

The easiest and quickest way to get started or uplevel your Tai Chi is with our 3 Secret Keys Masterclass