Tai Chi, the ancient Chinese system of exercise and martial arts is widely recognized as a
way to increase vitality, self-confidence, and overall better health.
The program you are about to see and participate in presents the fundamentals of Tai Chi in
a comprehensive workout.
The key to this workout is not to over-exert yourself.
Our Tai Chi experts will be demonstrating three levels.
Yao Li will be performing at a beginning level, Dori Li, an intermediate level, and our Chief
Instructor Joshua Grant, an advanced level.
Choose the level that is most comfortable for you and stick with it.
Progress at your own pace.
Through regular practice, you will be able to achieve the results you desire.
So now, let's join the class as we tune in.
Hands freely to your sides.
Take a deep, full, slow, even breath.
Hands rise up.
As your hands separate, slowly exhale.
Feel the weight of the arms sinking down.
Again, deep, full breath.
Feel the body coming alive and full of chi.
Slowly exhale.
Last time, deep breath, exhale.
Bring your hands to the center of your chest and interlace your fingers.
We're going to start warming up.
Warm up the wrists by bringing one wrist forward at a time.
Go in complete circles.
As if you have a ball between your hands and move around that ball.
Now we're going to warm up the ankles at the same time, but if you feel uncomfortable,
warm up one joint at a time.
Shift to your right.
Come up onto your left toes and go full circle.
Make sure you go through the complete rotation.
Switch to the other side.
Put your foot on its toes.
Come around.
Remember, warm up the joints.
We're going to be using these.
Good.
Back to center.
Palms facing you.
We're going to warm up the elbows.
Circle around the elbow.
Keep the elbow in the center.
Shoulders down and level.
Make wide circles.
Last one.
Now coming to the inside, make the same circle.
Go through the entire motion.
One more.
Good.
Release down to your sides.
We're going to warm up the shoulders.
This is where we keep a lot of tension.
Keep the shoulders to the front and move all the way back.
Make a huge circle.
If you feel any tension, feel it release.
Last one.
Good.
Now moving forward.
Same thing.
Go through the entire range.
One more time.
Now rub the lower back.
This is where we also keep tension.
Want to make sure not to strain the lower back, so we're going to bring heat into the
area first.
Now rotating to the right, come around, make slow hip rotations.
Feel the lower back warm up, the hips warm up.
One more time.
Come all the way around.
Now other side.
Same thing.
Feel the hips getting looser, lower back warming up.
Last time.
Good.
Big circles now.
Come completely around.
Feel free to come up on the balls of your feet or back onto your heels.
This is also a balancing exercise.
One more time.
Good.
Now the other way.
Come all the way around.
Feel the entire range of motion.
Come down to your knees now.
Warm them up.
The knees are your foundation, so it's important to keep them warm.
Make a big circle to the inside.
Both knees coming in.
If you feel uncomfortable, come up to a higher level.
Other way.
Going to the outside now.
Keep within your range of motion.
Now warm up your knees again.
Slowly stand up.
Shift your weight to your left.
We're going to start stretching now.
Come onto the heel of your foot with your right leg.
Place your weight on your left leg.
Bend slightly forward.
Stretch your hamstrings and your lower back.
Don't go too low for now.
Deep breath.
Slowly switch to the other side.
Onto your left heel now.
Hands on your right knee.
Stretch forward.
If there's any tension in your muscles, feel them release.
Deep breath.
Come back to center.
Now go into a horse stance.
Three to four feet apart.
Hands on your knees.
I'm going to draw a big figure eight.
Warming up the hips and the groin muscles.
Now turn to your left side, keeping your left hand on the knee.
Place your right hand on the ground.
Come up onto the ball of your rear foot and stretch.
Feel the muscles that are tight.
Feel them release.
Deep breath.
Slowly come up.
Switch to the other side.
Come up onto the ball of your rear foot.
Left hand on the floor now.
Stretch.
Again, any tightness, feel it release.
Deep breath.
Coming up again.
This time turn your left foot to the 45.
Come up onto the ball of your rear foot again.
Stretch.
Deep breath.
Come up again.
Same thing other side.
This time right foot turns to the 45 to the outside.
Right hand on your knee.
Turn down.
Deep even slow breath.
Back to center.
Now place both hands on the ground.
Take a deep breath before we start.
Go to your left side.
Feel free to come up onto the heel of your right foot.
Keep the knee and the foot in the same alignment.
If you feel uncomfortable, you can do it at Yau's level or at Doi's level.
I'm at a more advanced level.
Come to the other side.
Remember the knee over the foot and now you're on the left heel.
Deep breath.
Back to center.
Place your hands on the knees.
Again move through the figure eight.
Good.
Back to center.
Take a deep full breath.
Feel the chi come back down and place it in your lower abdomen.
Deep breath.
We're now going to start with standing meditation.
Feet are shoulder width apart, flat and parallel.
Knees are slightly bent.
Slowly shift your weight forward onto the balls of your feet.
Arm is tucked under, lower back flat as if you're sitting on a stool.
Chest is down, chin tucked in slightly.
Feel as if you're suspended by a string at the top of the head.
Concentrate on your lower abdomen.
Feel the breath full here.
Slowly inhale.
Allow the breath to sink to your dantian.
With every breath you take, feel a layer of tension drain into the floor.
Allow the hands to float up.
Imagine that you're holding a huge tree.
Fingers and thumbs are relaxed, elbows and shoulders down.
Imagine that the breath is traveling to all four limbs, through the fingertips and through
the bottoms of your feet.
Deep, slow, even breaths.
If you feel any tension in your shoulders, allow it to melt away.
If your thoughts wander, bring it back to the breath and follow your breath.
Deep, full breath.
If your eyes are closed, slowly open them.
Turn your palms so they're facing ground, elbows down.
Allow the hands to sink down to the waist level.
Feel as if they're floating up again, as if they're sitting on a cloud, and continue down.
Arms feel heavy.
Allow the breathing to coordinate with the movements.
Focus your thoughts entirely on what you're doing.
If your thoughts wander, bring them back to your breath.
Last one.
Slowly release to your waist level.
Right hand stays at the waist level, left hand comes up, palm facing you.
Remember to keep the elbow and the shoulder down, fingers and thumbs relaxed.
This is Parting the Wild Horse's mane.
From here, shift your weight to your left, bring the left hand down to your dantian level,
right hand level with your heart.
Feel as if you're holding a huge ball.
Slowly allow the left hand to rise up, right hand sinks down, and come back to center.
Again, come back.
Right hand brushes the wild horse's mane, and the left hand's parting it.
Again.
I want you to feel comfortable with the movement before we progress.
Last time.
From here, slowly shift to your left, right hand blocks below, shift back to your right,
and hold the ball on this side.
Right hand comes up, left hand to your side.
Same position, shoulder and elbows down, fingers and thumbs relaxed.
Come back, sitting on your right side.
Left hand level with your heart, right hand waist level.
Come up again.
Feel the imagery.
Right here you're holding the ball, now you're parting the wild horse's mane.
From here, shift back to your right side, hold the ball, and shift to your left.
Come smoothly through, we're going to combine the two sides.
Come back left, right hand blocks below, hold the ball, part the wild horse's mane.
And
feel as smoothly as if you were moving through water.
Last one.
Last one, other side.
Take a deep breath, allow the mind to come back to center.
We're going to shift to another exercise, brush knee and push.
Simply shift to your left side, right hand sinks down while the left hand blocks across
the body.
Right palm comes up, in this position make sure that the hip, the knee, and the foot
are all in one alignment.
Left hand blocks down, right hand curls through as if it's a wave.
Keep both elbows down.
Come back.
At this point again, check the hip, the knee, and the foot.
Look at your right palm, curl through, left hand blocks low.
Try not to ever extend your elbow, again.
Left feet flat, curl through, remember to match the breathing with the movement.
Again last one, lock down, curl through, and push.
From here we're going to do the other side.
Right hand to the left, right hand blocks to the front, shifting back to the right.
Left hand comes up, palm up, right hand down.
Right hand blocks to the front this time, left hand curls through and pushes.
Again.
Left hand sinks down, left hand curls through like a wave, and push.
Again feel the air against your skin as you push.
Last one, and push.
Connecting the two exercises, shift to your right, block to the front, shift left again.
Roll through, brush knee, and push.
To the left, block to the front, shift right, left hand curls through, right hand blocks
down, and push.
Other side.
Feel the muscles relax, no tension.
The only feeling is a thought coming through, locking down, and pushing.
This set, elbows down, last time this set.
Deep breath.
Our next exercise is repulse the monkey.
Left palm comes up as the right palm does, sitting on your left side.
Look to the back hand.
Right hand comes through, elbow down, push out and over your left palm.
Looking forward, look at the back hand.
As the palms both turn over, look forward again.
Left hand curls through, elbows down, looking at the right palm.
Make everything a slow, continuous motion.
Left hand curls through, press out and over your left hand.
Left hand withdraws, slightly above shoulder height.
Hand comes through now.
Feel no hesitation in your movement.
Smooth and fluid, again.
Next one.
Looking at the right palm, allow the left hand to come to your side.
We're going to start learning wave hands like clouds, and I want you to picture that image.
Right hand's going to turn to the outside as you turn your waist.
Now release the muscles to come down and sweep across the body.
Feel as if there's a trail of hands following.
Feet are flat, lower back flat.
Slowly turn out, feel the weight of the arm come down and sweep across.
Elbows never lock.
One last one.
Remember to keep the elbow in lock and arm away from the body.
Good.
As you come across, make sure the fingers never come above eye height.
Slowly switch.
Now to your left side.
Shift to left.
Slowly turn the hand out.
Come across the body.
Feel the arm float up on a cloud, turning.
Now use the waist for the turning, not the hand.
Again, turn the waist.
Allow the waist to direct the movement.
Hand turns out, release down.
Turn back up and pause.
Right hand comes out, now we're going to combine both sides.
Shift to the left, left hand turns to the outside.
Come around.
Now this may seem complicated at first, but follow along.
Right hand sinks down as the left hand's coming up.
Shift to the left, turn the waist out, left hand turns out, right hand rises up.
This is a great exercise.
Feel the movement, the chi flow.
Feel as if you're a cloud in the wind.
Last one.
Right palm in front of the face.
Remember, elbows unlocked.
Take a deep breath.
Sink the breath.
Back to the lower abdomen, or the dantian.
Deep breath again.
Before we begin the moving tai chi exercises, I'd like to introduce the tai chi stance work.
The first stance is the bow stance.
Feet are shoulder width apart, place your hands on your hips.
Shift your weight to your left leg.
Right leg steps two to three feet behind your left leg.
Make sure the back knee is slightly bent.
Front knee should be perpendicular to the ground as well as the shin.
Feet are both flat.
Take a deep breath.
Feel your body take the shape of the stance.
This is called a bow stance.
Shift back to your left leg.
Come back to shoulder width.
Shift to your right leg now.
Step again two to three feet behind your right leg.
Left leg is slightly bent.
Front shin is perpendicular to the ground, both feet are flat.
Take a deep breath.
Feel your body take the shape of this stance.
Good.
Come back to center position.
Now we're going to learn seven star stance.
Shift your weight back to your left side.
Right leg to the front, placing the weight gently on the heel.
Gently keep the front knee slightly bent.
Right hip, knee, and foot are in the same alignment as well as the left leg.
Take a deep breath.
Good.
Now other side.
Shift right, step forward, lightly on the heel.
Remember the supporting leg is all in one alignment.
Right, hip, knee, and foot are in one line.
Left knee is slightly bent.
Deep breath.
Switch to the other side.
This is called the empty stance.
Left leg waits, front foot goes out, now step on the toe.
Very similar to seven star stance, except you're on the toe now.
Left knee is slightly bent.
Deep breath.
It's very tempting at this point to stick your hip out.
Make sure your hip stays in.
Back, switch, left toe.
It's called empty stance because the front leg remains empty throughout the move.
Back to the original starting position.
Take a deep breath.
You'll be using these stances throughout the moving Tai Chi exercises.
Let's take a walk over here and begin the exercises.
Feet are close together, knees slightly bent.
Release your weight down onto your right leg.
Again, right hip, knee, and foot are in one position.
Left leg empties, lifts, and allow it to float up like a cat's foot.
Step forward, lightly placing it on the heel.
Maintain the seven star stance, left knee slightly bent.
Come back, again.
No weight on the left leg, back.
This time, step forward and allow your weight to fill into the left leg.
Release the back leg and allow it to fill.
Left leg empties again and foot comes back.
If you use these filling concepts, it allows more effortless movement.
Try not to push forward, but rather release forward.
Again, try not to push back, but release back.
Come back again.
This time, pivot to the outside.
Step forward.
Now, we're going to do the same exercise going to the front with your right leg.
Step, empty, come back, again, back.
Step forward now, placing your weight, allowing your right leg to fill as your left leg empties.
Release back, coming up onto your right heel.
Release forward.
Come back again.
Now, pivot on your right foot using the waist.
Release to the right leg.
Step all the way through and forward.
From here, release your weight back.
Pivot on your left heel to the inside.
Shift the weight to the left leg and bring the right foot back.
Step again to the front, fill.
We're going to do the same exercise without stopping now.
At this transition point, step all the way through without stopping.
Take as high or low a stance as you feel comfortable.
Step.
From here, shift your weight back.
Pivot on the right heel to the inside.
Step together.
Once through again without stopping.
Step back, pivot, move through without stopping.
Allow the breath to flow with the body movement.
Try not to inhale or exhale at any certain moment.
Allow your body to adjust.
Pivot back to the inside.
Shift back to your left leg.
Step again forward.
Use the waist to direct all movement.
Next one.
Right foot pivots back, feet come together and take a deep, full, slow, even breath.
And back to center and your dantian.
Now we're going to do part the wild horse's mane.
Right hand comes to heart level, left hand in front of your dantian.
Feel as if you're holding a ball here.
Release the weight to your right leg.
Slowly step out with your left heel.
Left hand rises up, right hand comes down to the hip.
Fingers and thumbs relaxed, elbows and shoulders down.
Release back and push to the right.
At this point, check to see if your hip, knee, and foot are in one line.
Left knee should slightly be bent.
Come back.
Again forward.
Release back and push to the right.
When you come back, let the left foot come up at a natural position.
Try not to flex too much.
Come back.
Push to your right as you come back.
Feel as if there's a wall on your right side.
Come back.
Last time, step forward, push up and out, right hand pulling down.
Release back and push to the right.
Pivot, right hand sweeps across, step forward.
Now hold the ball on your left side.
Right foot steps forward to the heel, part the wild horse's mane, right side.
Come back, this time pushing left.
Notice how my right elbow is down, right knee bent.
Come back.
Slowly step forward.
Release back and push again.
Step forward, part the wild horse's mane.
Release back and push to the left.
Pivot to the right, hold the ball on this side, step all the way through, part the wild
horse's mane.
Push back to your right as you release to the back leg, pivot on the left heel, shift
to your left side, hold the ball as you bring your right foot back, step.
Pushing to your left, release, come all the way around, switching your weight to your
right, continuously step forward.
Release back, make sure your lower back is flat, bottom tucked in.
Again, sweep across, last one, step all the way through, parting the wild horse's mane
for the last time.
Release back and push to the left, pivot on your right heel, hold the ball, feet come
together, deep breath, and come back to center.
From here, right palm comes up, left hand blocks to the side of the body.
This is brush knee and push step in a moving position.
Slowly step to your left, left hand blocks the knee, right hand curls through and pushes
forward.
Release back, come back to the original position.
Right palm up, left hand blocking down, curl through, step, block, and push.
Again, block, push, flow through the movement.
Last one, left hand blocks down, step, push, release back, pivot to the left, right hand
blocks in front, step through, right leg steps out, right hand blocks down, left hand pushes
out, release back, come back to original position, step, block, curl through, and push.
Remember, the back leg never locks.
Again, coming back, now this time moving all the way through, block down, push, release
back, turn right, and step fluidly all the way through.
Release back, pivot in with the left heel, hold the position going back.
Right hand blocks down, step, curl through, and push.
Release back, step all the way through.
If you find you lose your balance, take a deep breath and continue to breathe.
Always check for where your breath is.
Maintain a fluid motion.
Release back, pivot right again, right palm comes up, feet come together, take a deep
breath, coming back to center.
From here, footwork for repulse the monkey.
Right foot goes on the toe, body's facing obliquely.
Slowly turn the waist, step behind, and pivot on the front foot when it's empty.
Keep the waist, step, and again, pivot on the front foot only when it's empty.
Keep the front knee slightly bent, again, step, pivot, one last time, step, and turn.
Bring your right foot in, face the other way, go to the toe.
Deep breath to start, again, turn the waist first, step, turn the body on the empty right
foot, again, twice more, last one.
From here, bring your left foot in, turn, go to the empty stance, both palms facing
up, left hand at the side of the body, slightly above the shoulder, right hand to the front.
Look at the front palm, left hand curls through as you turn the waist, slowly step back, left
palm goes over the right hand, turn the body, pivoting on the left toe.
As the palms turn up, look forward, slowly curl through, turn the waist, press out over
the left hand, again, push through, and repulse the monkey, turn the body, brush over the
left hand, from here, step in, face the other way, turn the waist as the right hand curls
through, step, push, as the palms turn up, look forward, again, again, match the breathing
with the movements, last one, feet come together, take a deep breath, and come back to center.
Thank you for joining our class today.
Please rewind the tape, and we'll see you again tomorrow.
Good night.