Tai chi basics

The steps

1. Warm-up. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, knees soft. Let your arms hang. Gently roll your shoulders, then turn your waist left and right, letting your arms swing loosely.
2. 1 · Commencing. Breathe in and float both arms up in front of you to shoulder height, wrists soft, like rising through water. Breathe out, bend your knees slightly, and let your hands sink to your hips. Repeat.
3. 2 · Shifting weight. Slowly shift your weight into your right leg, then through the center to your left. Keep your head level and your knees soft. Feel each foot take the weight.
4. 3 · Cloud hands. Let one hand float up in front of your face while the other circles low near your belly, like stirring a slow cloud. Turn your waist gently and let the hands trade places as you shift your weight side to side.
5. 4 · Parting the wild horse's mane. Hold your hands as if holding a ball at your right hip. Step your left foot forward at a comfortable width, and as you shift weight forward, sweep your left hand up and out in front while your right hand presses down beside your hip. Return and switch.
6. 5 · Brushing the knee. Step forward with your left foot. Sweep your left hand low across your left knee while your right hand pushes softly forward from beside your ear. Shift back and switch sides.
7. 6 · Closing. Bring your feet together, let your hands float up, cross them softly in front of your chest, then lower them to your sides. Stand still for 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.