BEGINNERS GUIDE
A NUTS AND BOLTS INTRODUCTION to tai chi FOR BEGINNERS
Tai Chi is often described using tired or abstract ideas: “Meditation in movement”, “Swimming on dry land”, “An internal energy system”… the list of titles without substance goes on and on. The use of such esoteric language does not always help a beginner. So what might help?
I have written this brief series of answers to common questions on how best to learn Tai Chi, what are beginners exercises, what are the health benefits, the movements, the forms of Tai Chi.
Of course, Tai Chi meditation and Tai Chi for health can help you feel calm, relaxed, and energised, but so too can Tai Chi Sword and the martial applications. And what about Qigong? Could that be a be what you really need?
I’ll try to answer as directly and as briefly as I can, trying my best to offer something distinct that what is being thrown up currently by AI tools. To help, I have resourced extra tools that may help your journey to a healthier and happier life. Some are manuals on techniques, but others simply links for further information, videos to watch or something to enjoy for, as you will discover, my approach is based on Play, not Study. So you’ll find videos, exercises, free PDFs to download or and crazy videos that try to re-define the art.
My name is Paul Read, the teapotmonk, and I’ve been teaching the art for over 30 years, writing books, creating illustrated workbooks, compiling courses, podcasting and generally trying to promote the art to a wider audience.
I hope this short introduction will be of use to you, but if you have a specific question not answered here, then contact me here and I’ll do my best to get back to you as soon as I can.
WHAT IS TAI CHI?
Tai Chi is the more popular name for this form of exercise that originated in China. Its wiggly moves and slow weight-shifting postures can teach you how to move your body in a harmonious and graceful way. This has a lot has to do with simply slowing down. The benefits to moving in this way are many and we will look at some a bit later. But try and think of it as doing a dance or a sequence, so you will need to loosen your waist, learn new steps (perhaps unlearn old steps?) but, you don't need a partner or music! (Though, personally, I often play something in the background).
People all around the world now practice Tai Chi, and they do so for many different reasons. This broadening notion of what Tai Chi can teach us has caused a ripple amongst some traditionalists who see it in more purist ways, and that its current expression as a dilution. But then, they also see the absence of long wispy beards amongst practitioners as a dilution too, so don’t pay them too much attention.
You’ll find enough within the art to keep you occupied. Whether you like your tea brewed for an hour before partaking or whipping out the teabag right away. It’s still a cup of tea
Recommended further reading: 50 Questions and Answers.
WHAT IS TAI CHI CHUAN?
Tai Chi Chuan is another name for Tai Chi. Except, as you may notice, it’s got another word stuck on the end: Chuan. You may also see it written as Taiji or Taijiquan. This can be confusing, especially as many people like to argue about how Tai Chi has only one true correct spelling, one correct pronunciation and should be displayed in only one true font. If you think at this point is all becoming a little silly, then join the club.
This “absolutism” exists in many martial arts, so try not to be put off by this. Just be prepared. Watch any of the Grandmaster Jeremy videos and you’ll soon get to recognise, and avoid such people.
These strict ideas are based on very old texts and oral traditions passed down from one generation to another. A bit like that game Chinese whispers. And like that game, messages change in the process, whilst the participants remain unaware.
This clinging to the past is not healthy. Think of a tree in autumn. It doesn’t cling on to its leaves, stopping them falling to the ground and becoming something new and productive. Same in Tai Chi. Sometimes, we need to let ideas come and go, and let practices evolve.
My advice is browse, try out everything you can, talk to as many people as you can and decide for yourself. As yourself what you want from Tai Chi and don’t be put off by the emphatic use of one word over another. It’s all just spelling.
Recommended further reading: 50 Questions and Answers.
WHAT ARE TAI CHI EXERCISES?
When you start a class, the teacher will normally begin with a broad range of “exercises”. Try to put out of your mind images of people doing sit-ups or push-ups. This is not what is meant here. Tai Chi exercises consist of simple repetitive movements that focus on warming up the body, stretching the muscles, opening the joints and preparing you both mentally and physically for what is to come in the rest of the class. This may involve rehearsing drills or patterns, slowing down your mind and breath and learning to focus your attention on what you are doing in the here and now. Oops, a cliche just sneaked in there. Did you see it? Watch out for these!
Recommended further reading: Beginners Guide to Tai Chi (Free PDF) .
Recommended doing: The Tai Chi Basics
ARE QIGONG AND TAI CHI THE SAME?
In a Qigong class, breathing is taught as a separate study, often as a sequence of easily remembered moves that are repeated again and again. Some of these may be the Shibashi sequence, the Embroidery exercises or the Farmers Exercises. In addition, these sequences of breathing exercises can be taught as part of a Tai Chi class. You would need to ask your Tai Chi teacher if they are included. Qigong may be a better choice for you if you are worried about learning long sequences (see Forms below).
Although I always teach Qigong as part of Tai Chi there are courses in which I don’t just so we can focus on Form - such as the Short Form course the Tai Chi Sword Course. It depends on the focus and outcome you seek. Today, everyone wants to learn quickly and squeeze everything in to just 1 minute (see video). Try to put these ideas to one side. We aim to spend more, not less time with our practice.
Read more on differences between Qigong and Tai Chi here
Practice a breathing exercise in the Tai Chi basics: or check out the Just Breath Course in the video.
WHAT ARE TAI CHI POSTURES?
Tai Chi postures, also known as “movements’, are the individual flowing stances that are practised in sequence and make up what is called the Tai Chi Form. They're like the different parts of a dance routine that you need to remember in the right order. A lot of fuss is made over which moves go in which order, the number of times they are repeated and what each means. Try not to get fixated on this.
After teaching for over 30 years, I can see that there are no definitive sets, moves nor sequences, despite many schools still clinging to the belief that the one true Tai Chi Form is theirs. If that was true, we wouldn’t have so many different styles and schools each teaching something of value today.
All schools, all approaches and all styles offer something special. One of our challenges is not to get swept up in “possessing” the “right” way. But in opening ourselves to all possibilities and expressions. Otherwise we cut ourselves off from the learning experience.
An excellent guide (if I do say so myself) to postures and forms is this book with combined online course for beginners : Beginners Guide to Tai Chi Form that explains the variations and history of this.
Recommended learning: The 10 Step Form and Course.
WHAT IS TAI CHI FOR BEGINNERS?
You’ll see and hear the term “tai chi beginners”banded about everywhere. That’s largely for reasons of SEO and key-wording on web sites and search engines. But for someone completely new, what does it mean?
A beginners class should provide you with instruction, support and guidance from scratch. Sounds obvious, right? But this can be difficult to find. For example, in a local class, unless you join at the beginning of a new term, the class will have been running a while (possibly years) and will require you to fit in, though the rest of the class may be some way ahead of you.
For those people who adapt well, this may not be a challenge. Others, however, may quickly feel left behind, unable to keep up, and drowning in too much new data and instructions.
So look around to find something locally where everyone starts at the same time as you. If you can’t find something, look online, as many courses have an open start and end time, so you begin and finish whenever you wish and there is no “keeping up” as you learn at your own pace. (See Video for the way things are have changed online these days)
WHAT ARE THE TAI CHI FORMS?
When you meet another Tai Chi practitioner they will immediately ask: “What Form do you study?”
Now, some people put quite a lot of kudos on learning this Form or that one, so they may be trying to catch you out and no matter what you say, they’ll respond with: “Oh I started with that Form, then dropped it when I came to understand how much better what I practice now is!”
Try not to get dragged into these sort of conversations, as they go nowhere. It’s a bit like 2 children arguing about Apple or Android run phones. All Tai Chi Forms generally offer similar benefits, only that some Tai Chi Forms are longer, some shorter, some older, some more contemporary, some quicker, some slower etc. Try a search on Youtube, and you’ll see 100s of examples.
Beware also of the tendency to think longer is better. Some people, with a smarmy look, will tell you they study the 487 move Old Style Big Frame Form. If this happens to you, just smile and nod knowingly and remember that this will most likely take them several lifetimes to learn.
Watch this short video on the different styles or explore more by downloading a free PDF on the 37 Step form, Sword Form etc here
WHAT HAPPENS IN A TAI CHI CLASS?
We have already mentioned warm-up exercises in Tai Chi classes - but what else goes on in a Tai Chi class? Well, this varies from school to school, but generally you will do some breathing work, maybe some partner exercises, then focus a lot on the sequence and each of the moves.
As much of the class is devoted to this teaching of the moves, it is important you find a teacher that can convey the essence clearly and in a way that makes sense to you. Knowledge, is obviously important here, but this is not all we should be looking for, as knowing how to do something is one thing, teaching it is another.
Before joining a class, try and preview a session and ask yourself, irrespective of what someone says about their ability, the number of certificates on the wall, or the number of initials after a name: Does this make sense or is it nonsense?
Also watch carefully: Are they are able to balance the needs of different levels of skill and different types of people in the class? Do they make the subject enjoyable and playful or is it going to be a monastic religious affair? There is nothing wrong with strict rituals and discipline, but if it is present, make sure you feel confident to put your hand up occasionally, to disrupt the chanting or prayer session and ask, without feeling too self-conscious, “Excuse me, why are we doing this again?”
The most important quality in a class is to find an ambience of RELAXation. This was spoken about by one great Tai Chi teacher called Yang Chen Fu (amongst others) who stressed its importance in learning Tai Chi. What did he mean? Check out the video…
WHAT IS TAI CHI MEDITATION?
We know that Tai Chi can help you feel calm and relaxed by focusing on your breathing and the slow and harmonious movements of Tai Chi. It's like taking a deep breath and feeling all your worries float away. But it is not like traditional meditation. It’s not sitting still and counting your breaths, nor chanting to your guru or staring at your belly button. That’s another form of meditation and one that we will not be looking at here.
However, the meditative side of Tai Chi reminds us of how much more there is to the art than Form alone. It offers: coordination, balance, breath, alignment, harmony, yielding, softness, sticking, yin-yang, the Tao and a host of others.
So, although Tai Chi tends to present itself as a sequence or Form, there is much more to it than that alone. This is why I wrote the Beginners Big Illustrated workbook and bundled it with the Health course, to give not only give practical, easy, workable exercises to do, from day one, but to present a wider picture of the art than Form alone.
WHAT IS TAI CHI FOR HEALTH?
Tai Chi for health, means simply, using Tai Chi to help you stay healthy and feel good.
Just like eating healthy foods and getting exercise can help your body stay healthy, doing Tai Chi can be a great way to take care of your body and mind.
Now you may ask me, isn’t all Tai Chi about health? And my answer would be, Yes, of course. But, some styles like also like to promote themselves as a martial art rather than a health art. In fact they will go on to say that if you do not learn the martial aspects, you are not learning Tai Chi. But, at this point we reduce the discussion again to absolutes. If this happens to you, just nod, look at your watch and say with surprise: “My, will you look at that…well I would love to stay and chat, but I really have to get back and feed the badger.”
Let me add, there is nothing wrong with learning the martial aspects, they can be insightful and useful. But, if you are 90 years of age and have just signed up for a years tuition thinking you will learn something about how to stay upright without your walking stick, you may be disappointed to learn that your first lesson requires wearing sparring gloves and a gum shield.
Always preview a class before signing on the dotted line. Interested in Tai Chi as a health art? Get this free 30 session online course when you order the Illustrated Workbook here.
WHAT MAKES A GOOD TAI CHI PRACTITIONER?
So how do you tell if anyone is any good in Tai Chi? For there are no exams, no certificates and saying that you leaned from X or Y doesn’t mean anything outside a small niche group. And what does “good” mean anyway in this context? Perhaps what is good for someone is not good for someone else?
So, here are a few pointers that might help. When you see someone doing Tai Chi look for:
Good posture (does their physical structure look well aligned to you?)
Do they embody deep breathing that is in harmony with their flowing, smooth movements (or do the moves look fragmented or stilted?)
A Focused mind (Are they focused on what they are doing or are they focussed on how they are coming across to you?) These are very distinct qualities.
Relaxed body (Are they tense, are limbs tight or soft and pliable?)
Great coordination and balance (Do they glide or do they wobble?)
Does the Form appear effortless activity (or are they sweating?)
AND WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF TAKING A TAI CHI COURSE?
The learning and attainment of good posture
The discovery of deep breathing that is in harmony with your movements
A focused mind
A relaxed body
To exhibit and embody good coordination and balance
The appearance of effortless activity
And … learning to take it all less seriously.
DID YOU SEE WHAT WE DID THERE?
It’s all the same! The process is the goal! It’s all in the doing.
Forget certificates, belts, gradings and the attainment of fancy names. That’s just fluff. Start, and in the starting you will find the goal.
Good luck with your journey. If Online courses intrigue you, then take a look at my training programs offering full courses or beginners starter packs (books and courses)
Have a question? Get in touch here
