The first exercise taught to beginners learning Tai Chi pushing hands is simple single pushing hands. In this article, you can learn more about this fundamental exercise and access a great instructional video.

In Tai Chi, the hands can be either Yin or Yang. When the hand is Yin, the wrist is curved and the palm is concave. When the hand is Yang, the wrist is flexed and the palm is open.

When learning Tai Chi, it's important to know which direction to face for each movement. Teachers often use compass directions including the cardinal points (North, South, East, West) and intercardinal points (Northeast, Southeast, Southwest, Northwest) to guide you.

Shibashi is a popular and widely taught form of Qi Gong.

Shibashi means (“Eighteen Types, Forms or Styles”)

Shibashi Qi Gong was initially created by Professor Lin Housheng in the late 1970s.

Grasp Bird’s Tail is an important series of movements and is repeated 8 times in the Yang Cheng Fu Long Form. This blog post includes two instructional videos demonstrating and teaching the movements and Grasp Bird’s Tail.

As a teacher of Tai Chi, my students often tell me that Tai Chi practice helps improve their sleep. They get off to sleep quicker, sleep more soundly, and feel more rested and rejuvenated on waking.

Does the science back this up?

Recent studies show that not only is Tai Chi effective at reducing blood pressure, but it is more effective than aerobic exercise.

Many older martial artists find a new home with Tai Chi Chuan. its emphasis on balancing Yin and Yang, soft and hard, provides a more balanced and forgiving form of training that is less demanding on the body. It’s health benefits help to address the years of punishment that you’ve put yourself through and to ensure you remain healthy and energetic. Moreover, Tai Chi Chuan provides a doorway to the spiritual dimension of the martial arts that inevitably begin to interest older martial artists.

Anyone who has practiced Tai Chi for any length of time understands its benefits for improving balance, and recent clinical studies confirm this.