Skip to main content
Logo for WebMD
Logo for WebMD
  • Coronavirus Update
  • Check Your Symptoms
  • Find A Doctor
  • Find A Dentist
  • Connect to Care
  • Find Lowest Drug Prices
  • Health
    A-Z
    Health A-Z
    Health A-Z
    Common Conditions
    • ADD/ADHD
    • Allergies
    • Arthritis
    • Cancer
    • Coronavirus (COVID-19)
    • Depression
    • Diabetes
    • Eye Health
    • Heart Disease
    • Lung Disease
    • Orthopedics
    • Pain Management
    • Sexual Conditions
    • Skin Problems
    • Sleep Disorders
    • View All
    Resources
    • Symptom Checker
    • WebMD Blogs
    • Podcasts
    • Newsletters
    • Questions & Answers
    • Insurance Guide
    • Find a Doctor
    • Children's Conditions A-Z
    • Surgeries and Procedures A-Z
    • Featured Topics
    • woman experiencing chest discomfort Symptom Checker COVID-19: Check Your Symptoms Now
    • photo of migraine Slideshow Get Help for Migraine Relief
  • Drugs &
    Supplements
    Drugs & Supplements
    Drugs & Supplements
    Find & Review
    • Drugs
    • Supplements
    Drug Basics & Safety
    • Commonly Abused Drugs
    • Taking Meds When Pregnant
    Tools
    • Manage Your Medications
    • Pill Identifier
    • Check for Interactions
    • Drug Comparison Tool
    • Featured Topics
    • assorted vitamins Slideshow Vitamins You Need as You Age
    • photo of vaccine Coronavirus COVID-19 Vaccines
  • Living
    Healthy
    Living Healthy
    Living Healthy
    Diet, Food & Fitness
    • Diet & Weight Management
    • Weight Loss & Obesity
    • Food & Recipes
    • Fitness & Exercise
    Beauty & Balance
    • Healthy Beauty
    • Health & Balance
    • Sex & Relationships
    • Oral Care
    Living Well
    • Women's Health
    • Men's Health
    • Aging Well
    • Healthy Sleep
    • Healthy Teens
    • Featured Topics
    • grocery cart Article Smart Grocery Shopping When You Have Diabetes
    • walking sneakers Quiz Do You Know the Benefits of Walking?
  • Family &
    Pregnancy
    Family & Pregnancy
    Family & Pregnancy
    All About Pregnancy
    • Getting Pregnant
    • First Trimester
    • Second Trimester
    • Third Trimester
    • View All
    Parenting Guide
    • Newborn & Baby
    • Children's Health
    • Children's Vaccines
    • Raising Fit Kids
    • View All
    Pet Care Essentials
    • Healthy Cats
    • Healthy Dogs
    • View All
    • Featured Topics
    • apple slices and peanut butter Slideshow Smart Snacks When You're Pregnant
    • photo of dogs kissing Slideshow Surprising Things You Didn't Know About Dogs and Cats
  • News &
    Experts
    News & Experts
    News & Experts
    Health News
    • Coronavirus News
    • COVID-19 Vaccines -- Latest Updates
    • Coronavirus in Context: Interviews With Experts
    • COVID-19 Symptoms
    • Coronavirus Variants
    Experts & Community
    • WebMD Blogs
    • News Center
    • Featured Topics
    • photo of coronavirus cell WebMD News Get the Latest COVID-19 News Here
    • photo of person typing Get Our Newsletters Health News and Information, Delivered to Your Inbox
  • Mobile Apps
  • Subscriptions
  • Sign In
  • Subscribe
  • My Profile
    • My Tools
    • My WebMD Pages
    • My Account
    • Sign Out

    Fitness & Exercise

    • Home
    • News
    • Reference
    • Slideshows
    • Quizzes
    • Videos
    • Questions & Answers
    • Workouts A-Z

    Health & Fitness Guide

    • Overview & Facts
    • Tips for Success
    • Get Lean
    • Get Strong
    • Fuel Your Body
    • All Guide Topics

    Related Topics

    • Diet & Weight Management
    • Weight Loss & Obesity
    • Food & Recipes
    • Food Calculator
    • Exercise Calculator
    • BMI Calculator
    • Sports Injuries A-Z
    • More Related Topics
    • Fitness & Exercise
    • Videos

    Tai Chi for Beginners

    Video Transcript

    [MUSIC PLAYING]

    SPEAKER: Today we're going to learn some very simple tai chi techniques, just three basic steps. You don't need to have any experience to do it, just very, very basic.

    Let's begin first by just doing a little bit of warming up, just to release the tension from your muscles, especially your shoulder muscles. You can gently bounce your shoulders and also your lower back. As you bounce, just imagine you're releasing everything down through the soles of your feet. And please, breathe out. It's OK to exhale through open mouth. Breathe out. Just relax your body.

    Start to feel your legs more. Feel your feet more. Tai chi is very beautiful, but the fundamental is the legs. So keep focusing on the legs. Very good. Slowly stop.

    Let's start the three postures. First, archer stance. Bring your feet together. Shift your weight to the right foot, and then open left foot out and turn. Shift your weight into the left forward foot. Bend the knee, but straighten this leg.

    It's archer because you can see this is a bow, and here is the straight arrow. Push the heel of the back leg into the floor. Waist twists as if you're closing a jar tight. This will help you to develop strength in the pelvic area. Straighten the spine. Look straight ahead.

    Very good-- now to the other side. Bend the forward leg, in this case my right leg. Straighten the back leg. Push the heel into the floor. Now, it's OK for this back foot to be a little bit angled. Waist, twist closed a jar tight. More weight in the forward foot. Relax the shoulders. Through this posture, you can open up a lot of circulation through the back legs and also align your hips and pelvis better.

    Next leg posture. Step out a little wider. Sink your hips down, down to the heels. This is horse riding posture. Feel your weight evenly on both feet. That's very important. Remember, the legs are the foundation, the fundamental. When you can use this posture well, you can make balance in your body. Feel your weight evenly on both feet. Horse riding posture.

    Next, empty stance. Shift your weight over to the right leg. Left toe just tapping down, and sink into this back leg. Through this posture, you may already feel your ankles shaking. You're building strength in this leg and letting the ankle develop as well. Sink deeply. Switch. Sink deeply, all the weight in this left leg. Forward leg empty-- empty.

    Return. Shake out. Breathe out. Now let's add the arms. Archer stance. Switch. Horse riding posture. Sink. Open the arms. Beautiful posture. To me, I imagine I'm holding my heart and delivering it to the world. Open. Empty stance. Beautiful posture. Building my leg strength, opening. Open circulation to my legs. Switch.

    Return. Let's breathe to finish. Horse riding posture. Breathe in. Breathe out through a smile. Breathe in. Breathe out through a smile. One more time, breathe in. Breathe out through a smile.



    Return. Shake out. Through tai chi, you can practice releasing a lot of your muscle tension, stabilizing your muscles, and also just enjoying your body. Love your body. Practice well. Enjoy.

    Related Videos

    Editor's Picks

    • woman with cup of coffee

      Video

      The Truth About Coffee
    • tongue scraper and tongue

      Video

      5 Ways to Beat Bad Breath
    • couple having sex in bed

      Video

      Why Orgasms Feel Good

    Latest Videos

    Top Picks

    • 7 Habits of Super-Healthy People
    • Exercises That Ease Joint Stiffness
    • 10 Common Running Injuries
    • Yoga: How It Works, Types, and More

    Today on WebMD

    couple working out

    Get Fit at Home: You Don't Need a Gym for This Workout

    build a better butt

    Build a Better Butt: Workouts for Slim and Shapely Glutes

    bicycle spinning in gym

    Fitness Dos and Don'ts: Test Your Knowledge on Getting in Shape

    variety of bottled water

    Hydration Quiz: How Much Water Do You Need?

    Recommended for You

    excercise Slideshow

    7-Minute Workout

    Young woman with flat abs Slideshow

    9 Tips for Flat Abs

    pilates instructor Slideshow

    15 Pilates Moves That Get Results

    woman exercising Slideshow

    Core Moves for Your Workout

    pilates workout Slideshow

    Best Toning Workouts

    woman using dumbbells Slideshow

    Fitness Tips for Beginners

    woman measuring waist in gym Slideshow

    What a 5% Weight Loss Can Do for Your Health

    swimmer stretching Quiz

    Test Your Sports Injury Savvy

    broken leg in cast Article

    Types of Ankle Injuries

    Still Life Of Protein Foods Quiz

    Protein Myths and Facts

    athlete on track Article

    Muscle Strain Basics

    athletic man pouring water on head Article

    Heat Exhaustion: Symptoms and Treatment

    Tools & Resources

    • 7 Most Effective Exercises
    • Build a Better Butt
    • Fitness Dos and Don'ts
    • 9 Tips for Flat Abs
    • Good Protein Sources
    • 6 Exercises for Better Posture

    Health Solutions

    • Penis Curved When Erect
    • Could I have CAD?
    • Treat Bent Fingers
    • Discover hATTR Symptoms
    • Tired of Dandruff?
    • Treat HR+, HER2- MBC
    • Rethink MS Treatment
    • AFib-Related Strokes
    • Risk of a Future DVT/PE
    • Is My Penis Normal?
    • Relapsing MS Options
    • Enlarged Prostate Facts
    • Finance Plastic Surgery
    • Bent Finger Causes
    • Living With Psoriasis?
    • Benefits of CBD

    More from WebMD

    • 5 Tips to Help With Relapsing MS
    • How to Thrive With Narcolepsy
    • Relief for Blocked Hair Follicles
    • Psoriatic Arthritis and Your Sleep
    • What Psoriasis Feels Like
    • First Psoriatic Arthritis Flare
    • Talking to Your Doctor About RA
    • Crohn's: A 'Full-Body' Disease
    • Avoiding Crohn’s Flares
    • Living With Ankylosing Spondylitis
    • Live Better With Psoriatic Disease
    • Types of B-Cell Therapy for MS
    • Living Better With T2 Diabetes
    • Why Prostate Cancer Spreads
    • Getting the Care You Need for MS
    • Where Breast Cancer Spreads
    • Logo for WebMD
      • Visit WebMD on Facebook
      • Visit WebMD on Twitter
      • Visit WebMD on Pinterest
    • Policies

      • Privacy Policy
      • Cookie Policy
      • Editorial Policy
      • Advertising Policy
      • Correction Policy
      • Terms of Use

      About

      • Contact Us
      • About WebMD
      • Careers
      • Newsletter
      • Corporate
      • WebMD Health Services
      • Site Map
      • Accessibility
    • WebMD Network

      • Medscape
      • Medscape Reference
      • MedicineNet
      • eMedicineHealth
      • RxList
      • OnHealth
      • WebMDRx
      • First Aid
      • WebMD Magazine
      • WebMD Health Record
      • Dictionary
      • Physician Directory
    • Our Apps

      • WebMD Mobile
      • WebMD App
      • Pregnancy
      • Baby
      • Allergy
      • Medscape

      For Advertisers

      • Advertise with Us
      • Advertising Policy

    © 2005 - 2019 WebMD LLC. All rights reserved.

    WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.

    See additional information.