Ten Tips for Your Tai Chi Practice

A page of plain, practical reminders for anyone learning Tai Chi — the kind of advice teachers repeat because it works.

1. Relax, don't collapse. Softness in Tai Chi means releasing unnecessary tension while keeping clear structure.
2. Sink and root. Let your weight settle into the feet; stability comes from below.
3. Move from the waist. The waist (dantian region) leads; the limbs follow.
4. Keep the head suspended. Imagine the crown gently lifted, the spine long and easy.
5. Distinguish full and empty. Know which leg carries weight and shift clearly between them.
6. Breathe naturally. Let the breath deepen on its own; never force it to the movement.
7. Slow down. Speed hides faults; slowness reveals and corrects them.
8. Practise daily, briefly. Ten honest minutes a day beats one long weekly session.
9. Learn the principles, not just the shapes. The classics explain why the form is the way it is.
10. Find good company. Partner work and push hands teach what solo form cannot.

On your feet: stepping practice

Good footwork underlies everything above. This short film on Tai Chi stepping shows the patient, weighted quality the form asks for: