There are many reasons why tai chi may not be able to be practiced standing up and may have to be performed in a chair. The health benefits of tai chi can still be experienced while seated and there is no reason why everyone shouldn't experience the benefits, enjoy, Stephen Procter
It is important to fully prepare yourself both physically and mentally before performing your Tai Chi exercises.
Warming up your joints and ligaments will help you avoid physical injury through increasing the blood flow in your body whilst concentrating and exercising your awreness of your posture and movements will prepare you mentally so that it will be easier to quieten your mind and allow you to relax.These warm-up exercises should now only be done physically but with your full attention to their feeling and flow, sensations involvaed and to your changing balance.
To perform this Tai Chi form in a chair it is necessary to create a correct posture which you can maintain. This will encourage circulation, concentration and remove that sleepy feeling you may get while performing a relaxing exercise. After all it's not until we start to learn to relax that we discover how tense we really are, these posture will make you comfortable and balanced creating a framework that will help you relax and let go of life's tension.
To begin sit on a chair, keep your back straight and body slightly tilted forward, not leaning against the back of the chair unless you need to for a medical reason. Tuck your chin in slightly towards your neck, so that you get a slight stretch of the back of your neck, don't tilt it so far in that it affects your breathing. Have your knees bent and square to your body, not stretched out. Think of the crown of your head pulling upwards to stretch out the spine. Sit your hands sitting gently on your knees, palms facing down.
Circle your shoulders up and back then let them fall straight down and relax. Take a deep breath in the slowly let it out feeling all the days stress going out with it. Take another deep breathe in then let it out slowly again, feeling your body relax. Remember pain and tension in your body go hand in hand, when you let go of the tension and allow your body to relax the pain also leaves with the tension.
Focus your eyes at a 45 degree angle in front of you, not looking around. Be aware of what sitting in the chair feels like, the balance of your body, the pressure on the chair, relax into that presence.
This posture will instil alertness and keep away any sleepiness during your practice, through stretching the spine you are exciting the nervous system and encouraging the flow of energy. If at any time you feel sleepy whilst doing Tai Chi check your posture to make sure you're not slumping.
These forms all link together in a never ending chain, once you have done the repetitions for one posture the
Tai Chi 35 Movement Slow Form Practice Video - in a Chair 1. Starting Posture, 2. Hands Play Guitar,3. Grasping Birds Tail,4. Single Whip.
Tai Chi 35 Movement Slow Form Practice Video - in a Chair 5. Watch Low Hand, 6. White Crane Cools its Wing,7. Brush Knee,8. Repulse Monkey.
Tai Chi 35 Movement Slow Form Practice Video - in a Chair 9. Slanting Flying Posture, 10. Needle in Deep Sea,11. Open the Fan.
Tai Chi 35 Movement Slow Form Practice Video - in a Chair 12. Cloud hands, 13. High Pat the Horse,14. Open Kicks.
