Opening

The first tai chi move, seated: float your arms up as you breathe in, lower them as you breathe out. 4 times.

01 / 08Side view of a seated figure with both arms raised forward to shoulder height
The dark figure shows the position; orange dotted arrows show which way to move. Front-view pictures work like a mirror: copy them as if they were your reflection.

How to do it

  1. Rest your hands on your thighs, palms down.
  2. Breathe in: float your arms forward and up to shoulder height.
  3. Keep your wrists soft and your shoulders down.
  4. Breathe out: lower your arms slowly.

How many 4 times

Gentler version

Raise your arms only halfway.

Who should skip this or take care

Move only in a comfortable range, and stop if anything hurts.

Read the safety check if you have a heart, bone or joint condition.

Common mistake

Lifting the shoulders with the arms. Keep the shoulders down and the wrists soft.

The chair tai chi chart

  1. 01Opening4 times
  2. 02Lifting the Sky4 times
  3. 03Holding the Ball3 breaths each way
  4. 04Cloud Hands6 slow turns
  5. 05Parting the Wild Horse's Mane3 times each side
  6. 06Brush Knee3 times each side
  7. 07Push4 times
  8. 08ClosingOnce

More for flowing tai chi

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