How I ended up with Tai Chi?

HATHA YOGA requires a siting posture for meditation. And various contortions requires reflecting the stillness in nature. For example we make various postures like lotus, cow, mountain, eagle, hanuman, child, peacock, dead to rejuvenate and awaken the energy and make our body flexible.

YOGA direct to strive for the welfare of Mind, Body and Soul with

1. Dharma,

2. Artha,

3. Kama

4. Moksha

via ASTA ANGA (8 parts)

1. YAMA (External Disciplines),

2. NIYAMA (Internal Disciplines),

3. ASANA (Body Postures),

4. Pranayama (Breath Control),

5. Prathyahara (Sense Withdrawal),

6. Dharana (Concentration),

7. Dhyana (Meditative Absorption),

8. Samadhi (Union & Integration)

The detailing in YOGA is exhaustive. It slows down the process & events that takes place in real world in "milli second to second" to "minutes and hours" for common man.

While being a proud INDIAN, I love the detailing of YOGA and practicing difficult posture right during my child hood. But I am unable to keep up with it because of following reasons.

1. The 8 parts are not practiced by major population of INDIA except at few Ashrams & pockets of INDIA, mainly because of the current world living expectancy and heavy western influence.

2. As I age, doing YOGA looks to be bit OLD fashioned and doing postures makes others feel like I am flexing my muscles and taunting others whether they can do such tuff postures.

3. My aging body has some effect that does not allows few tuff postures and I don't know how to build only up with few simple postures. Some personalization is required to pick & choose postures what fits most to me.

But I want my body to be healthy and I also want my parents to be healthy.

During such a situation, I found this gem called "TAI CHI".

TAI CHI can bring back HATHA YOGA

Tai chi is very good solution right from kids to older people.

YOGA is actually DEMANDING, it is NEXT level to TAI CHI but it is straight forward, who will not like STRAIGHT yet CHALLENGING SOLUTION to flex their muscles. What if it can be done by OLD people like my parents.

Tai chi can rejuvenate and bring even older people to challenge themselves with HATHA YOGA. While the OLDER returns to YOGA with their balanced & healthy state, the YOUNGER people will follow.

Tai chi finds its roots from INDIAN yoga & meditation. I firmly believe, it can bring back YOGA to its brilliance if we can encourage OLDER people in Tai chi.

Different pathways

Health is wealth. There are different pathways to attain health right from eating right & having a good gut health but many requires personalization.

Understanding, When to choose when & what do they improve helps a bit here.

1. If you want to improve everyday balance, protect your joints, and keep moving smoothly, choose Tai Chi.

2. If you want to fix poor posture, expand your physical flexibility, and build core strength, choose Hatha Yoga.

While there are KRIYAS like Sudharasa Kriyas (Biochemical Reset) and Shambavi (Energetic Engineering), they remove mental stress, improve mental stability, increases cognitive clarity and they point to Hatha Yoga (Structural Alignment) for Physical Flexibility & Core Strengths. Sitting Still & Taking Control is the stressful part of it.

Dynamic Kundalini of OSHO (Catharsis First) does chaotic, explosive & erratic removal of TRAUMA, anger & allows individual to ascend mental ability. They help to recover from mental accidents & Traumas. While doing good, it will still point to HATHA YOGA for core body strength.

Kriya provides Micro Movements, Tai Chi provides Macro Movements.

Why the baby steps of Tai Chi suits daily life & all sorts of people?

Tai Chi is designed with Harmonious Flow to achieve balance between YIN & YAN (the good & the bad) for the sustenance of longer life. Catch the very point, it is not for the ascendance of YIN over YAN, it is to keep churning the OCEAN with your spinal cord and entire body.

The baby steps & the breathing aid

Tai chi takes you to trance immediately and it takes aid of hands & legs movements to ease the breathing while other techniques leverages lungs & navel movement to raise & control breathing or take very limited help of hands & legs for breathing. The hand & leg moves makes Tai chi ideal for all body shaped people and all kinds of job going people. Hand & Leg movement is normal in daily life, isn't it. While putting them in rest is the difficult part in itself, what if we could take a baby step only to slow them down and take its advantage for breathing.

Harmony and the memory

The faster you learn, the faster you forget & it has its side effects as crams develops in your memory, the slower you learn then also you may not have enough time to learn anything complete. A good pace is necessary. So is your BODY learning to move its internal organs & pipelines until the muscles develop a muscle memory.

The poems & songs are like kirthans, they don't make harsh moves but gently make their way to enter our minds & memories, so is Tai Chi.

My Journey with Tai Chi

I had no idea when I started with it, but when I watched "Tai chi in 5 minutes video", it felt simple and easy, found slow movements to be very good for my parents who are aging.

I am practicing these simple moves for few minutes of my time. I have started exploring the larger version of it.

There are many styles of Tai Chi. I am inclined to learn the smallest versions. while the smallest I find has 24 forms to it. I love the Expanding, Closing and Opening of hands & legs.

There is no single "best" Tai Chi;

It entirely depends on your physical fitness, health needs, and personal goals.

Each style offers unique benefits, ranging from intense martial arts training to gentle, slow-motion movements meant to improve balance and reduce stress.

While my target is only 24 Form format which is also promoted by chinese government, it is good to catch hold of

The five primary, traditional styles of Tai Chi include

Yang Style: The most popular style globally. It is characterized by slow, graceful, and continuous movements that are easily adapted to all fitness levels. It is widely considered the best choice for beginners, older adults, and those focusing on meditation and stress relief.

Chen Style: The oldest and original form of Tai Chi. It features a mix of slow, relaxed movements and sudden, explosive bursts of power with lower, more athletic stances. It is the best choice for physically active individuals interested in a rigorous, aerobic workout and martial arts application.

Wu Style: The second most popular style. It is known for its forward-leaning postures and smaller, more compact movements. It is an excellent option for those with limited mobility, back issues, or joint pain because it can be practiced in small spaces or even while seated.

Sun Style: Developed by Sun Lu Tang, this style incorporates agile footwork and higher stances. The higher stance makes it very gentle on the knees, making it a fantastic, safe option for practitioners with arthritis.

Hao Style: The rarest of the major styles, focusing on extremely small internal movements. It is not recommended for beginners as it requires an advanced understanding of meditative concentration.

For those looking to simply test the waters, standardized combination forms (such as the Beijing 24-form or shortened Yang forms) are frequently recommended as a highly approachable gateway to learn the fundamentals.

Beijing 24-form or shortened Yang forms

These forms represent the modernization and globalization of Tai Chi. Governments and masters designed them to transition a complex martial art into an accessible, standard healthcare practice for everyone.

Here is what these forms specifically represent and why they matter:

Simplified Access

Traditional forms require years of practice to memorize [3]. They feature long, repetitive sequences.

The 24-Form: Condenses the traditional 108 movements of Yang style into just 24 core steps.
Shortened Yang Forms: Reduce the time needed to complete a routine down to 4 to 8 minutes.
The Purpose: Makes the art easy to learn, easy to remember, and fit for busy daily schedule.

Standardization

The Chinese National Sports Commission created the 24-Form in 1956.

The Purpose: Standardized Tai Chi across different regions.

The Result: Created a uniform curriculum for schools, competitions, and medical research globally.

A Shift From Fighting to Healing

Traditional Tai Chi was built for combat and self-defense. These shortened forms strip away the complex martial applications

The Purpose: Shifts the focus entirely to internal health, balance, and mindfulness

Universal Fitness

These forms remove deep stances, jumps, and high kicks.

The Purpose: Allows children, seniors, and people recovering from injuries to practice safely together.

Each of the 24 movements provides specific physical and mental benefits by targeting different muscle groups, joints, and energy pathways.

Here is the health and biomechanical breakdown of each step:

1. Commencing (Qǐshì, 起势)

Benefits: Calms the nervous system and lowers blood pressure. It establishes root connection with the ground, improves posture, and regulates breathing.

2. Wild Horse Parts Mane (Zuǒyòu Yěmǎ Fēnzōng, 左右野马分鬃)

Benefits: Opens the chest and shoulders while improving coordination. The deep diagonal lunges strengthen the thighs, expand hip flexibility, and train spinal rotation.

3. White Crane Spreads Its Wings (Báihè Lìangchì, 白鹤亮翅)

Benefits: Excellent for balance. It places weight on one leg (empty stance) to strengthen ankle stability, while the arm expansion relieves tension in the upper back and neck.

4. Brush Knee and Step Forward (Zuǒyòu Lōuxī Àobù, 左右搂膝拗步)

Benefits: Enhances neuro-motor coordination by requiring different actions from the left and right sides. The twisting torso stretches the spine and massages abdominal organs to aid digestion.

5. Present the Pipa (Shǒuhūi Pípá, 手挥琵琶)

Benefits: Strengthens the core and stabilizers. Holding the heel-touch stance develops acute spatial awareness, builds calf strength, and improves concentration.

6. Reverse Reeling Forearm / Repulse Monkey (Zuǒyòu Dào Juǎn Gōng, 左右倒卷肱)

Benefits: Retrains safe backward spatial awareness. Walking backward while rotating the shoulders improves hip mobility, strengthens knee joints, and relieves shoulder stiffness.

7. Left Grasp Sparrow's Tail (Zuǒ Lǎn Quèwěi, 左揽雀尾)

Benefits: Contains four core defensive movements (Ward Off, Rollback, Press, Push). It builds full-body functional strength, lubricates shoulder joints, and establishes smooth weight-shifting habits.

8. Right Grasp Sparrow's Tail (Yòu Lǎn Quèwěi, 右揽雀尾)

Benefits: Balances the body by mirroring step 7. Doing this on the opposite side ensures symmetrical muscle growth, corrects pelvic alignment, and strengthens both sides of the brain.

9. Single Whip (Dān Biān, 单鞭)

Benefits: Opens the groin, hips, and chest simultaneously. The "hook hand" posture exercises the wrist tendons and small hand muscles, while the wide stance tones the inner thighs.

10. Cloud Hands (Yúnshǒu, 云手)

Benefits: The ultimate move for core stability. Continuous lateral steps and torso rotation train the oblique muscles, improve fluid spinal mobility, and soothe the mind through rhythmic motion.

11. Single Whip (Dān Biān, 单鞭)

Benefits: Reinforces the structural alignment, strength, and stamina gained in step 9 after the dynamic fluidity of Cloud Hands.

12. High Pat on Horse (Gāo Tàn Mǎ, 高探马)

Benefits: sharpens focus, stretches the wrists and forearms, and improves upright posture by elongating the spine.

13. Right Heel Kick (Yòu Dēng Jiǎo, 右蹬脚)

Benefits: Builds intense single-leg strength and stability. Executing a slow, controlled kick stretches the hamstrings, engages the deep core, and develops balance.

14. Strike to Ears with Both Fists (Shuāngfēng Guàn'ěr, 双峰贯耳)

Benefits: Improves balance while leaning forward into a bow stance. It expands the chest to increase lung capacity and strengthens the biceps and shoulders.

15. Turn Body and Left Heel Kick (Zhuǎnshēn Zuǒ Dēngjiǎo, 转身左蹬脚)

Benefits: Incorporates a 180-degree pivot before kicking, which challenges and trains the vestibular system (inner ear balance) to prevent falls in everyday life.

16. Lower Body and Stand on One Leg, Left (Zuǒ Xiàshì Dúlì, 左下势独立)

Benefits: The "Snake Creeps Down" portion offers a deep hip stretch and strengthens the legs. The "Golden Rooster" portion forces you to stand on one leg, boosting bone density and ankle strength.

17. Lower Body and Stand on One Leg, Right (Yòu Xiàshì Dúlì, 右下势独立)

Benefits: Symmetrically builds deep flexibility and single-leg bone density on the right side, rectifying any dominant-side imbalances.

18. Shuttle Back and Forth / Fair Lady Works Shuttles (Zuǒyòu Yùnǚ Chuānsuō, 右左玉女穿梭)

Benefits: Targets the upper upper body and lower body at opposing angles. Pushing diagonally protects and strengthens the wrist, elbow, and shoulder joints against impact.

19. Needle at Sea Bottom (Hǎidǐ Zhēn, 海底针)

Benefits: A deep forward and downward bend that elongates the lower back muscles, gently stretches the entire hamstring chain, and exercises the flexibility of the spinal column.

20. Fan Through Back (Shān Tōng Bèi, 扇通背)

Benefits: Instantly counters the previous compression from step 19 by snapping the spine upright. It unblocks tension in the shoulder blades, opens the heart center, and improves breathing.

21. Turn Body, Deflect, Parry, and Punch (Zhuǎnshēn Bānlánchuí, 转身搬拦捶)

Benefits: Combines weight-shifting, trunk twisting, and a controlled punch. This enhances coordination, generates power from the legs through the waist, and strengthens grip strength.

22. Apparent Close Up (Rúfēng Sìbì, 如封似闭)

Benefits: Excellent for stress reduction. The push-and-pull tracking motions teach you to absorb and redirect external pressure, soothing the nervous system.

23. Cross Hands (Shízìshǒu, 十字手)

Benefits: Collects and centralizes your balance. It helps lower your heart rate, aligns the shoulders perfectly over the hips, and anchors your mental focus back to your core.

24. Closing (Shōushì, 收势)

Benefits: Signals the body to return to a resting state. It slows down breathing, consolidates physical energy, and leaves the practitioner feeling grounded, calm, and refreshed

Below is a 6 Minute video of entire 24 Form.