Subscribe To This Site

Basic Tai Chi movements

Learn Tai Chi exercises online

A popular system of Tai Chi movements follows, complete with names of forms (postures) & line drawings of the postures.

If you wish to learn Tai Chi online, it might be best to start with a video or two. We will be posting some good, free Tai Chi exercise videos in coming days.

You could just start by familiarizing yourself with a particular Tai Chi movements by getting to know the names of the postures & look at the line drawings in the diagram below to get a feel of the movements.

Try some out.

But I think that this page is best used by persons who have followed a Tai Chi exercise video or have taken a few classes & just need to refer to the stances & sequence themselves of the stances.

Still, you can supplement your instruction & generally learn Tai Chi online, mostly free of charge.

This page on Tai Chi movements presents a particularly popular system known as the Beijing 24 which includes some extra preliminary movements bringing the total up to 28.

A few words on the Beijing 24 program

The Beijing 24 form has other names such as the “24 step form“, the “Peking form“, “simplified tai chi” and, finally, just the “24 postures“.

This Beijing 24 was created in 1956 by the National Physical Culture and Sports Commission of the People's Republic of China.

The Beijing 24 is intended for beginners and uses 24 representative moves. Though simplified by reducing repetitions, some of the more difficult, specific Tai Chi exercises still retain the important, traditional characteristics and features of the well-known Yang style forms.

The short form allows beginners, old and young, to benefit from & appreciate, the main principles of Tai Chi complete with its characteristic effortless movement, relaxation and awareness of the mind and body as united.

The whole form takes between 4 and 8 minutes to do depending on how many repetitions you do & how fast you perform the Tai Chi movements.

This system is possibly the most popular form of tai chi practiced today. Because of this you should be able to find plenty of books, dvds and classes for you to supplement your instruction in addition to the resources we offer to enable you to learn Tai Chi online, free of charge.

Do the movements slowly. Don’t expect to be masterful for a long time. Flow from movement to movement as gracefully as you can.

Read through the list of tai Chi exercises. Look at the chart of Tai Chi movements. Refer to both as needed. Be patient. You will make mistakes. Just move on.

The Beijing 24

1) Starting

2) Parting the wild horse’s mane, 3x

3) White crane spreads its wings

4) Brush knee, push 3x

5) Playing the guitar/lute/pipa

6) Repulse monkey, 4x

7) Hold the ball, ward off

8) Grasp the bird’s tai;

9) Press, sit back

10) Open up & push, repeat last 4 moves going right

11) Single whip

12) Cloud hands, going left

13) Single whip again, high pat on horse

14) Right heel kick

15) Carry the tiger over the mountain

16) Turn

17) Left heel kick

18) Snake creeps through the grass

19) Stand on one leg, repeat on right side

20) Shuttle back and forth

21) Needle at bottom of the sea

22) Fan through the back

23) Turn

24) Right back fist

25) Parry and punch

26) Apparent closing

27) Cross hands

28) Close

Tai Chi Online Chart

(Click on chart for a larger image of Tai Chi movements chart.)

If you liked our page on Tai Chi movements & want to get our helpful info every month, subscribe to our free monthly newsletter: HEALTHY WORLD DIGEST

You'll receive anywhere from 5 - 10 healthy “nuggets” of information to get you feeling & looking your best.

Just fill in our brief eZine subscription form & start to take charge of your life easily, today, right now. We promise.

Click for info & health benefits of Tai Chi.

Click for free, video Tai Chi tutorial.

Click 2 go from tai Chi movements 2 Home