Tai Chi and Balance

Tai Chi and Balance

Balance is one of the main reasons I am hearing people say they have chosen to attend my Tai Chi classes.

Typically, particularly when we are young, we take balance for granted and don’t need to do anything to maintain it, it just happens automatically. However, through our life, especially if we have been more sedentary and not regularly physically active, our balance can deteriorate. This is because while we think of it as automatic it is actually achieved through a complicated combination of many parts of our body, requiring muscle strength, the nervous system sending the right instructions, flexibility in our joints and is also impacted by eyesight and hearing. Our balance can be impacted by such things as inner ear infections, eyesight deterioration, joint issues, muscle wastage/loss, and a whole range of medical conditions.

Will Tai Chi fix my balance?

Tai Chi is not a miracle cure. However regular practice of the Tai Chi movements can help to gently increase muscle strength and joint flexibility which will benefit overall ability to balance. It also includes elements to practice balance, which will enable you to improve and monitor your balance over time. This is recognised by organisations including Harvard Medical School, as noted here in their article on Balance.

If you have any particular concerns about your balance, or medical conditions impacting your balance, do please discuss these with your doctor, who may be able to identify specific causes and offer additional options to help address your balance issues.

If you are struggling with balance in class it could be a good idea to ask for a chair to keep close by so you can use the back of the chair to balance on, or sit and perform seated options if needed.

Are there any exercises I can do between classes?

Yes. It could be good to try some of the movements that incorporate balance regularly at home. Whether daily, occasionally or multiple times a day, regular practice will help general balance issues (caveat, that if your balance is being impacted by any medical issue then general balance exercises may not be sufficient and this should be checked with a doctor or qualified medical practitioner such as a physio).

Please ensure you undertake any practice safely. If trying out balance exercises that you know you have difficulty with and become wobbly, please ensure you have a something strong and stable to grab hold of to restore your balance if you find yourself wobbling. For example a kitchen worktop or a sturdy table or chair.

Example movements to try at home

Feel ready to try some exercises at home and assured that this is safe to do, then lets go. Start all movements in Wuji: Feet hip distance apart, body stacked, knees loose, arms loose, spine lengthened and straight, looking directly forward (chin could rest on a ledge).

Starting simple:

Holding a ball: Start with your hands loose to each side palms facing inward. Take your right hand and with palm facing up guide it across your body diagonally toward your left shoulder and hold it just beyond your left shoulder at shoulder height imagining you are balancing a tennis ball on your palm. Lean toward your left and raise your right heel from the ground. You will also feel a natural slight twist in your waist to look toward your raised hand.

Turn your palm over to drop the imaginary ball, return your hand gradually back down to the start position, and at the same time drop down your heel and rotate your waist back to centre. Swap to perform the movement on the other side. Repeat at least three times on each side.

Breath: Breathe in as you lift your arm up, breathe out as you return your arm back down.

Medium Difficulty:

Playing with waves: Take one foot out slightly forward and diagonal. Not a wide step, keep it close. Bring your arms to your waist, elbows back, palms facing forward, fingertips upward. Bring your front toes up, and lean back slightly. Now push out with your palms directly forward and as you do so drop your front toes down and bring your back heel up and rock forward slightly. When your arms are at full extension and your heel raised, drop your fingertips to point downward, bring your arms back while dropping your heel down rocking your bodyweight backward and lifting your front toe. When your hands are returned to your wait raise your fingertips up so your palms are facing forward. Repeat at least three times and then return to Wuji stance and then repeat on the other side.

Breath: Breathe out as you push forward, and breathe in as you pull back.

Difficult:

Flying like a wild goose: Ready to try balancing on your tiptoes? Start in Wuji with your arms to your sides palms facing in toward your thighs. Lift your arms up to either side into a Y shape. Return your arms back down. Now repeat the movement, and this time try adding a slight knee bend in as you return your arms back down and then straighten your knees as you restart the movement so they are fully returned to straight by the time your arms are half way up (outstretched at shoulder height). Finally if you are comfortable with the knee bend, then try to add the heel raise. As your arms start reaching up and once your knees are straight and arms are at the half way point outstretched, try raising your heels off the ground as your arms continue raising, so that you are on your tiptoes once your arms reach the Y position. Slowly lower your heels as you start lowering your arms so your feet are flat by the time your arms are at that half way point. And return back down, bending the knees slightly until your arms reach your side.

Breath: Breathe in as you lift up, and breathe out as you lower down.

Top Tip

Holding your core muscles in tight can significantly help your ability to balance. Imagine there is a thread trying to pull your belly button in toward your spine. Focusing on doing this while you are performing balance movements can help. Your core muscles are some of the most important ones for your balance along with your leg muscles of course.

How long will it take?

With regular practice, and if there are no pre-existing medical conditions that would impact your ability to improve your balance, then over time you should find these movements become easier.

Good luck, I hope your regular Tai Chi practice will deliver you some noticeable improvements in your balance. Although please don’t expect this to happen overnight or after one class, it will take time. Think how long it took you to reduce your balance capability, it won’t come back immediately (but hopefully we can speed the process up a little).

Adding in other exercise formats can also help, as it is good for your body to have a mixture of different activities. I will be adding a CIRCL Mobility class to my schedule soon which is a more active mobility, flexibility and strengthening class incorporating elements of Yoga and Pilates style movements.