Short Form Tai Chi: The First Four Moves

Students learn and link the first four moves of the Yang-style short form of tai chi: commencement, part the wild horse's mane, white crane spreads its wings and brush knee. It's a slow practice from China that combines balance, coordination and breathing.

How to play

1. Introduce tai chi as a cultural tradition and a health practice and teach the base stance: feet hip-width apart, soft knees and a long spine (1 min).
2. Commencement: raise and lower the arms in time with the breath, five times (2 min).
3. Part the wild horse's mane with a slow weight shift, three times on each side (3 min).
4. White crane spreads its wings and brush knee, practicing each one separately (3 min).
5. Link all four moves twice in a row, the second time with eyes half-closed or looking straight ahead in silence (2 min).
6. Close with hands on the belly and three breaths (1 min).

Rules

• Moves are slow and continuous, without locking the knees.
• The front knee never goes past the toes.
• Keep two arm lengths between students in every direction.

Variations

Adaptations

• Wheelchair users: do the arm and trunk movements seated, in time with the breath.
• Visual impairment: the teacher describes each direction using clock positions and guides the arm if the student agrees.
• Balance problems: practice near a fence or wall and take shorter steps.

Learning goals

• Learn about tai chi as a cultural movement practice.
• Improve dynamic balance and coordination through slow movement.
• Sync movement and breathing to bring arousal down.

Teacher tip

Find a short reference video so students can review at home. If you repeat it over several classes, add one new move each time.

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