Tai Chi Walking Tutorial | How To Tai Chi Walk For Beginners (2025)

You've probably heard that tai chi walking can help improve balance, leg strength and mobility, and that is absolutely true. So today, I want to help you understand why it works and show you a fun and simple four step method that you can do anywhere. Even if you're brand new to tai chi, let's get started. Now, I have seen a lot of videos about tai chi walking that, in my opinion, just aren't very accurate, according to traditional tai chi. Or overcomplicate things way too much. So I'm going to give you the key to remembering the tai chi walking patterns, which is a simple phrase that we've all heard of before called one step forward, two steps back. But we're going to flip it a little bit and say one step back and two steps forward, or even more accurately, one shift back and two steps forward. You'll see what I mean here in a minute. Before we take our first steps, I'm going to tell you why tai chi walking helps with balance, lower body strength and mobility. And here's the short answer. It's because it puts a gentle pressure on the bones. And this is a good pressure. It's called mechanical stress. You see, the collagen component of bone is piezoelectric material, which generates a small electric charge when pressure or strain is applied. This electricity stimulates the bone building cells in the body responsible for depositing calcium and other materials. Over time, the consistent stimulation through regular tai chi walking practice leads to increased bone formation and density, reducing the risk of conditions like osteoporosis and, of course, losing your balance. Here's an example. If you were to break your leg and be in a cast for a few weeks or months, once you took that cast off, you would need to start walking on that leg to strengthen the bones, strengthen the muscles and the joints. So it's a little pressure that actually helps to rebuild your strength and flexibility. So now we know the why this works, which is by putting slight pressure on the bones, which charges them and makes them stronger. And here's the main reason how it works. It's by moving very slowly. Normal everyday walking has wonderful benefits, especially in the cardiovascular realm. But studies show that tai chi may even be more effective at improving cardiovascular risk factors, while the slow and controlled weight shifting improves balance and coordination, strengthens the leg muscles and core, increases flexibility and mobility, lowers risks of falling, helps with chronic pain, improves cognitive function, boosts metabolism and weight loss, and reduces risk of certain chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease. So basically, you should really learn how to do tai chi walking. It's easy. It's fun. It's even meditative. I'm going to show you how to do it right now. Start in the bow stance with your right foot forward and left foot back. Part one is to shift the weight towards your back foot. Number two, turn the right foot out slightly and shift into that foot and step the left foot on the toe. Number three is to set the left foot out on the heel. And then number four, put the toe down and shift the weight into the front leg, turning the waist to the front. So one, shift back. Two, turn the foot out slightly and step up. Three, set that right foot out on the heel. And four, set the toe down, shift the weight to the front, turning the waist forward. One, two, three and four. All right, let's take a few steps back and try it again. Again, we'll start with the right foot forward and shift about 60% of the weight into that front right foot, making sure that you can still see your toes out in front of the knee. And number one, shift the weight towards the back leg. Number two, turn that right foot out slightly and then step up into that right foot and bring the left foot onto the toe. This is called the cat stance. Number three, set out the heel shoulder width apart. And number four, the toe goes down. Shift the weight into the front leg again, turning the waist to the front. So shift back. Turn the foot out slightly and step up into the cat stance. Then set the heel shoulder width apart into the toe and into the front leg facing forward. Try it on your own. Shift back. Turn the foot out slightly. Step up. Set the heel. Shift forward. Straighten the hips. And now we're going to add a pushing movement with the hands. So just turn the right foot out and just step the left leg forward and raise the hands and shift forward and push. It's the same sequence. One is shift back while the hands drop. Two is turn the foot out and step up into the cat stance. Three is set the heel while the hands come up to chest height. And four, shifting forward and pushing. Shift back. Drop the hands. Two, turn the foot out. Step up into cat stance, setting the heel. The hands begin to raise to chest height into the toe and into the front leg to push. You got this. Shift back. Turn out. Shift forward into the cat stance, setting the heel, toe, shift forward and push. Let's try it one more time in a little bit more of a flow. Turning the right foot out slightly and just step the left leg forward onto the heel. Raise the hands into the toe, shift forward and push. And one, shift back. The hands drop. Two, turn the foot out slightly. As you come to the cat stance, the hands raise. Three, set the heel. Four, shift forward and push. It's almost like the hands are making a circle from the bottom to the top. Shift back. Turn out. Step up to the cat stance. Set the heel, toe, shift forward and push. You really do have this. All right, here comes the level three advanced level. Now we're going to skip the cat stance. It's just kind of like doing it in the air. Turn the foot out. And like we were doing before, just step the heel. Raise the hands, shift forward and push. So one, shift back. And two, turn the foot out slightly. As you step up through the cat stance in the air, set the heel, three, and shift forward into four. Shift back. Turn the right foot out slightly. Shift into that foot so much that you can just step through slowly onto the heel and into the toe, pushing forward. Try it with me. Don't make it any harder than it is. You already know how to walk. Great job. Yeah, let's just try it again in more of a flow. I think I'll just let you follow along this time. I think you're pretty clear on what to do. Great job. You are now Tai Chi walking. I think it's so cool. It's so awesome that you're learning this skill and even better if you're going to continue to practice it. It's not hard. It really is not hard. Here's how I'd really like you to apply it and make it fun. When you're outside, pick something in the distance and Tai Chi walk to it until you get to it the whole way. Give yourself a challenge. I'm going to walk to that fence or to that tree or to that building or touch that line over there. This really does make it a mindful, moving meditation and it gamifies it. It makes it fun. It gives you a goal while you're getting all of these health benefits. So again, pick something in the distance and Tai Chi walk to it at these three different levels. Number one, without your hands involved on the basic level with the cat stance, just the feet, just that lower body. And then number two, try it with the hands and with the cat stance still. Try incorporating that push movement. Also, number three, try it with the hands and skipping the cat stance a little bit more of an advanced way to do it. And I think you can do that. Just don't rush it. All the same principles still apply, but try it at that third level as well. And after that, you'll really know how it's supposed to feel. And you can use this exercise at will and on your own. It will absolutely change your posture, balance, leg strength, minimize pain in the knees, feet and joints. And you'll find that you develop a new relationship with your balance and stability over time. I promise you. All right. I'm going to go Tai Chi walk now to the end of this field because I'm feeling the energy. If you enjoyed this video and you know it's time to get full support in making this practice a lifestyle to improve your health and longevity, check out my links below to join my community or work even closer for four months to transform your health with Tai Chi and Qigong. Thanks for playing today. And I'm going to leave you with this motivational quote from Rumi. He says, It's your road and yours alone. Others may walk it with you, but no one can walk it for you. Take good care of yourself and keep on walking the path.