Tai Chi Movements: Benefits & Body Parts
A quick reference for the 18-move sequence
| # | Movement | Main Body Parts Worked | Key Benefits |
| 1 | Calming the Waters | Diaphragm, lungs, shoulders, wrists, legs (gentle knee bend) | Calms your heart and lungs. Slows the breath, calms the nervous system, eases stress, and starts relaxing the body |
| 2 | Push Water to the Side | Shoulders, upper back, waist/obliques, hips, legs, ankles | Helps soften the joints. Builds spinal rotation and trunk flexibility, loosens the shoulders, and helps weight shifting and balance |
| 3 | Fanning the Wind | Arms, shoulders, wrists, torso, legs, ankles | Opens the chest, improves shoulder range of motion, and helps arm and breath work together |
| 4 | Over the Drum | Legs, shoulders, upper back | Helps with balance. Eases upper-back tension, strengthens the core. |
| 5 | Ball to the Mountain | Legs, arms, shoulders, wrist, spine (upward reach) | Helps improve posture. Lengthens the spine and strengths the arms. Magnitude of benefits happening with this move. |
| 6 | Ball to the Valley | Similar to above. Legs, arms, wrist, shoulders, hips, knees, lower back. | Help with whole body. Gentle bending stretches the lower back and legs, strengthens the knees |
| 7 | Single Whip | Hands, fingers, wrist, arms, shoulders, waist, legs (stance) | Helps with mental clarity. Improves coordination, opens the shoulders, builds leg strength, and helps balance and focus |
| 8 | Focus the Arrow | Chest, neck, arms, shoulders, lungs, eyes, legs. | Sharpens concentration, opens the chest and lungs, and strengthens the arms and upper back while working the legs |
| 9 | Push from Shoulders | Waist, back, shoulders, arms | Strengthens the upper body, helps improve posture |
| 10 | Waves of the Universe | Wrist, legs, shoulders, arms, spine, hips, knees, ankles | Spine works in a wave, joints stay lubricated, circulation improves, and the move releases tension |
| 11 | Parting the Horse’s Mane | Legs, shoulders, arms, hips, and waist | Benefits the whole body. Strengthens the legs, improves balance and stepping, opens the hips, and builds coordination |
| 12 | Brush Knee | Legs, knees, hips, arms, waist | Helps with focus, mental clarity, balance, leg strength. Coordinates upper and lower body |
| 13 | Hit the Tiger | Fists/forearms, shoulders, core, legs | Builds strength and grip, releases stress and works the core. Helps improve balance and focus |
| 14 | Snake’s Tongue | Legs, arms, hands, wrists, fingers forearms. | Helps with balance, focus. Coordination of legs, arms, wrist and punching out. |
| 15 | Push and Pull Hands | Hands, arms, wrist, shoulders, back, legs | Great meditative move. Helps weight transfer and balance, strengthens the arms. |
| 16 | Hands Waving Clouds | Arms, shoulders, waist, spine, neck, eyes. | Improves balance, spinal rotation, eye tracking, and coordination |
| 17 | Lotus Flower | Hands, wrists, chest, heart area, shoulders | Extend our gifts of kindness, openness, trust and share peace and blessing with the world |
| 18 | Peace | Mind, breath, whole body at rest | Quiets the mind, lowers stress, and supports mindfulness and emotional balance |
Overall benefits: Practiced as a sequence, these movements improve balance, cognition, joint mobility, circulation, breathing, lower stress.
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