Here is a great follow along Tai Chi Warm Up that not only warms up the muscles and loosens

the joints,
but works on your Tai Chi techniques in the process!!! If you want to follow along for the warm up, great! If
you are an instructor looking for exercises to add to your classes, great! Take as much as you want for your
own training either one or two, or the whole routine. 1) Squat with Heels Down Squat as low as you can go
and extend the arms forward. Breathe naturally. 2) Turn the Waist with Arms Relaxed Let the waist drive the
upper body in turning from side to side, letting the loose arms swing around and slap the torso. 3) Heel
Raises Raise the heels up off the ground alternately, while keeping the upper body at the same height. This
will help in sideways walking. 4) Inward Pivot on the Heel Use the hip and weight distribution to turn the
toes inward by pivoting on the heel, then reset to toes forward and then move to the other side. This will
help in turning from bow stance to bow stance in your forms. 5) Outward Pivot on the Heel Another piece of
the pivoting puzzle, raise the toes and use the hip to pivot the foot outward. Keep the upper body relaxed. 6)
Golden Rooster Leg Lifts Turn the shoulders to extend the elbow over the knee when raising the leg off the
ground. This is all about the Golden Rooster position. 7) Heel Toe Taps Tap the heel on the ground in front
of you and the toes on the ground behind you without putting any weight on the leg. The body weight
should be over the posting leg, and the knee should be bent as much as possible without raising the heel
off the ground. This will help with Tai Chi stepping. 8) Circling the Waist Loosen up the hips and waist by
rotating in both directions. 9) Rolling the Hands The hands move in a continuous rolling motion with the
hand on the inside moving upward, and the hand on the outside moving downward. Do not stop rolling the
hands but turn and face 45 degrees to the left and right as well as center. This will directly benefit your
wave hands like clouds technique. 10) Upward Arm Swings Turn the waist as the arms swing upward with
palms facing up until head level. Keep the shoulders rounded so that the arms curve inward, not a straight
line from front to back. This will help with Repulse Monkey in correct extension with both hands and
maintaining connection. 11) Outward Arm Swings Tuck one arm with palm up down to the opposite hip, the
other arm with palm facing down will be up by the shoulder. Separate the hands and swing outward
diagonally, so the hand that started low ends up high with the palm facing up, and the hand that started
high ends up low with palm facing down. This will help with connection and execution of the movement
Parting the Wild Horse's Mane. 12) Single Arm Circling With Palms down and Fingers forward, circle the
arms inward, by using the waist, torso, and a relaxed arm with elbow bent downward. This is similar to the
Brushing movement in Brush Knee and the parry in Parry and Punch technique. 13) Double Arm Circling
With Palms down and Fingers forward, circle the arms inward, by using the waist, torso, and a relaxed arm
with elbow bent downward. This is similar to the Brushing movement in Brush Knee and the parry in Parry
and Punch technique. 14) Double Palm Pressing Lead with the fingers, press with the palms. This isolates
the pressing movement as seen in Apparent Close Up either after Parry and Punch or Grasp Bird's Tail.
Keep the elbows down while pressing forward. 15) Single Palm Pressing This is the same type of press as
in Brush Knee, Repulse Monkey, or Snake Spits it's Tongue. As with the double Palm Press, lead with the
fingers and press with the palm with the elbows bent and pointing downward. 16) Twist and Extend In a cat
stance or empty stance position, reach both forward and back with the fingers, and palms turned to the
side. The front hand should be lower than the back hand, but the eyes should remain up. This is similar to
the Needle at Sea Bottom Technique. 17) Swing Hooks Back Make sure to 18) Wiping the Arm