When you first start your tai chi practise it can be a little overwhelming, so much to remember and then to try to relax too – you’re joking right?

I always tell my students to take one thing at a time.  Firstly you want to remember the routine based on your arm movements.  Your hands are obviously higher up your body and therefore easier to see than your feet, so linking your hand / arm movements with the routine usually comes first for most students.

After this is the timing between the two and then, quite naturally, questions about the feet begin.  Joining feet movements onto the hands saves brain power and joins the whole body up nicely.

Relaxing the shoulders and then the rest of the body comes in time.  Remember, you are in a room with strangers and are a little out of your comfort zone here.  You will, naturally be a little weary and tense, so cut yourself some slack here.

One thing at a time.  Go through your tai chi form and concentrate on your hands.  Go through again and concentrate on your shoulders etc etc or whatever is your biggest concern that day, balance, routine, foot work.

In this way you will relax more quickly and re-enforce good habits without even trying.  The best thing is that you won’t stress yourself too much mentally in this way or beat yourself up too much either.