Tuesday, 2 February 2016

Gentle Tai Chi & Qi Gong

Tai Chi & Qi Gong are slow, gentle movement practices that can be accessible and beneficial to many people with chronic pain. In particular, these practices can be helpful for reintroducing the body to exercise when it is difficult to tolerate more intense physical activities.

As always, before beginning a new exercise program, I recommend speaking with your healthcare team to learn what sorts of exercise are likely to be helpful given your current fitness level and your medical history.



Here are some introductory tai chi and qi gong videos:

 An introduction to Tai Chi for Arthritis (Dr. Paul Lam, Tai Chi for Health) - skip ahead to 18:15 if you would like to skip the verbal introduction and go straight to the Tai Chi warm-up:


Tai Chi for Beginners (Dr. Paul Lam, Tai Chi for Health):


Qi Gong Practice Session (Between Heaven & Earth):


Tai Chi On A Beach: Awareness Practice:


If these practices interest you, I recommend seeking out a local tai chi or qi gong class, or visiting your local library to see whether they carry tai chi or qi gong DVD's. There are also websites that offer online tai chi and qi gong classes. Two of these include:

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