Tai chi can have significant benefits for older adults. This is at least partly due to the way it focuses on muscle control, stability, balance, and flexibility.

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese movement practice that offers a number of health benefits.

Those benefits include improved balance, reduced stress, and improved cognition. A focus on balance and stability can be important for adults over the age of 65 to help reduce their risk of falls and injury.

A note on the tai chi routine

The movements listed in this article are a good introduction to tai chi. If you do them regularly, they may help increase balance and stability.

The poses in this routine can also be done in a chair, but it’s better to do them standing if you are able. For support, you can hold onto a chair.

The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)Trusted Source notes that practicing tai chi may help improve balance and prevent falls in older adults and those with Parkinson’s disease.

A 2019 reviewTrusted Source found that in community-dwelling older adults, there is low-certainty evidence that tai chi can help reduce the rate of falls by 19%. The review also found high-certainty evidence that practicing tai chi can reduce the number of people who experience falls by 20%.

An earlier meta-analysis from 2017Trusted Source notes that this number could be as high as 43%. It also states that there is low quality evidence for the effects of tai chi on falls that cause injuries and the time to a first fall, so more research is necessary.

The NCCIH also notes that when you practice tai chi regularly, it can help reduce pain, such as:

A 2018 study found that the practice of tai chi may also help decrease the fear of falling in older adults. Another study from 2018 notes that the fear of falling can lead to isolation and a reduced quality of life in older adults. Exercise, like tai chi, may help improve the quality of life for older people, who sometimes limit their activities for fear of falling.

Always speak with your healthcare professional before beginning a new exercise routine.

This warmup helps improve balance and work your leg muscles.

Leg warmup

  1. Stand with your legs slightly wider than hip-distance apart, with a slight bend in your knees.
  2. Slowly get used to shifting your weight from left to right. Your arms can rest at your side, and your hands can be on your hips.
  3. You can also rest your hands on a chair back for support.
  4. Slowly and with control, shift your weight onto one leg, supporting about 70% of your weight on that leg.
  5. Then switch to the other leg.
  6. Repeat at least 3 times.

Torso twists

After you’ve done the leg warmup a few times, try some torso twists. Remember, you don’t want to turn from the hips. You want to turn from the torso.

  1. For this movement, put your hands on your hips to help you feel how much you are turning.
  2. Take a deep inhale and feel your spine grow longer. As you exhale, gently twist just your torso. Your hips will naturally move with your torso a little, but this is a twist for your spine.
  3. Your knees should stay above your ankles and be equally bent. This is very subtle, but the small movements work your core, increasing your core stability.
  4. Let your breath guide how fast you move.
  5. Twist at least 5 times to both sides.

This is a good movement for digestion, respiration, and stretching your abdominal region. This will help with core stability. It also strengthens and stretches the back.

  1. Stand in the same neutral position as the warmup, with your legs slightly wider than hip distance and a slight bend in your knees. Your feet can be closer if you’re comfortable with it.
  2. Have your hands resting at your sides.
  3. Bring your hands together in front of your face, palms facing down, your fingertips pointing toward each other, and your arms as straight as you can comfortably get them.
  4. Look at your hands and continue to do so as you breathe in gently and begin to push your arms straight out in front of you, then up, until they are above your head.
  5. As you exhale, bring your arms straight down and to your sides.
  6. Repeat 5 to 10 times.

From a chair

You can do this exercise while sitting in a chair if that is more comfortable.

  1. Sit up straight in a comfortable chair with your feet flat on the floor and your legs slightly wider than your hips.
  2. Rest your hands on your lap with your palms turned upward and your fingertips pointing toward each other.
  3. Bring your hands together in front of your face, palms facing down, your fingertips pointing toward each other, and your arms as straight as you can comfortably get them.
  4. Look at your hands and continue to do so as you breathe in gently and begin to push your arms straight out in front of you, then up, until they are above your head.
  5. As you exhale, bring your arms straight down and to your sides.
  6. Repeat 5 to 10 times.

This opens the chest and lungs, stimulating the heart and circulation. It also helps build strength in the arms, shoulders, chest, and legs.

  1. Step out with your right foot, slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
  2. Keep your feet flat on the floor.
  3. Look to the right with your head and torso, like the gentle twist from the warmup.
  4. Make your hands into loose fists, and inhale as you lift both arms to chest height out to your right. Your right arm will reach a bit farther than your left since you are turned.
  5. As you exhale, pull your left elbow back, lift your right thumb and forefinger to the sky (pointing up), and bend your knees, squatting as deeply as you comfortably can.
  6. Look beyond the backward “L” you are creating with your right hand. Inhale here, and exhale as you release your hands down, straighten your legs, and ease back to neutral.
  7. Repeat on the other side.
  8. Repeat this at least 3 times on each side.

This is a good shoulder stretch. It helps energy flow through the joints and increases circulation to your organs. It also stimulates and stretches the front side of the body.

  1. After Drawing the Bow, step your left foot back in. Your feet should be hip-distance apart.
  2. Rest your hands to your sides.
  3. As you inhale, lift both hands, palms up, fingertips pointing in toward each other, to chest height. When you get there, relax and exhale briefly.
  4. As you inhale, send your right-hand palm up, above your head. Send your left-hand palm down, back to your pelvis.
  5. As you exhale, pull them back to meet, keeping them in the midline of your body.
  6. As you inhale, switch the movement, your left hand rising and your right hand lowering.
  7. Repeat this movement at least 8 times as you breathe slowly with control.

Original Medicare (Part A and Part B) doesn’t cover fitness programs or gym memberships. However, if you have Medicare Advantage (Part C) your plan may include gym membership or help paying for fitness programs. This may be done through the Silver Sneakers program.

If you have Original Medicare that doesn’t provide coverage for fitness programs, you can begin practicing tai chi by:

  • checking with your local community center
  • checking with your local gym
  • checking with your local senior center
  • checking with your local YMCA
  • finding videos online

Practicing these three simple tai chi movements several times a week can offer various health benefits for older adults, including improving balance, stability, and flexibility.

As always, check with your doctor before starting any new exercise routine.

If you have Medicare Advantage, check if your plan includes Silver Sneakers or other coverage for fitness programs. You can also check at community centers, senior centers, and gyms to find local tai chi classes.