Tai Chi for Beginners: Why Many Start With Qigong First

Updated 3 November 2026

Tai chi for beginners is easier when you build the base first: a steady stance, slow breathing and calm focus. Tai chi asks you to learn one long form of linked moves, which takes months. Many people start with qigong instead, because its short moves are repeated one at a time. Those same skills then carry straight into tai chi.

What is tai chi?

Tai chi is a slow, flowing Chinese practice that began as an internal martial art. Today most people do it for health, balance and calm. The main styles are Chen, Yang and Wu. Yang style is the best known in the West because it is very slow and easier to learn.

The full name is 太極拳, tai ji quan (say "tie jee chwan").

• 太極 (tai ji) roughly means "supreme ultimate." It points to the state that yin and yang grow from.
• 拳 (quan) means fist. It tells you tai chi was built as a martial art.

Tai chi is also one kind of qigong, the large family of Chinese energy practices. It sits in qigong's martial branch.

Why is tai chi hard for beginners?

Tai chi is hard to start because you must memorize one long form before it all comes together. A classical form links dozens of postures into one unbroken flow, with no stops.

For a new student, that means:

• Lots to remember. You learn move 1, then move 2, then move 3. By move 10 you may forget move 4.
• No time to feel. When your mind is busy remembering, it is hard to notice your breath or your stance.
• Not mirrored. Tai chi moves are often not done the same on both sides, so you can't just copy one side.
• A slow payoff. It often takes weeks or months for a form to come together.

Researchers point to this complexity too. A 2008 paper by Wayne and Kaptchuk in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine described tai chi as a complex practice with many parts: physical, mental and ritual. That richness is part of its value, and part of why the first months feel like a lot.

Is tai chi worth learning?

Yes. Tai chi is a beautiful practice, and it is widely studied for balance. In a 2005 trial in the Journals of Gerontology, Li and colleagues followed 256 inactive adults aged 70 to 92. One group did tai chi three times a week for six months. The other group did stretching. The tai chi group had fewer falls (38 vs 73), and their risk of more than one fall was 55% lower.

Why do many people start with qigong first?

Many people start with qigong because you learn one short move and repeat it, so there is almost nothing to memorize. That frees your mind to work on the things that really matter in both practices: your stance, your breath and your focus.

At White Tiger Qigong we call these the Three Harmonies. Movement alone is not qigong. It becomes qigong when your body, your breath and your attention work together. Tai chi needs the very same three.

Qigong and tai chi share several principles. Both tell apart the empty leg and the support leg. Both use the mind to lead the qi, not muscle strength. Both look for stillness inside movement. So time on qigong is not time taken from tai chi.

Senior White Tiger Qigong instructor Sarah Divine practiced Yang style tai chi before she found White Tiger Qigong. Our advice: start with qigong. Once you are in flow, you are better prepared for the nonstop flow of tai chi.

How do I start tai chi as a complete beginner?

Start with the base, not the form. Spend a few weeks on stance, breath and focus. Then pick a tai chi class and learn the form a few moves at a time.

1. Weeks 1 to 2: Do the short routine below 3 to 5 times a week.
2. Weeks 3 to 4: Hold your stances longer and keep each move tied to your breath.
3. After that: Join a tai chi class if you want to. You will spend more time on the form and less fighting your body.

A 12-minute qigong routine to prepare for tai chi

Wear loose clothes and find a spot where you can stand and take a step. Move slowly. If anything hurts, make the movement smaller.

1. Stand and line up (1 minute). Feet about shoulder width apart, knees soft. Feel the center of your soles press into the ground. This point is Yong Quan, the Bubbling Spring. Let the top of your head float up as if a string lifts it. This point is Bai Hui. You want both at once: rooted below and light above.
2. Stand still (3 minutes). Hold that stance and stay still. This is Zhan Zhuang, standing qigong. Relax your shoulders and breathe slowly through your nose. If your legs shake, that is normal.
3. Sink into a horse stance (1 minute). Step your feet wider than your shoulders, toes facing forward. Let your pelvis hang down as if you are about to sit, and keep your back long. Don't go deep yet. Focus on the form, and depth will come with time.
4. Shift your weight (2 minutes). From the horse stance, slowly move your weight into your right leg, then back to the middle, then into your left leg. Feel which leg is full (the support leg) and which is empty. This is the footwork skill every tai chi step is built on.
5. The Wave and Dragon Whips Its Tail (4 minutes). Follow the video above. Both come from 8 Trigram Qigong. First you learn The Wave. Then you learn Dragon Whips Its Tail, which has The Wave built into it. This is how you practice linking moves into one flow, two at a time.
6. Add the breath (during Step 5). Once the moves feel easy, breathe in and feel the energy gather in your lower belly, the lower dantian. Breathe out and feel it travel to your hands and feet, the four gates.
7. Close (1 minute). Stand still with both hands over your lower belly and take five slow breaths. In our classes we call this storing the energy.

For more detail on the first steps, read our full 15-minute qigong routine for beginners and our guide to standing meditation qigong.

Is qigong easier than tai chi?

For most beginners, yes. Each qigong move stands on its own, so you can learn something useful in one session. Our full side-by-side comparison is in Qigong vs tai chi: what's the difference?

Easier to start does not mean easy all the way through. Qigong is not always soft. Some forms are aerobic and get your heart rate up. Some build real leg and core strength through deep, low stances. You pick the level that fits your body.

What does the research say about qigong and tai chi together?

A 2010 review in the American Journal of Health Promotion (Jahnke and colleagues) looked at 77 randomized controlled trials of qigong and tai chi. It reported consistent positive results for a number of health benefits, and said the results point toward seeing qigong and tai chi as similar practices.

Qigong and tai chi are complementary practices. Use them alongside regular medical care, never instead of it. If you have a health condition, a balance problem or an injury, check with your doctor before you start.

Can I do both qigong and tai chi?

Yes, and many people do. Some keep qigong as their daily practice and do tai chi in a weekly class. Qigong also adds something tai chi does not focus on as much: working with your organs and emotions through Chinese medicine.

In Five Element Qigong, each animal works one of these pairs. For example, Snake Qigong works the Earth element, the spleen and worry.

Where to go next

• Want a full beginner plan? The White Tiger Qigong for Beginners Course runs for 14 days, with one short follow-along practice a day. Most take 15 minutes or less.
• Want to keep going every week? The White Tiger Qigong Membership gives you four qigong systems on one clear path, with live classes every week.

Keep reading: Qigong vs tai chi: what's the difference? · Horse stance: important qigong foundations · What is qigong?