What to Expect From Your First Tai Chi Class

What to Expect from your First Tai Chi Class

So you have decided to attend your first Tai Chi class. Congratulations! Tai Chi enjoys a global reputation as a safe, effective and accessible exercise. In fact, Tai Chi for Health programs have been endorsed by the United States Center for Disease Control, as well as Arthritis Foundations around the world. You have made a wonderful choice to improve your health and wellness.

If you are not sure what to expect, and maybe a little nervous, here’s a helpful guide to your first tai chi class. Of course, there are thousands of tai chi teachers in the United States, so it’s difficult to generalize.

However, when you attend a Tai Chi class taught by a Tai Chi for Health Institute (TCHI.org) Board-certified instructor you can expect the following:

1. Plan to arrive fifteen minutes early before your first class, so you have time to fill out a “Waiver of Liability”, and to get familiar with the practice space and the instructor.

2. Participants will wear loose comfortable clothing, and flat-soled shoes. Bare or stocking feet, or heavy thick soled shoes aren’t appropriate. It’s a good idea to bring hydration and to dress in layers.

3. TCHI instructors adhere to a “Code of Conduct” which includes a ‘No-touch Policy’. Your instructor will not make physical adjustments to your posture, or throw you across the room.

4. Classes will follow a standard format: warm-up exercises, Tai Chi form practice, repetitions of a focus movement, and cool-down exercises.

5. TCHI instructors are trained to “move more, talk less.” Questions are welcome, of course, but most of your class time will be spent doing Tai Chi, not talking about it.

6. “Safety, Effectiveness, and Accessibility” are the core tenets of the Tai Chi for Health programs. Your instructor will encourage you to work within your comfort zone, to practice regularly, and to embrace your capabilities.

7. Tai Chi people come from all over the world and all walks of life. Look forward to meeting unique interesting people, and plan to spend some time before and after class getting to know your fellow participants.

8. Some Tai Chi programs divide participants into “Beginner”, “Intermediate”, and “Advanced” classes, but most classes are “Multi-level”, and include both brand new and more experienced participants.

9. “What’s with the camera?” Many instructors now teach “hybrid classes” with both in-person and online participants. Typically only the instructor will be visible to the online participants. If the class is recorded, the recording is distributed only to the participants, and won’t appear online.

10. Most of all, expect to have fun. Modernized Tai Chi like the Tai Chi for Health programs are simple, and easy to learn. The participants are there to improve their health, but also to enjoy the company of like-minded people.

Again, congratulations on choosing to play an active role in your health improvement and deciding to attend your first Tai Chi class.