The Number One Skill to Practice In Tai Chi

Jingjing's Story

When I began my Tai Chi journey with my Sifu, he did not teach me any forms. Instead, for three weeks, he had me practise only the basic Tai Chi slow walking (twisted step) every day. He told me that in the old days, practitioners would place a bowl of water on top of their head and practise walking slowly and fluidly—without spilling a single drop.

You might think, That’s too easy—slow walking, who can’t do that?
But let me share my experience. During the first week, my legs were so sore that I couldn’t even go downstairs without holding onto the handrail. And yet, something shifted. A busy, restless mind finally became ready to settle, clear, and open—ready to truly learn Tai Chi movement.

The Tai Chi walk itself is healing. It is meditation in motion.

Slowing down and grounding—this is what I invite you to explore here. Why? Because this simple skill holds the key to everything else: balance, vitality, stress release, and harmony between body and mind.

Why Slow & Grounded Matters?

Tai Chi is often described as “meditation in motion” for good reasons (Harvard Medical School, 2022). Research shows that this martial-art-turned-holistic practice enhances muscle strength, flexibility and balance even though it is slow and gentle. The very slowness is the brilliance: by moving slowly you allow the nervous system, the fascia, the connective tissues, even the breath and mind, to catch up. You invite awareness.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) & Tai Chi Foundation

Traditional Chinese Medicine is the foundation of Taichi. From a TCM  perspective, movement that is slow, relaxed, circular and evenly paced encourages the free flow of Qi (life force) along the meridians, reduces stagnation, and cultivates internal harmony. 

When you rush, muscles tense, joints get locked, neuromuscular reflexes dominate rather than subtle body-awareness. You work on the muscle level instead of Qi level. By slowing down, you allow deeper tissues (fascia, connective tissue, tendon) to respond.These are the organs associated with meridian and qi, and they need slow, persistent and medium level of stimulation, not jerky fast movement. By sinking your stance, you direct the Qi from your head to connect with the earth,  nourishing your internal organs.Once there's Yin, Yang arises. You will start to feel a sense of uplifting. 

Thus grounding (feet firmly on the earth, shifting weight consciously) and slowing movement are twin keys in Tai Chi’s internal-style training.

Modern Science: Balance, Muscle Strength, Chronic Pain

A 2024 review showed Tai Chi improved both static and dynamic balance in healthy adults.  Another systematic review found that Tai Chi can significantly reduce pain, stiffness and improve physical function (Sage Journal, 2024). 

What does grounding and slowing contribute here? When you slow movement, you reduce abrupt impulses and joint stress, you promote proprioception (awareness of body position) and fine motor-control. Slower weight-shifts teach balance. Ground-awareness trains sensing foot-pressure, inner ankle, centre of mass. Over time your nervous system becomes more refined.

In short: if you rush, you might still get benefits—but you risk missing the deeper layer of mind–body attunement which only emerges when speed slows and connection deepens.

Slowing & Grounding: An Energetic View of Wellbeing

In Aotearoa New Zealand, the Māori worldview gives us a beautiful lens on grounding:
:
“Ko au te whenua, te whenua ko au”
“I am the land, the land is me.” 

 

This whakataukī (proverb) reminds us that our wellbeing is not isolated within our bodies, but intimately connected to the environment we are in—the land beneath our feet.

In Chinese culture, we describe this relationship between environment and wellbeing as Feng Shui. When you walk slowly in Tai Chi, you consciously connect with the earth. You feel the ground beneath you, the tree branches overhead, the movement of the breeze. In that moment, your Feng Shui shifts.

You are no longer just training your body.
You are weaving body, mind, spirit, and land into one flowing experience.

 

What happens in your body when you slow down & ground?

Neuromuscular & muscular adaptation

Research shows when you practise slow, controlled movement, you stimulate lower-limb muscle strength and postural control. For example, a systematic review found Tai Chi improved lower limb muscle strength and balance in just 8–12 weeks. 
Why? Because slow movement increases time under tension in the muscles and challenges balance subtly. When grounded, your feet, ankles, knees, hips, spine engage in an integrated chain rather than independent parts.

Fascia and connective tissue

Slow motion gives fascia and connective tissue time to respond, adjust, glide. In TCM perspective, you’re reducing stagnation in the meridians and easing blockages of Qi. You’re encouraging a gentle “massage” from within as you shift your weight and root your feet.

Mind-body and presence

When you slow down, you shift out of habitual automatic movement into mindful movement. Your brain begins to integrate sensory input and movement more consciously. Studies on young adults found Tai Chi increased alpha-band power on EEG (associated with relaxed alertness) and improved jump performance after 12 weeks. 

Grounding & balance

Your feet on the earth, your weight shifting slowly, your attention on each step—these train proprioceptive receptors (muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organs, skin mechanoreceptors) and vestibular/inner-ear systems. A recent review showed Tai Chi improves balance performance in healthy older adults. 

Chronic pain & stress reduction

Slow, mindful movement reduces stre ss by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system: relaxed breathing, awareness, body-mind integration. This explains why Tai Chi shows benefits for chronic pain, reduced stiffness and improved physical function.

Mind-body and presence

When you slow down, you shift out of habitual automatic movement into mindful movement. Your brain begins to integrate sensory input and movement more consciously. Studies on young adults found Tai Chi increased alpha-band power on EEG (associated with relaxed alertness) and improved jump performance after 12 weeks.

Why Beginners Should Prioritise Slowing & Grounding

Picture this: you are starting Tai Chi for the first time. You might be tempted to jump into sequences, memorise postures, focus on flows. But if you skip grounding and slowness, you’ll likely:

• Move mechanically, rather than from presence

• Miss subtle sensations of weight-shift, connection to earth

• Rush through forms without integration

• Feel superficial benefits but miss deeper change

By contrast, if you begin with a slow walking practice (as I did), you allow:

• Your nervous system to sense connection to earth and body

• A habitual pace shift from “rush” to “presence”

• Integration of root (feet), centre (dantian), and awareness

• A foundation of balance, proprioception, breathing, and mindful movement

So when I ask: what is the number one skill? It is this: to slow down and ground yourself completely in each moment and each step. Without that, forms are just choreography. With that, forms become living movement, medicine for body and soul.

How to Practice Slowing & Grounding: A Gentle Exercises

When you ground in your Tai Chi practice, you are honouring that connection: the land, the body, the breath, the mind. You are cultivating mauri (life-force) in yourself and your place.Watch this video and I would like to invite to start with Taichi slow walking.

There are two requirements when you start Taichi Walk.

1. Slightly lower your stance;

2. Slow down.

As you begin this journey, remember:

• You don’t need to be young, athletic, or already flexible. The slow pace meets you where you are.

• Quality beats quantity. Five minutes of truly present slow walking is better than half an hour distracted movement.

• Be gentle with yourself. The first week I walked slowly, I felt awkward. That’s fine. The awkwardness is the teacher.

• Feel your feet. Feel the ground. Feel the shift of weight. These are your sensors waking up.

• Return to the phrase: “Smile, breathe and go slowly.” Let it be your mantra.

 

In Summary

The number one skill to practise when learning Tai Chi is slowing down and grounding. Because when you slow your body, your mind can follow. When you ground your feet, your centre of being can open. When you move slowly with awareness, you transform movement into meditation, into medicine, into connection.

In my 8-week online beginners course you’ll be guided through this foundation—with care, with clarity, with warmth. If you’re ready to begin, I’ll be beside you each slow step of the way.