Welcome to the Tai Chi Beginner Series
Welcome to the online video guide for learning the First road of the 24-posture tai chi form at New Orleans Shaolin-Do.
Tai Chi training is about calming the mind and releasing tension. From this state, slow, gentle movements can be coordinated through the entire body. A pre-determined series of these flowing movements is called a “form.”
Learning a form is a great way to begin and build a tai chi practice, but for most people leaning an entire form can be daunting. To remedy that, we’re offering this low-overhead online video guide so you can learn only the first section, or “road”, of our Tai Chi 24 posture form in the privacy and comfort of your own home.
Each video we’ll be focusing on ONLY 1 posture. If you’ve never seen the form, or are new to tai chi, this will be simplest introduction you can get. You’ll be able to easily memorize the movements and, more importantly, fully grasp the small but crucial details that would be lost when trying to learn too many movements.
For people who already attend classes at New Orleans Shaolin-Do, memorizing these movements will be the best way for you to absorb more detail from class instruction, taking your practice to greater heights.
After following this video guide, you’ll be ready to confidently practice your movements at home, in a park, or along with our classes. With time, the form will become like an old friend that you can rely on as a place of ease, comfort, and a gateway into the present moment.
How To Practice
Tai Chi practice always begins with calming your mind, relaxing your body, and letting yourself sink down to feel grounded through your feet. Come into the moment.
From there we need to open up all of the joints of the body so we can move freely and fluidly. Use the Tai Chi Warm Ups video below before each practice session. This video features Sifu Joseph Meissner, the founder and Head Instructor of New Orleans Shaolin-Do.
After you’ve warmed up and loosened your body, start into learning the form. For your first few sessions, just follow along with the Ready Position and Rising posture video below, again featuring Sifu Joseph Meissner. This will help you get into the right frame of mind for Tai Chi before really digging into the form.
Once you’re ready, start on the 24 posture form videos. I’d recommend watching one video per week. Watch your current form video as many times as needed so that you can perform that movement without following along. Then continue practicing only that movement until it feels fluid. Then add it back in to the sequence of movements you’ve already learned. That should take about a week, and then you can move on to the next video and do the whole sequence again.
After each session, or as often as you can, do the Shaolin stretching and cool-down set to supplement your practice.
If you have any questions along the way, feel free to email nolashaolin@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to answer. Practice along with the videos as sincerely as you can to get the most out of your tai chi practice. Thanks and good luck. – Sifu Sam K
24-Posture Form: First Road
Putting it all together
Ready to go deeper?
Schedule a private lesson in-person or over Zoom to get feedback on how you’re doing with your form. This is a great way to make sure you’re progressing correctly. $60 for an hour (click to purchase).
Level 2 Video Series
You've learned the basic movements of the 1st Road of the 24-posture form. This is always the first step. You can't begin to truly learn tai chi until you can make the shapes. Now go deeper by packing these same movements full of the internal principles of tai chi chuan. Revisit each posture, one video at a time, adding deeper understanding. To learn and focus on these principles is the first step toward the "internal" aspects not only of this art, but of your body and consciousness itself.
Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail: The Four Primary Energies of Tai Chi – $75
Our intermediate series breaks down the Grasp the Sparrow’s Tail section into its four individual components that are considered the four primary “energies” or methods of Tai Chi and gives you a much deeper understanding of this section.
These videos are entire classes including loosening exercises and standing meditation to prepare you for each of the specific energies. Much more of the details and internal mechanics are added to the basic movements you already know.
- Ward Off (peng) – and outward, opening energy like a shield
- Roll-back (liu) – energy pulling back and by you
- Press (ji) – both hands press together to create two forces manifesting as one
- Push Down (an) – think of pressing a beach ball down under the water