Tai Chi Temple Exercises
- Temple exercises are the warmups for tai chi.woman doing tai chi image by Jack Prichett from Fotolia.com
Tai chi is a martial art method that combines body, mind and spirit into one whole through rhythmic, circular motions. Tai chi temple exercises are the warmups that practitioners do before practicing the more difficult, strenuous tai chi movements. - The prayer wheel is an exercise that involves mostly your arms, but it's about weight distribution and breathing. Place your weight mostly on your left foot and then place your right foot in front of you, heel first and then flat. Raise your right foot up onto a ball, and then slowly begin to extend your arms up from your waist to shoulder height. Draw your arms in and bring them back to your waist and repeat, breathing rhythmically in through your nose and out through your nose.
- For this exercise, begin at a standing position with your feet and knees together. Bend forward until you can rest your palms on your kneecaps. Slowly rotate your knees in a clockwise motion, breathing in through your nose and out through your mouth. You want to keep your balance easy and centered. You should rotate your knees nine times and then stop. Then begin the process again, but rotate your knees counterclockwise the second time.
- Picking peaches is an exercise that's meant to stretch the arms and torso. Step your right foot to the side so that your feet are shoulder width apart and reach up with your right arm. Visualize picking a peach from a branch above your head. You should reach up as high as you can and then bring your arm back down. Repeat the motion with your left side, reaching up as far as possible with your hand. Repeat this motion until you feel your arms and torso are fully stretched out.
