Tai Chi: Waist Turns

Video Transcript

"In this next segment we're going to talk about loosening the waist, or waist turns. So with this one particular exercise, you sit down in what's called a horse stance, you want to be very careful not to let your knees push inward; you want your knees, as if, when you sit down, your knees push outward. Then you're going to push with the one leg, straightening the one leg, but if you notice I didn't lose my center of gravity; so I come over, sit down in this leg, keep your hands on your hips, then keeping this very stable, turn your waist. If you notice I'm not letting my leg do this, as I turn. So I shift, and turn, and you want to look behind, as much as you can, it's not worrying about how much; then shift your weight, turn your waist, turn and look behind. So you can do that a number of times. Then you can come across, drop your torso straight down, come across as if circling the torso, circle back up again, and to the center. Shift your weight, on the leg that has the weight, drop your torso, circle around, rise up and turn to the front. You can do this alternating, or continue in one direction."