{"id":639195,"date":"2026-09-29T04:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-09-29T04:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/639195\/"},"modified":"2026-09-29T04:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-29T04:36:12","slug":"tai-chi-walking-what-are-the-benefits-and-how-to-get-started","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/639195\/","title":{"rendered":"Tai chi walking: What are the benefits and how to get started?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the demands of everyday life, many of us are looking for simple ways to incorporate movement and mindfulness into our busy routines \u2013 and tai chi ticks both of these boxes.<\/p>\n

You may have passed a group practising its slow, deliberate movements in your local park, or heard a friend or relative mention it, but is tai chi walking something anyone can try?<\/p>\n

We spoke to Rebecca Bossick, physiotherapist, co-founder and clinical director at One Body LDN, to find out what tai chi walking actually involves as well as its most significant health benefits.<\/p>\n

What is tai chi walking \u2013 and how does it differ from normal walking?<\/p>\n

\"TaiTai chi walking uses a different, more mindful principle. Picture: Alamy\/PA\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cTai chi is a type of exercise and practice which is very slow and is all about flow,\u201d says Bossick.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile regular walking relies on momentum, stepping one foot forward with weight and balancing our bodies as the other foot moves ahead, tai chi walking uses a different, more mindful principle.<\/p>\n

\u201cInstead of the usual movement, you consciously concentrate your entire body weight onto one leg and establish good balance before you even lift the other foot. In tai chi terms, one leg becomes \u201cfull\u201d and the other \u201cempty\u201d, and the whole point is that you don\u2019t move on until that transfer is complete.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, tai chi walking is much more of a meaningful, slower and controlled walk.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Once you have mastered these movements, breathwork can be incorporated to further enhance the results of this practice.<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring tai chi we use diaphragmatic breathing which involves breathing through the nose and taking nice slow, controlled breaths that engages the diaphragm,\u201d says Bossick. \u201cSo, it is more like belly breathing rather than breathing from the upper chest.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

What are the benefits?<\/p>\n

\n Accessible for all ages\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

\"TaiTai chi walking is accessible. Picture: Alamy\/PA<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone from children to elderly adults can get involved, it\u2019s for all ages,\u201d says Bossick.<\/p>\n

\n Develops lower-body strength\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

\u201cAs you\u2019re walking, you\u2019re strengthening your legs and your intrinsic foot muscles from the balancing. Then as you step through, you\u2019re strengthening your glutes,\u201d says Bossick.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe balance and control element of tai chi also engages your core and the postural muscles of your spine.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Improves balance and stability\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

\u201cBalance and proprioception, which is the awareness of where your body is in space, are the main benefits of this practice which can really help with fall prevention,\u201d says the physiotherapist.<\/p>\n

\n Stress reduction\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

\u201cPractising it requires you to focus on balance, breathing, alignment, and weight distribution, and because of that, you train your working memory, attention and the ability to filter distractions,\u201d says Bossick.<\/p>\n

\u201cPlus, its meditative quality may also help reduce anxiety and depressive symptoms by activating the parasympathetic nervous system.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Protects joints\n <\/p>\n

\u201cTai chi is a low-impact exercise, so is much more gentle on the joints compared to other forms of exercise such as running,\u201d says Bossick.<\/p>\n

\n Group sessions have an important social element\n <\/p>\n

\"YouYou can take part in a group class to get that social element. Picture: Alamy\/PA\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cYou can do it by yourself at home, but you can also take part in a group class to get that social element,\u201d says Bossick. \u201cAnother benefit of a joining a class is that there will be someone there to help guide you through the steps.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n Increases confidence\u00a0\n <\/p>\n

The slow, focused movements can help build confidence over time and reduce the fear of falling.<\/p>\n

\u201cSome people, particularly from the older population, that we see have had their confidence knocked by a fall or feel unsteady on their feet, but as soon as they start doing this practice in a controlled environment, it helps build their confidence,\u201d shares the physiotherapist.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe knock-on effects of this is that it helps improve their function which therefore helps them feel more independent and improves their quality of life.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

How to get started:<\/p>\n

\"TaiTai chi is a low-impact exercise. Picture: Alamy\/PA<\/p>\n

\u201cI would recommend getting involved in a group-based activity to start with, so that you can watch and observe other people doing it and then gradually join in,\u201d suggests Bossick.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou could find a local tai chi class to join, approach a tai chi master for one-to-one sessions or get in touch with a physiotherapist who could take you through the practice and discuss all of the elements of it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"With the demands of everyday life, many of us are looking for simple ways to incorporate movement and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":639196,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[499,14613,103,61,60],"class_list":["post-639195","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-fitness-exercise-work-life-balance-healthy-eating","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639195","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=639195"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/639195\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/639196"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=639195"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=639195"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=639195"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}