Tai Chi walking: a simple practice to try
Slowing a single step right down is one of the simplest ways to see how you walk. All it takes is a few quiet minutes and a bit of floor.
Tai Chi walking is a slow, deliberate way of stepping in which you move your weight over one foot, place the other down with care, and only then let the weight follow. You can try it in a hallway, a garden or a quiet corner of a park. It needs no equipment and no experience, and a few minutes is plenty.
The aim is not to walk better in some measurable sense. It is to slow the step down far enough that you can actually feel what happens in it. Many people find it a useful way to notice their walking, and that noticing tends to follow them back into ordinary pace.
Where and how to set up
Choose a space where you can take five or six slow steps in a line without obstacles. Indoors, a hallway or a clear stretch of floor works well. Outdoors, a flat path or patch of lawn is easier than a slope. Wear flat, comfortable shoes, or go in socks on a non-slip floor if you prefer to feel the ground more directly.
If you feel at all unsteady, set up beside something solid. Walking along a wall with a fingertip resting on it, or beside the back of a sturdy chair or a kitchen counter, takes the worry out of the exercise. Using support is not cheating. It lets you pay attention to the movement rather than to the fear of wobbling.
Before you start, simply stand. Let your feet sit about hip-width apart, with the toes pointing roughly forward. Soften your knees a little so they are not locked. Let your shoulders drop and your arms hang at your sides, hands loose. Your head should feel balanced on top of your spine, with your eyes looking at the horizon or a point a few metres ahead rather than at your feet. Take a couple of ordinary breaths.
The stance and the first shift
Start by moving your weight onto your left foot. Do it slowly. Notice the pressure change across the sole as it builds under the left foot and eases under the right. You are not leaning your body sideways like a tree in the wind; the hips move across just enough to bring your weight over the left foot, and the head stays more or less where it was.
When most of your weight is on the left, the right foot becomes light. It is still on the floor, but it could lift without any fuss. This is the key moment of the whole practice. If lifting the right foot would make you lurch or grab for something, your weight has not fully arrived yet. Wait a second and let it settle. A short, quiet pause here is part of the movement, not a delay in it.
The idea behind this is explored further in an article on why weight transfer matters when you walk. In ordinary life we tend to launch from one foot to the next without ever feeling the handover. Here you hold it open.
Placing the step
With your weight over the left foot, lift the right foot slowly and let it travel forward a short distance. A step about half the length of your usual stride is a good starting point. Slower and smaller is easier than quick and large.
Now place it. Traditional teaching often has the heel touching down first, toes lifted slightly, then the foot rolling flat. Some people find that comfortable, others find it awkward, especially if their ankles are stiff or their balance feels less certain. A flat-footed placement, where the whole sole meets the floor together, is a perfectly good alternative. Try both on different days and keep whichever lets you stay relaxed.
Whichever you choose, the new foot lands with very little weight on it. Think of testing the floor rather than stamping on it. If you were walking on a path you did not trust, this is what you would do: touch, check, then commit.
Once the foot is down, let your weight travel forward into it. The front knee bends slightly as it takes over, the back heel gently lifts, and the left foot becomes the light one. Then pause again, and repeat on the other side. Five or six steps along your line, a turn, and back again is a full round.
What to do with your arms and eyes
The arms are easiest when you let them do very little. Allow them to hang loosely and move a touch as the body shifts, much as they would in normal walking, only slower. If you are using a wall or chair, the supporting hand will stay put, and the other can swing or hang.
Tension tends to gather in the shoulders and neck during slow movement, because the body is concentrating. Every few steps, check whether your shoulders have crept upwards. Let them fall. Check your jaw while you are at it. Relaxed does not mean limp; it means holding only as much effort as the task needs, a theme covered in relaxed movement is not weak movement.
Keep your gaze level and fairly soft. Staring at your feet pulls your head forward and tends to make the whole movement more cautious. Looking ahead lets you sense your feet through the soles rather than through your eyes, which is much of the point.
How long to practise, and what to expect
Three to five minutes is enough. There is no need to build up to anything or to repeat it daily. Some people like to do it as a pause before setting off on a walk, others as a way of winding down at the end of the day.
It will probably feel odd at first. The pace is unnatural, and that unnaturalness is informative. You may find that one side feels steadier than the other, that the pause between steps is harder than the step itself, or that your breathing wants to hold. None of this is a fault. These are simply things you can now see.
Stop if anything hurts, if you feel dizzy, or if the movement becomes unpleasant. This is general information rather than a prescription, and if you have a condition that affects your balance or joints, a GP or physiotherapist can advise on what suits you.
Carrying it into normal walking
Nobody needs to walk like this down the high street. The practice is a magnifying glass, not a new way of getting about. Afterwards, try a few minutes of ordinary walking with a little of the slow version in mind.
You might notice whether your weight has fully landed on one foot before the other leaves the ground. You might notice how firmly your heel strikes, or whether your steps are shorter and quieter than usual. On a muddy or uneven section, you may find yourself doing the touch, check and commit routine without being asked, which is a sensible habit on uneven ground.
That is all there is to it. A slow step, a settled pause, a light placement. Try it for a few minutes this week, and see what your next walk feels like.
Books worth reading: Beyond the Footpath is a book about walking mindfully, if you want more to read alongside this.
