The Ten Essentials of Tai Chi

Basic principles of Tai Chi that support balance, alignment, energy flow, and mindful movement

The Ten Essentials of Tai Chi are the heart of Traditional Yang Family Tai Chi. Passed down through generations — from Yang Chengfu to today’s lineage holders — these principles teach you how to move with ease, how to align your body from the inside out, and how to create true whole-body harmony.

Without these Essentials, Tai Chi becomes choreography.
With them, Tai Chi becomes a healing art.

Whether you’re a beginner, returning after injury, or deepening your understanding of the form, these principles guide your practice step by step.

What Are the Ten Essentials of Tai Chi?

The Ten Essentials are simple, clear guidelines that help you develop:

• better posture
• stronger, safer movement
• deeper breath
• calmer mind
• smoother energy flow
• grounded balance

They are traditionally grouped into three categories:
Body Frame, Coordination, and Mind & Intention.

Here’s what each category teaches you.

1. Body Frame Essentials

Creating alignment, ease, and structure

These principles help the body find a comfortable, open, supportive posture — the foundation for every movement in Tai Chi.

• Empty, lively, pushing up, and energetic

Stand tall, but without force. Feel gently lifted through the crown of the head.

• Hold in the chest and slightly round the back

Soften the chest, relax the ribcage, and allow the back to widen naturally.

• Relax the waist

Your waist is the “commander” of the body. When it relaxes, the entire form becomes smooth.

• Sink the shoulders and drop the elbows

This reduces tension in the upper body and allows energy to flow freely.

These four principles help you stand in alignment — rooted below, relaxed above, and open through the center.

2. Coordination Essentials

Moving with balance, fluidity, and whole-body connection

These principles guide how your body shifts and transitions through the form.

• Separate empty and full

Learn to shift weight clearly and confidently — the key to stability and balance.

• Synchronize upper and lower body

The arms follow the legs; the legs follow the waist. Everything works and arrives together.

• Practice continuously and without interruption

Movement becomes smooth and unbroken, like water flowing in a river.

These principles help you move with confidence, reduce joint strain, and stay rooted even while shifting direction.

3. Mind & Intention Essentials

Cultivating internal awareness, breath connection, and energetic flow

These principles awaken the “internal” part of Tai Chi.

• Use intent rather than force

Intend not to use force. Softness is strength. Move with awareness, not muscular tension.

• Match up inner and outer

Let your mind, breath, focus, and posture work together in harmony.

• Seek quiescence within movement

Even while moving, stay calm inside. This is where Tai Chi becomes meditation.

These final Essentials help you experience Tai Chi as a mind-body practice — not just physical exercise.

Why the Ten Essentials Matter

When you follow these principles, your Tai Chi becomes:

• safer for the joints
• easier to learn
• more stable and rooted
• smoother and more coordinated
• calmer for the nervous system
• more beneficial for posture and balance
• richer in the traditional Yang Family method

These Essentials make Tai Chi accessible for beginners while offering endless depth for lifelong practitioners. Learning the 10 Essentials is like unwrapping layers in an onion, we can always take it to a deeper level. 

A Gentle Invitation

If you're beginning your Tai Chi journey, don’t worry about mastering all ten at once. Choose one or two from the body frame essentials, practice with awareness, and let the principles naturally unfold over time.

This is the beauty of Tai Chi:
Small shifts lead to big changes.
Softness leads to strength.
Awareness leads to transformation.