I (and other instructors) are frequently asked by students how long and often they should practice.Unfortunately, there is no formula nor one size that fits all. We don’t all have the same bodies, stamina, capacity, health, drive, dedication, physical condition, and so on. It also depends on what your objectives and goals are, as well as how much time and effort you are willing and able to commit.
For a beginner, 20-30 minutes a day should help you learn postures, principles, and to develop muscle memory over time. If you can’t practice every day, at least 2-3 times a week will suffice, although muscle memory will take longer to develop. Although most instructors say at least 15 to 20 minutes a day, some Masters suggest repeating a posture a “hundred times to make it stick”!
Bruce Frantzis, who has been teaching for over 50 years, believes that it is up to the individual to learn how much time they should devote to practice. His belief is that what we choose ourselves has much more power than someone’s advice, some formula, etc. If, however, you have been at a workshop, retreat, or special training, then Frantzis recommends practicing what you learned daily for 3 weeks to a month in order for it to sink in.
According to Dr. Paul Lam, Director of Tai Chi for Health Institute, the elderly and people with chronic conditions need to gradually build up the length and number of practice sessions,. He suggests gradually building up and aiming for about 30-60 minutes most days of the week.
It’s also important that your practice be as consistent as possible. Being a Tai Chi weekend warrior is not likely to help your body or your form, if that’s all you practice. The same is true if you only practice in class (once per week). Students often do not practice between classes and then wonder why it is taking them so long to remember the postures and why they are not improving. Without practicing between classes, you will be unlikely to develop muscle memory or a comfort level with the postures and/or form. This is true of any exercise, not just Tai Chi.
According to Bill Douglas, author of The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tai Chi & Qigong, the main difficulty with no or little practice is not lack of time, but deciding to do it. “When we decide to do it, we find that we will make time.” If you don’t have the time to practice the entire form, pick a couple of postures and work on those. After enough repetitions, you should start to feel confident and comfortable executing them.
One caveat: it’s important that you are practicing the postures and/or form correctly. It’s better to do a few exercises well rather than a lot of them badly. As I mentioned in an earlier blog on muscle memory, be sure to pay attention to your instructor’s corrections. Bad habits are very hard to break.
As for instructors or advanced practitioners, they should commit to daily practice (most days of the week if daily is not possible) for many years in order to become proficient and be able to offer their students all the wonderful mental, spiritual, and physical benefits Tai Chi has to offer!
The best thing about Tai Chi or Qigong is that you can do it as often as you want. The more you practice, the faster you’ll learn. And, best of all, unlike more strenuous exercises, if you stay within your comfort zone, you won’t need a day to recover!
However, don’t practice if you are truly distracted, tired, or sick. When we feel depleted (mentally, spiritually, or physically), we are at greater risk for injury. We all need time to restore our energy by resting.
Bottom line: the more you practice, the faster you will master the postures and/or form and reap the benefits. Do what you have time to do because some practice is much better than none at all.
Tai Chi is a journey not an end point. Once you master the postures and the form, there is so much more you can learn.
To quote Howard Gibbon (instructor for over 40 years): “Consistent unhurried practise of Tai Chi wins every time.”
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