Tai chi for seniors improves safety and health
Tai chi is a gentle exercise that helps seniors improve balance and prevent falls. It consists of making slow, graceful movements while breathing deeply.
Studies have found that tai chi also improves leg strength, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, immune system, sleep, happiness, sense of self-worth, and the ability to concentrate and multitask during cognitive tests. Amazing benefits from such a simple exercise!
We found 3 wonderful (and free!) beginner tai chi videos for seniors that make it easy for your older adult to do these simple exercises at home. No equipment is needed.
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Safety tips: modify as needed
The most important thing is for your older adult to stay safe while exercising. It’s essential for them to listen to their body and not push too hard, especially when trying something new.
For example, if they aren’t steady on their feet or normally use a walker or cane, it may be best to do the exercises from a seated position. Or, maybe they’ll need to limit their range of motion to avoid strained joints. Another option is to stand for some exercises and sit for others.
Take a flexible approach and help your older adult make the exercises work for them.
3 easy beginner tai chi videos for seniors
1. Gentle Tai Chi and Qi Gong LEAP Service – 24 minutes
This is our favorite tai chi video because it has 3 people showing different options for each exercise. 1 is standing and 2 are seated.
For each exercise, each person shows different modifications for different abilities. The suggestions help your older adult find ways to make these exercises work best for their own body. The voice over instructions reinforce this idea and emphasize safety and comfort above all.
The video is split into two parts. Around 9 minutes and 30 seconds, there’s a natural stopping point after the breathing exercise. The instructor prompts your older adult to choose to stop here or continue with more tai chi, depending on how they feel.
2. Easy Qigong & Easy Tai Chi – Senior & Elderly Exercise – 8 minutes
Instructor Don Fiore goes through gentle, relaxed tai chi movements with his classes at 3 different locations. Your older adult can follow along at their own pace.
Modifications aren’t shown, but it’s always possible to adapt these movements for your older adult’s abilities. See video #1 for ideas.
3. Tai Chi 5 Minutes a Day Module 01 – easy for beginners – 11 minutes
This video is set against a beautiful natural background while an instructor moves slowly through 5 different tai chi exercises. The main instruction is from 1:30 minutes in the video to 5:45 minutes.
After the 5:45 minute mark, the instructor goes through the 5 exercises again as an “optional review,” without any spoken instructions.
Modifications aren’t shown, but it’s always possible to adapt these movements for your older adult’s abilities. See video #1 for ideas.
Recommended for you:
- Chair Yoga for Seniors: Reduce Pain and Improve Health [Video]
- 3 Exercises for Relieving Arthritis Pain in Hips [Video]
- 3 Simple Exercises for Swollen Legs and Ankles in Seniors [Video]
By DailyCaring Editorial Team
Image: Seniors West of the Tetons
This article wasn’t sponsored and doesn’t contain affiliate links. For more information, see How We Make Money.
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Jette
Where could I purchase these videos? I have a sister in a nursing home in Missouri, and she does not have access or knowledge of the computer to watch on line.
Thanks,
Jette
DailyCaring
These are videos on YouTube, so one solution is to buy the YouTube Premium service so you’d have the ability to download any YouTube content for offline watching.
Or, you could find a Tai Chi DVD that’s available for purchase, like these on Amazon — https://amzn.to/2SD8MUT
marryclaire
These exercises are very simple, effective and interesting. It is a good way for seniors to become active. They can do exercise anywhere they want.
Kath Olsen
So many elders are hard of hearing. Could you add closed captions to this?
DailyCaring
In the YouTube video player, if a video offers captioning, you can click the small “CC” icon in the bottom part of the screen, toward the right side. That will turn on captions. Click the gear icon to select language preferences when available.
If you don’t see a “CC” icon, the company or person who created and posted the video didn’t include captioning. Out of the 3 videos above, the first one (Gentle Tai Chi and Qi Gong LEAP Service – 24 minutes) does offer captioning.
Anonymous
Thank you for the free videos on tai chi exercise, the instructors are wonderful with the instructions. I love this more than my pt and to therapy. Its a great exercises.
DailyCaring
So glad to hear that you’re enjoying these exercises! They are wonderful indeed 🙂