Tai Chi 8 Form

In most Tai Chi systems, the Commencement Form (sometimes called Opening Form, Beginning Posture, or in some traditions Awakening the Qi) is much more than “just starting the form.”

It’s a reset for the body and mind that sets the tone for everything that follows. 

• Physically: Aligns posture, centers weight, and switches from normal standing to Tai Chi structure.

• Energetically: Sinks Qi into the Dantian, connects to the ground, and begins the upward–downward circulation.

• Mentally: Drops daily tension and places awareness in the present moment.

Repulse the Monkey teaches to maintain balance, root, and awareness while retreating. 

It develops the skill of issuing and receiving energy at the same time, without breaking connection.

• Physically: Coordinates waist rotation with opposite arm movements, integrating upper and lower body.

• Energetically: Circulates energy from the rear foot through the Dantian to the forward hand. Maintains a Yin–Yang loop — one hand expresses outward while the other receives inward.

• Mentally: Trains focus on timing and distance, improving responsiveness under pressure.Encourages staying connected to the present moment instead of anticipating too far ahead.

Parting the Horse’s Mane teaches how to move from the Ground through the Dantian, letting the arms be led by the body rather than moving independently.

It trains the separation of Yin and Yang — one hand rising and projecting, the other sinking and rooting.

• Physically: Develops balance, weight transfer, and whole-body connection while keeping Song in the joints

• Energetically: Channels Qi from the feet to the palms, creating both expression and reception at the same time.

• Martially: It can uproot, deflect, or enter while maintaining stability and root.

Cloud Hands moves the arms in horizontal circles, led by the waist so the shoulders and elbows stay relaxed. Hands move in horizontal circles at chest level, palms facing inward, wrists relaxed, elbows heavy. 

It develops focus on continuous, unbroken flow.

• Physically: Trains coordination and timing between left and right sides.

• Energetically: Lao Gong points alternately express and receive energy, keeping a Yin–Yang exchange between the hands.

• Mentally: Encourages a calm, meditative rhythm while still being alert.

The Dantian and Kua turn together as a unit, transmitting energy from the legs to the arms without breaking structure.

• Physically: Upper and lower body move as one unit: when the Kua turns, the torso and arms turn with it, without twisting the spine independently.

• Energetically: Root alternates from one Yongquan point to the other, sinking Qi deeply into the weighted leg.

• Mentally: Strengthens the habit of initiating movement from the center.

In the 90° stepping of the Yang 8, the Kua opens more to center the opponent while maintaining root.

The step moves slightly backward, training awareness of whole-body movement and balance in direction changes.

• Physically: The step combines rotation and backward shifting, training coordination of feet, legs, and hips.

• Mentally: Builds spatial awareness when changing angles. Reinforces the habit of moving from the center, not from the limbs.

• Energetically: Turning from the Kua/Dantian transmits energy cleanly from the feet to the hands. The backward shift gathers Qi, while the rotation directs it toward the opponent.

Hips and hands stop together, ensuring the arms never move independently from the center. This builds coordination, timing, and the habit of initiating and finishing all movement from the Dantian and Kua.

It also keeps the energy wave intact, flowing from the feet through the body to the hands without breaks.

• Physically: The slight Kua opening centers the opponent in front of you while keeping root. Whole-body integration is enforced — when the hips stop, the hands stop — ensuring arms don’t move independently.

• Mentally: Trains timing so that the entire body finishes movement at the same instant.

• Energetically: Stopping the hips and hands together keeps the energy wave whole, without “leakage” through disconnected movement.

Balancing on one leg unites rooting and rising, training the body to stabilize from the Dantian and spine. The lifted hand expresses upward while the standing leg grounds deeply, ensuring yin–yang separation and whole-body integration.

It teaches stability through micro-adjustments, aligning the vertical axis and keeping balance between earth and sky.

• Physically: Strengthens root, leg stability, and fascial integration along the standing chain (foot → hip → spine → arm). Trains posture and balance without collapsing.

• Mentally: Develops focus, presence, and confidence in instability. The mind learns to stay calm and upright even when challenged.

• Energetically: Directs Qi upward through the spine while rooting downward through the foot, creating a continuous flow along the vertical axis without “breaking” in the middle.

This sequence embodies the essence of Tai Chi — expansion, yielding, integration, and release. Each phase flows from the Dantian and Kua, ensuring the whole body moves as one through the four core energies: 
Peng, Lu, Ji, An.

It integrates yin and yang into a complete cycle, training resilience by balancing softness with strength.

• Physically: Builds whole-body coordination through four qualities: Peng (ward-off/expansion), Lu (rollback/yielding), Ji (press/forward integration), and An (push/release). Strengthens legs, waist rotation, and connected arms.

• Mentally: Trains adaptability — expanding when there is space, yielding when pressured, uniting when stable, and releasing when complete. Builds timing, patience, and responsiveness.

• Energetically: Cycles Qi through all directions — outward, inward, unifying, and releasing — keeping the energy wave intact while teaching transformation of force.