A 10-minute daily exercise routine for seniors you can do in a chair

How to read the routine table

The table above is the book's everyday routine. Here we copied it in the same order the book gives it. The code at the front of each move, like W01 or T02, is where you find its page in the book. The last column is how many times to do it.

The first three moves are warm-ups. They wake up your neck and shoulders and set the slow pace with your breath. Then come four tai chi moves from the 24-form, a short form made in China in 1956 for ordinary people. Closing Form ends it.

One row has a note. Wave Hands Like Clouds is added in week 4 of the book's six-week plan. Until then, leave it out. The routine is a little shorter, and that is fine.

Times are rough. A slow day takes longer.

How the ten minutes add up

The routine has three parts. The book gives a rough time for every move, so here is how they add up.

Before week 4, when you leave out Wave Hands Like Clouds, the whole thing takes about 8 or 9 minutes. That is fine. Slow is the point.

Set up your chair before you start

Most 10-minute chair routines skip this part, and it is the part that keeps you safe. The book's chair rules are short.

• Use a sturdy chair with no arms and no wheels. A plain kitchen or dining chair often works well. Armrests get in the way of wide arm moves, and wheels can roll when you lean.
• Push the back of the chair against a wall if you can, so it cannot slide.
• Keep the floor clear. No loose rugs. Stretch your arms out to the sides and to the front. You should not touch anything.
• Sit on the front half of the seat. Feet flat, about hip-width apart. Knees above your ankles, bent at about a right angle.
• Wear flat shoes that grip. Socks on a smooth floor can slide.

If you use a wheelchair, put the brakes on first and use the range your armrests allow.

The four pacing rules that go with it

The routine is the what. These rules from the book are the how.

Move at the speed of your breath. Let each in-breath and out-breath set the speed of your arms. If your breath feels rushed, your arms are going too fast.

Use about 70 percent of your range. For the first weeks, go only about two-thirds to three-quarters of the way. This rule is set out by the Tai Chi for Health Institute.

Never hold your breath. If a breathing cue feels forced, just breathe normally and keep moving.

Stop on pain. Stop any move that causes pain, dizziness, chest pain or shortness of breath. Get medical advice before you go on.

When you finish, sit still for three easy breaths. Then stay seated for 30 seconds before you stand up.

Want to work your legs too?

Many seated routines you will find online add leg work, such as marching in place, leg lifts and heel raises. The everyday routine above is mostly neck, arms, waist and breath. If you want your legs in it, the book has two seated moves you can add.

W04 Ankle circles and toe taps (about 2 minutes). Hold the sides of the seat. Slide one foot forward with the heel on the floor and draw slow circles with your toes. Then, with both feet back under your knees, lift your toes, then your heels, like keeping time to a slow song. Add it after the shoulder rolls.

B08 Raising and lowering the heels (about 1 minute). Sit tall with your feet flat. Breathe in and lift both heels as high as is comfortable. Breathe out and lower them softly. Add it just before Closing Form.

With both added, the routine runs about 13 minutes. On a short day, keep the leg moves and leave out Wave Hands Like Clouds.

Is ten minutes a day enough?

Ten minutes every day adds up to 70 minutes a week. That is a good habit, but it is not the full amount. The CDC says adults 65 and older need three kinds of activity each week:

• At least 150 minutes of moderate activity, such as brisk walking
• At least 2 days of activity that makes your muscles work harder
• Activities that help your balance

Gentle chair tai chi is slow and light. Think of it as your daily base, the part you never skip, not the whole plan. Ask your doctor what to add on top for your health, such as a walk or a strength class.

Ten minutes before the kettle boils

It is morning. You have had a long night and your neck feels like wood. The coffee is not ready yet.

You sit on the front half of a kitchen chair, feet flat. You turn your head slowly, three times each way. You roll your shoulders. Your arms float up with one breath and down with the next.

By the time you reach Closing Form, the kettle has clicked off. Nothing dramatic happened. You moved, gently, on purpose. Tomorrow you will do the same.

That is the whole idea. A habit small enough that you keep it. Before you begin, check with your doctor, and read the safety rules from the US National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health, which says tai chi appears to be safe but should never stand in for seeing a doctor.

Every move in the routine, with pictures

This is the problem Classic Chair Tai Chi for Seniors was written for. Nancy Whitaker's book gives you the routine above, plus the pictures to do each move.

Routines and a Six-Week Plan has the 10-minute routine, a 20-minute routine, the evening wind-down and a page for stiff or tired days.

Six Warm-Ups and The First Six Moves hold the pages for every move in the routine, each with numbered frames drawn from behind so your left is your left.

Your Practice Log is six weeks of pages to tick off each day and note how you felt.

Read Safety First in the book before you start, for the chair, the shoes and the stop signs. New to all this? Our page on chair tai chi for beginners starts at the very first step.