Learn 15 Postures Tai Chi with William Gentry

A Simple Form to Start

15 Postures Yang Style Tai Chi is a very easy way to begin learning Tai Chi. It is one of the shortest forms, and the movements are not terribly complex. As you progress to learn Tai Chi, you will find that there are several more complicated transitions and stances. The most complicated transition in 15 Postures Yang Style Tai Chi is when you move from push into single whip.

Just Practice the Stances

To start learning the form, it is best just to practice getting into the stance. Pay attention to where your body and limbs are when in a particular stance, because the most important part of Tai Chi is your alignment. If your elbow is over your knee when practicing “ward off,” you are doing it right. If your lower hand is in line with the opposite hands elbow while performing “grasp the sparrow’s tail,” you are doing it right!

Watch the following videos for more pointers. When you get to a position in the form that you want to practice, pause the video and simply mimic the same position. Below you will find 2 versions of the video. One contains a voice over, and the other is only the music. You might go through the video entirely once, and then go back and pause in the parts that you would like to practice getting into the postures.

With Voice Over:

Music Only:

The Chinese names of each posture can be found at Tai Chi Wizard .com if you want to learn more about the form. This particular page shows the names for the long 108 form. 15 Posture Yang Tai Chi is essentially the introduction to the longer forms. From this form, you can later proceed to learning the 37 posture form, the 52 posture form, or the 108 posture form (sometimes called the 88 posture form) if you so choose. If not, just practicing this form is a great way to include light exercise into your daily routine.