Barbara asks:

I'm doing the first two lessons and I am really enjoying learning from your DVD. I have a question about the hand movements. My hands feel very heavy and difficult to raise sometimes. Is this common when practicing tai chi? And does it lessen over time?

Stephanie answers:

Hi Barbara,

You're not alone... many of my beginner students notice a tired or heavy feeling in their arms/hands. You may not be holding your arms in the correct position. On DVD I under TIPS, I demonstrate the 45 and 90 angles we use for all hand, arm, foot, leg and torso movements. Be sure you have a 45 degree angle between the arm and torso, your shoulders remain soft to the sides of body. By the time we're in our 50's we usually initiate arm movements by first tightening and lifting the shoulder. This will cause the muscles to tighten and after awhile the arms and hands will feel heavy. Tai chi is training you to isolate each and every joint so you can allow the muscles to move in "softness." Let me know if this helps.

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