Tai Chi Fitness Workouts

David-Dorian Ross, Master Tai Chi Instructor

Course No. 4085

Course Overview
Your instructor, international master David-Dorian
Ross, describes tai chi as a path for life guided by
nature that finds harmony and balance in every
situation. Mr. Ross, who created the TaijiFit program,
is a U.S. gold-medal winner and an international master tai chi instructor, his goal in this course is to introduce
you to the practice of tai chi in the gentlest way possible—by encouraging you to simply move and breathe.
While these lessons will bring fitness benefits, they are unlike any other workout you’ve ever tried. In this
course, there are no goals, no repetitions to ramp up, no emphasis on your technique, and no instructor telling
you to push yourself. There’s just the continuous, slow-paced movement, the calming breath, and the enjoyment
of the practice.
While tai chi has been practiced in the East for centuries, its health benefits have only recently been studied
seriously in the West. Medical studies have shown that tai chi can improve balance and function, increase
strength, and reduce stress and pain. Recent research also suggests positive effects on bone health and in the
prevention of falls, a significant benefit for older individuals. In 2017, the American College of Physicians
began to formally recommend tai chi as a therapeutic option for patients with chronic low back pain.
Into the State of Flow
Tai chi offers a unique benefit to practitioners: a way to relax completely, to let go of any problems on your
mind, to be fully present in your current activity, and to feel your best physically, all at the same time. This is
the state of flow, also known as being “in the zone.” People can experience flow in a variety of settings.
Painting, singing, swimming, hiking, running, writing, gardening—the list of activities that can bring an
individual into the flow state is long and varied.
But tai chi is unique: It will take you into flow for its own sake. And while tai chi is a martial art that can be
pursued for purposes of self-defense, the primary goal of Tai Chi Fitness Workouts is to introduce the student
to flow.
How can this course bring you into the experience of flow? It’s simple—just follow the movements and breathe
with Mr. Ross and your fellow students. There are no elaborate terms to learn and nothing to memorize; there is
nothing external for the student to create, nothing to achieve or accomplish, except your own peace of mind and
physical wellness.
And here’s a special secret about this course: Even if you really aren’t ready to try tai chi just yet, simply
watching these lessons can bring you benefit. Hearing Mr. Ross’s calm and steady voice, watching him flow so
very gently through the moves again and again, and listening to his encouragement will leave you feeling more
peaceful at the end of the lessons than you were at the beginning.
Tai Chi for Any Age and Ability
In Tai Chi Fitness Workouts, you will not only follow the flowing movements of your instructor, but you’ll
also meet and see the practices of three other students. Young and old, male and female, athlete and formerly
infirm, these students allow you to watch the real practices of individuals whose lives have been changed by tai
chi. You will meet:
• Cassie S., a young woman and a former college pole vaulter. Cassie developed so many injuries that she
spent a great deal of her college years on the sidelines. Then she found TaijiFit. “Tai chi brought me
right into my body, improved my confidence, and improved my sport,” she says. “It made everything in
my life easier.” In her senior year, Cassie greatly improved her personal best, qualified for nationals, and
became a 2015 All-American.
• Judy W., a 76-year-old woman who says she “was a mess” before finding the social and physical
benefits of TaijiFit. “I’ve come to know a wonderful community of people, all getting online together to
practice tai chi,” she says. Before beginning tai chi, Judy had been in such pain from numerous surgeries
 that she was unable to lie in bed to sleep. She now sleeps comfortably and has not needed pain injections
in two years. “For anyone who thinks they’re too old or too broken, TaijiFit is for you,” she says.
• Rick S., an older man who began studying the martial arts as a teenager, eventually earning his black
belt but later suffering injuries and developing joint problems. No longer able to exercise as he was
accustomed to, Rick gained weight and later suffered a heart attack. Going back to his martial-arts roots,
he discovered—and immediately fell in love with—TaijiFit. “Tai chi has given me a sense of peace and
calmness I wouldn’t trade for anything in the world,” he says.
What If I Can’t . . . ?
Mr. Ross understands that many individuals who might want to try tai chi have questions or concerns based on
their preconceived ideas about the practice. Throughout each of the five lessons in this course, he proactively
answers those questions with explanations that invite you to give tai chi a try:
• I don't think I can memorize so many steps. In this course, there is nothing to learn and certainly
nothing to memorize. All you have to do is follow along. Just keep breathing, moving, and enjoying
yourself.
• I’ve never been coordinated and I won’t be able to do it right. Don’t worry about copying the
instructor’s exact movements. While improving your technical skills is important, it’s not the most
important thing on the road to tai chi practice. Most important is to enjoy it. So just focus on how it feels
and your own enjoyment.
• I can’t bend my knees and squat down to the ground. It’s never about getting low; it’s only about
letting go. Just melt on down and float back up. If you’ve stopped smiling, you know you’ve gone too
far or tried too hard.
As Mr. Ross explains, there’s no need to worry about doing a movement correctly or incorrectly, turning right
or left, forward or backward. Just keep breathing and moving. Your “goal” is simply to experience the tai chi
for itself, the continuous and harmonious movement of the body, mind, and energy, without pause or
interruption. Open your heart, open your breath, clear your mind. With your instructor’s calming voice,
reassuring tone, and nurturing guidance, you will find your own state of flow.

5 Lectures - Average 61 minutes each

1. Tai Chi Ball Workout for Beginners
This lesson introduces you to the use of weighted tai chi balls as tools to help with body alignment and
strength. The lesson includes three 20-minute workouts—one with open hands, one using two palm-sized
balls, and the final workout using one larger ball. Mr. Ross explains that the entire workout is about
repeating the movements over and over again to get a sense of the rhythm and to fully feel each technique.
With excellent instruction on how to hold, rotate, and pivot the balls as you move your entire body—as
well as how to check for muscle tension—you’ll enjoy incorporating these tools into your practice and
you’ll certainly feel the benefits. Movements and postures you will see include Grasping the Bird’s Tail,
Needle at the Sea Bottom, and Princess on the Mountain Top, among other tai chi postures.
2. Tai Chi Fit: Strength
This 60-minute lesson continues the practice of flow, adding in the element of strength building. With
three, 5-minute segments that include the use of weighted tai chi balls, you will feel the muscular benefit as
you continue to follow your instructor and the other students. If you don't have weighted tai chi balls, you
can use 2-pound dumbbells, soup cans, or water bottles. And as Mr. Ross explains, you should feel free to
put the weights down at any time or not use them at all, because there's no rush and no place to go. You'll
begin this lesson by opening your heart, and opening and emptying your mind. Just follow along and keep
breathing. In this practice, you will see Wagging the Tail, Snake Creeps through the Grass, and Swimming
Dragon, among other tai chi movements.
3. Tai Chi Fit: Flow
This 50-minute practice introduces you to flow, the continuity of physical movement with the connection
of the mind and spirit. Everything is in continual motion together—body, mind, and spirit—and comes to
rest together at the end of the practice. One of the great benefits of flow, which Mr. Ross discusses in this
practice, is the movement of the body’s energy, the qi (pronounced chee). Qi is life itself, and good health
is maintained when the qi is continuous and harmonious in its circulations through the body. In this
practice, you will learn to experience the state of flow and open movement of qi by calmly following the
 movements and breathing of your instructor, letting all self-judgment gently fall from your mind. In this
practice, you’ll see Sinking the Qi, Descending the Mountain, Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane, and Playing
the Lute, among others.
4. Tai Chi Fit: Over 50
This 30-minute workout provides benefits for people of any age, but is especially helpful to those over age
50. According to Chinese medicine, qi circulation is crucial to lifelong health and longevity, but the qi
starts cooling off and losing some of its fiery energy as we age. In this practice, Mr. Ross includes special
exercises to increase qi circulation by moving the qi up and down the spine. In addition, he stresses the
importance of allowing the breath to move the body. Inhale, and you'll naturally float up; exhale and you'll
naturally sink down. In this session, you'll see Princess in the Valley, Repulsing the Monkey, Brush the
Knee, Draw the Bow, and more.
5. Tai Chi Fit: To Go
Almost everyone has an issue with work-life balance. How can we best keep our life energy flowing when
we just can't find the time we'd like for a workout? This lesson offers three different 20-minute workouts
for those days when you're limited in time or space. As with the other lessons in this course, you're not
asked to learn anything and there's nothing to get right or memorize. All you have to do is keep moving and
breathing. Mr. Ross discusses the goal of staying in the moment, not focusing on the length of the practice
or anticipating which movement might be coming up next. As you continue to practice both the physical
movements and being in a tranquil state, you'll learn how to attain that state of quietude more quickly, no
matter the length of your practice. Here, experience Old Monk Chops Wood, Flaring the Cape, Lazy Monk
Lays His Head on the Pillow, and Single Whip, among other tai chi movements.

David-Dorian Ross, International

Master Tai Chi Instructor
Tai chi and qigong are often referred as “treasures of Chinese culture”;
studying them is like holding a beautiful jewel, where each time you turn,
you see a new facet.

David-Dorian Ross is the founder and CEO of TaijiFit and the creator of the
TaijiFit mind-body exercise program. He has a B.A. in Human Movement Studies
from San Francisco State University, has completed graduate course work in
Physical Education and Chinese, and is currently developing a project with the
head of the Harvard Medical School research department to study the stress-
reduction benefits of tai chi (taiji) in the workplace.
Trained in China with championship martial arts coaches, Mr. Ross has had an illustrious career in competitive
tai chi, winning seven U.S. gold medals, two world bronze medals, and a world silver medal—the highest
awards ever given to an American for international tai chi performance. He was the founder and chief instructor
of the Honolulu T’ai Chi Academy and a certified continuing educator for the American Council on Exercise.
Mr. Ross is the host of the PBS series T’ai Chi: Health and Happiness and the author of five books on health
and wellness, including Exercising the Soul: How Tai Ch’i Connects You to Your Authentic Self. Since 2012, he
has collaborated with international action film star Jet Li on a mission to introduce tai chi to 100 million new
people worldwide by the year 2020.
Professor Ross participated in our Professor Chat series. Read the chat to learn more about how to bring your
whole life into better balance and harmony through the practice of Tai Chi and Qigong.