Live Whole Health #177: Playing with clouds

Close your eyes. Picture yourself lying on the grass and looking up at soft, puffy clouds. Choose a cloud and reach up to hold it in your hands while you inhale deeply. Now imagine that you could gently and slowly move the cloud from side to side between your hands. How does it feel to slow down your movement and breathe?

Tai Chi is a mindful movement that pairs breathwork with a meditative movement that can be relaxing, restoring and energizing. The Tai Chi cloud hands movement form is a common exercise that uses movement to develop the back muscles, relax the neck and shoulders, and increase blood flow and the movement of “qi” (energy) within the body.

By imagining that we are touching the clouds, we deepen our ability to relax into Tai Chi forms. These movements help us remember certain aspects of the practice, like the graceful movement of the hands as if we were dipping into and moving the clouds with our hands.

Follow along with Roger Currier, a recreation therapist and certified applied Tai Chi instructor from the James A. Haley VA Medical Center in Tampa, Florida, as he leads an 18-minute video practice of “Cloud Hands Tai Chi.”

This video is appropriate for beginners who have limited experience with Tai Chi as well as those who have practiced before. The practice begins seated in a chair with one arm at a time, then two. The practice also offers a standing practice option.

Taking part in activities like Tai Chi contributes to Veterans’ Whole Health because it helps with energy, flexibility in motion, relaxes and heals the mind, and encourages personal development. Read this story about how this practice helped a Veteran to take small steps toward well-being and a life of service.