Tai Chi – Lesson 2: Repulse the Monkey

About This Class

Lesson two of this Tai Chi series opens with thorough joint mobilisation — neck circles, shoulder rolls, hip circles, knee circles, and ankle rotations — before moving into flowing "sung swing" weight-shifting and waist-twisting warm-ups. The instructor introduces a layered arm-circling sequence (wrist, elbow, shoulder) and a coordinated push-and-twist drill to prime the body for the main form work. The centrepiece movement, "Repulse the Monkey," is broken down step by step: twisting at the waist, floating the arms up, turning the palms, and pushing forward as if holding a balloon, with cues to sink the tailbone, crown the head, and keep shoulders relaxed. This is then linked to the opening movement from the previous lesson. The second major practice is Tai Chi walking — a deceptively demanding single-leg balance and core-engagement drill performed forwards and backwards, with emphasis on scooping the foot, lowering (not dropping) each step, and continuously drawing the lower abdomen in. The class closes with a standing Dantian meditation — hands placed on the belly just below the navel — to settle energy and cultivate inner stillness before a final sealing gesture.