Step by step
- Set up. Feet hip width apart, knees soft. Seated: sit near the front of the chair, both feet flat.
- Hands. One hand at face height, palm toward you. The other in front of the belly, palm down.
- Turn. The waist turns gently toward the upper hand. The arms move because the body turns, not on their own.
- Swap. At the side, the hands change places: top hand floats down, lower hand rises.
- Back again. Turn the other way. Keep it slow and continuous.
Tips that help
- Small turn. The waist turns only a little. Never twist into discomfort.
- Soft eyes. Let your gaze follow the upper hand.
- Breath leads. One direction per breath is a good pace.
- Shoulders down. If they creep up, let them drop and lower the hands a little.
Seated Cloud Hands
The arm path is the same. Sit tall, feet flat, and turn from the waist only as far as the chair lets you comfortably. More seated moves in chair tai chi.
What comes next
Once the arms feel easy, Cloud Hands grows into the version with side steps. In Zenbo's 30-day path that happens later, after weight shifting is introduced. Until then the arms-only version is a complete move. See the full first week in tai chi for beginners.
Zenbo is gentle movement for calm, not medical advice. If you have an injury, a health condition, balance problems or are pregnant, check with your doctor first. Move within your comfort, use the chair version if you like, and stop if something hurts.
Questions
What does Cloud Hands mean?
Yun Shou means cloud hands: the hands drift past each other slowly, like clouds. It appears in the Yang style forms, including the simplified 24-form.
How many reps should I do?
No need to count. A minute or two at your breathing pace is a good first practice.
Can I do it sitting down?
Yes. Every move in Zenbo has a chair version, and you choose standing or chair once in the app. You can change it any time under Practice.
