I have previously written on practicing tai chi in winter and why I love it. Today, I want to take a slightly different tack and share some tips for winter practice as someone who regularly practices in Canadian winters in southwestern Ontario. A few caveats are in order:
You know your body best; don’t just blindly follow these tips. Consult with a doctor, physiotherapist, etc. for professional advice.
Footwear
When practicing outdoors, one must adjust to the terrain. In winter, I tend to practice in winter boots. This adds more weight so I have to reduce the acrobatic elements of the form. The reason I practice in boots though is that it doesn’t take much snow cover for my winter shoes to be insufficient protection. Boots allow my feet to remain warm and dry, which protects my base-key to practicing taijiquan!
Layer
Dressing in layers is your friend! You will start off a lot cooler and layering allows you to shed as you warm up. I layer my hands with a light pair of garden/summer work gloves, and a full winter pair over top; I also wear a hat, scarf, and full winter coat. Depending on the temperature range, I make end up shedding some or all of those by the end of my practice, but starting off with them is key.
Start Light
Because the cold of winter can heighten the risk of injury, I start my practice at a lighter intensity. Doing the Chen 18 form as a warm-up, even if I’ve warmed up earlier in the day can be helpful, or just keeping the intensity light for first part of the Old Frame First Routine. By the end of the Old Frame First Routine, I’m usually pretty warm so I can then begin to ratchet up the intensity.
Modify As Necessary
Winter terrain and winter clothing means that modifications are your friend. If you practice Yang style, you may not need to modify at all. Practicing Chen style, I tone down the leaps and jumps, and don’t go as low for postures typically practiced in a drop-stance. This enables me to maintain my balance.
Weapons
If you train weapons like I do, it can be useful to do the barehanded forms first. This gives your body time to warm up; if you are warm enough and the terrain allows, you can then shed a heavier pair of gloves for a lighter pair so that you have adequate sensitivity and dexterity for weapons training without outright exposing your skin to the elements. Hands are quick to lose heat due to their position at the body’s extremities so you may also have to opt for a shorter weapons practice.
Proper Closing
When doing tai chi outdoors in winter, you have to ensure you take proper care of your respiratory system as your body can work a lot harder to breathe smoothly and deeply. A few years back, I started regularly doing the qigong movement variously known as Natural Respiration/Collect Chi/Regulate Chi at the conclusion of my practice in order to cool down, transition out of forms/application practice and, crucially, increase my respiratory capacity by calming down my breathing. This has helped throughout the year as my ability to perform the forms without accelerating my breathing overmuch has improved, but it’s especially helpful in very hot and very cold weather when there are additional strains on my respiratory system.
Know The Purpose
When I do winter tai chi training, I am not aiming for perfection to the same degree as I might other times of the year. I am well aware that the bulky clothing I’m wearing would greatly hamper the force of my strikes and the sensitivity required for proper taijiquan combat applications. I have three primary goals. First, to move my body in accordance with taijiquan principles. This I can do even if I have to modify the expression of those principles to the terrain and weather. Second, to move my body in ways I can’t do indoors. My living situation does not allow for executing things like stomps, sweeps, and jumps at full force; being able to “let loose” outdoors allows me to keep up those aspects of my practice to some degree. Similarly, my indoor space doesn’t allow for weapons training; while the outdoors doesn’t always cooperate either, I’ve managed to increase the number of times I can practice weapons outdoors in the colder months, and that’s helped to ensure my practice remains more consistent. Finally, doing taijiquan outdoors gives the benefit of fresh air which is always welcome! Knowing these are my goals, I can give myself permission not to train too hard and can prevent injury from overtraining or overly reckless training.
I hope you find these tips helpful!
The Dreamers' Corner 