When students try Sun Style Tai Chi at our Tucson studio for the first time, they almost immediately notice how comfortable it feels on their knees, hips, and ankles. Instead of wide, low lunges that leave your legs stretched far apart, Sun Style moves in a naturally tall, conversational stance—gliding with nimble half-steps and pausing between phrases to gently open and close the hands in front of the chest.
If you learn just three signature movements—Open and Close Hands, the Follow-Step, and Leisurely Tying the Coat—you hold the key to the entire Sun Style routine.
☯️ Master Sun Lutang’s “Lively-Step” Tai Chi
Created in the early twentieth century by renowned master Sun Lutang, Sun Style Tai Chi (Sun Shi Taijiquan 孫氏太極拳) wove together the calm flow of Tai Chi with the nimble stepping of Circle-Walking (Baguazhang) and the upright posture of Xingyiquan. Because of its signature rhythm, teachers affectionately nicknamed it “Opening-and-Closing, Lively-Step Tai Chi.”
“Tai chi aims to achieve harmony with nature and a balance between mental serenity and physical strength.”
— Dr. Paul Lam & Nancy Kaye, Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms
Decades later, Dr. Paul Lam and rheumatology researchers selected Sun Style as the foundation for the global Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention program precisely because its higher stances and shorter steps are so kind to sensitive joints.
🌿 How It Feels in Movement: The Three Building Blocks of Sun Style
1. Open and Close Hands (The Breathing Reset)
Throughout a Sun Style routine, you regularly pause in a comfortable stance with your two palms facing each other in front of your chest, as if holding a small beach ball. As you inhale, your palms draw gently apart a few inches (just wider than your shoulders); as you exhale, your palms float softly back toward each other—resetting your breath and relaxing your shoulders before the next step.
2. The Follow-Step (Never Leaving Your Back Leg Stranded)
In many styles of Tai Chi, you step forward and leave your back foot far behind you. In Sun Style, whenever your front foot steps forward (or side-steps), your back foot smoothly slides halfway in to follow it, resting on the ball of the foot a few inches behind your front heel. That compact base keeps your hips upright and makes turning effortless.
3. Leisurely Tying the Coat (Sun Style’s Signature Posture)
Taking the place of Yang style’s longer Grasp the Bird’s Tail sequence, Leisurely Tying the Coat flows from a gentle roll-back into a forward step and Follow-Step as your right hand arcs out and forward—just like smoothing the lapel of a coat—before settling into a calm one-hand press.
🥋 Studio Cue: When practicing Open and Close Hands, imagine a soft accordion or rubber band between your two palms: feel gentle warmth and connection between your hands so they never open wider than your shoulders or touch completely together.
🪑 Gentle Adaptation: Because Sun Style is already practiced in a tall, comfortable stance, you only need to bend your knees an inch or two—and the rhythmic Open and Close Hands movement is one of the easiest, most calming Qigong exercises to practice seated in a chair.
✨ Key Reflections to Carry With You
- Short steps mean happy knees: The Follow-Step brings your feet close together so you never over-extend your hips or knees.
- Built-in breathing pauses: Every Open and Close Hands movement gives you a natural moment to check your posture and slow your breath.
- Accessible at every age: Sun Style’s upright posture makes it a favorite for both brand-new students and longtime practitioners.
Old Pueblo Tai Chi — Traditional Yang & Sun Style Classes
Culture Connects Studio • 3000 E. 22nd Street, Tucson, AZ 85713 • https://oldpueblotaichi.com
Questions about classes? Contact Dan Kimball at dan@oldpueblotaichi.com
