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Tai Chi for Balance
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For many people living with vestibular disorders, the simple act of walking can be a daily challenge. While vestibular rehabilitation therapy remains the cornerstone of treatment for imbalance, growing research suggests that Tai Chi may be a powerful complementary practice.
Tai Chi is a gentle form of mind-body exercise that combines slow, controlled movements with focused breathing and body awareness. This practice strengthens the body’s ability to integrate visual, vestibular, and proprioceptive information—three systems that work together to maintain balance. Research has shown that Tai Chi can improve dynamic balance, flexibility, postural control, and confidence in people with vestibular disorders, while also reducing fall risk in older adults.
Today on the ICU Podcast, we’ll explore how Tai Chi works, what the science tells us, and how people living with dizziness and imbalance can safely incorporate this ancient practice into their recovery journey.
Guests
Sharon Infante is an international instructor, Medical Qigong Practitioner (MQP), and Certified Tai Chi Senior Trainer specializing in Tai Chi, Qigong, balance training, stress reduction, mobility, and mindful movement for healthy aging, wellness, and vitality. She is trained in the CDC-backed Stepping On® falls prevention program and the American Parkinson Disease Association (APDA) Fitness, Health, and Wellness Professional Training and Tai Chi for Fall Prevention and Health. Sharon also, from time to time, experiences vertigo and has had tinnitus for about 30 years. Learn more about Sharon.
Emily Santhonnax is a French mother of three living in London. Her vestibular journey began nearly ten years ago, after a concussion changed her life. She has since been diagnosed with post-traumatic hemiplegic migraine, vestibular migraine, and Functional Neurological Disorder (FND). Over the years, Emily has explored many different approaches to managing her symptoms and reconnecting with her body and sense of balance, including acupuncture and meditation. She is particularly interested in the paradox of movement: how, when movement can be a trigger or exacerbator of symptoms, learning to introduce the right kind of movement can also be part of healing and adaptation. This has led her to explore mindfulness and practices such as Tai Chi, and to consider how they might help people learn to live alongside vestibular challenges rather than simply fight against them. For Emily, all of this has also been about finding ways to ease chronic pain and navigate the reality of being a single mother of young children, working, and trying to understand and adapt to a new normal that she never expected to have to live with.
Finding Balance Through Tai Chi: A Patient’s Journey Back to Movement
For many people with vestibular disorders, movement presents a difficult paradox. Turning the head, bending, walking, or shifting weight may provoke dizziness and imbalance. Yet carefully chosen movement can also help the brain and body adapt, rebuild confidence, and improve balance.
In an episode of VeDA’s ICU Podcast, vestibular patient Emily Santhonnax and Tai Chi and Qigong instructor Sharon Infante explored this paradox. Their conversation showed that Tai Chi does not need to be performed perfectly—or even while standing—to be beneficial. It can be adapted to each person’s abilities and practiced at a pace that feels safe.
A Gentle Approach to Balance
Tai Chi is a mind-body practice that combines slow, controlled movements with breathing and focused attention. It challenges the body to coordinate the three major systems involved in balance: vision, the vestibular system in the inner ear, and proprioception—the body’s awareness of its position and movement.
Research suggests that Tai Chi may improve postural control, flexibility, balance confidence, and dynamic balance, while reducing fall risk among older adults. For people with vestibular disorders, it may be a useful complement to vestibular rehabilitation and other treatments recommended by a healthcare provider.
Just as importantly, Tai Chi offers a way to approach movement with curiosity rather than fear.
Emily’s Life Changed After a Concussion
Emily is a French mother of three living in London. Her vestibular symptoms began nearly 10 years ago after a concussion. She was eventually diagnosed with post-traumatic hemiplegic migraine, vestibular migraine, and functional neurological disorder.
Before her injury, Emily had been a gymnast for 12 years. Movement had once been a natural and joyful part of her life. After the concussion, however, everyday activities became difficult and frightening.
Bright lights and noise made supermarkets feel unbearable. Motion sickness made transportation challenging. During hemiplegic migraine attacks, she experienced one-sided weakness, pain, and difficulty speaking. At times, her young daughters held her hands on either side to help her feel steady enough to walk home from school.
“I felt out of place and dizzy almost everywhere,” she recalled.
Her concussion occurred shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, further delaying her diagnosis and limiting access to in-person medical care. As she tried to understand her new body, she returned to practices that had helped her in the past.
Yoga was no longer a good fit because lowering her head triggered symptoms. Meditation, however, helped her calm her mind and sleep. She also remembered practicing Qigong years earlier while living in France.
When Emily began looking for Qigong videos online, she found practices that incorporated Tai Chi. The circular, flowing movements immediately appealed to her.
“I was looking at them practicing those movements, and I was like, ‘I want to be doing that,’” she said.
That desire helped her take the first step.
The Freedom to Practice at Home
Finding the right way to begin was not easy. Attending an unfamiliar class could itself trigger symptoms. Emily would arrive early and try to explain years of medical history to an instructor in a few minutes, often while other students were waiting.
Even after she explained her limitations, some instructors did not provide appropriate modifications. On several occasions, she left a class because she was being asked to perform movements that did not feel safe.
Online practice offered another option. At home, Emily could stop, rest, or modify a movement without worrying that someone was watching her. She could also practice when her body was most receptive. For her, that meant moving in the morning and choosing gentler activities in the evening.
It took time to find an instructor and program that felt right. Emily estimates that she explored dozens of videos before finding one that worked for her. Rather than treating that search as a failure, she continued until she found an approach suited to her needs.
Regaining Confidence Without Expecting a Cure
Tai Chi and Qigong did not eliminate Emily’s vestibular symptoms. Supermarkets, noise, light, and other triggers can still be difficult. What changed was her ability to respond to those challenges.
“I found some confidence again in my movement,” she said. “I’m able to be more grounded while I live it.”
The practices also support her emotional well-being. Breathing, mindfulness, and gentle movement help her feel calmer during symptom flares and stressful medical appointments. After feeling that her life had slipped out of her control, she developed a regular practice, which gave her a greater sense of direction and personal agency.
Perhaps the most important change was learning not to fight her body every moment. Instead of concentrating only on getting her former life back, Emily gradually began to ask what was possible in the life she has now.
That shift took years. She still has difficult days, but she feels better able to move with the changes rather than constantly resisting them.
Her practice has also become part of family life. Her daughters sometimes join her at home, turning Tai Chi and Qigong into something they can enjoy together.
“This Is Your Practice, Not Mine”
Sharon Infante brings a similar philosophy to her work as an international instructor, medical Qigong practitioner, and certified Tai Chi senior trainer. She specializes in Tai Chi, Qigong, balance training, stress reduction, mobility, and mindful movement for healthy aging.
Sharon also has personal experience with injuries, vertigo, and tinnitus. That experience influences the way she teaches people with balance problems, chronic illnesses, mobility limitations, and concerns about falling.
Her first rule is simple: chairs must be available. Students can practice seated, use a cane or wheelchair, reduce the size of a movement, move one arm instead of two, or simply pause.
“I’m a guide,” Sharon tells her students. “I’m giving you the tools, but it’s up to you to make what you need.”
During in-person classes, she watches for signs that students are tired or uncomfortable and adjusts the class accordingly. Online, she demonstrates movements slowly, provides verbal reminders, and shows several variations of each exercise.
Her goal is not to make every student perform a movement exactly as she does. It is to help each person discover what feels appropriate for their body that day.
Consistency Matters More Than Perfection
Sharon emphasizes repetition and consistency, but consistency does not mean forcing the body through symptoms. It means returning to the practice regularly, even if some days involve smaller movements or more time sitting.
She has moved away from focusing exclusively on long, complicated Tai Chi forms, particularly when teaching older adults or people with health challenges. Trying to memorize every step can create frustration and distract from the experience of moving.
Instead, she uses simple, repeated movements that allow students to focus on breathing, body awareness, and how they feel. Students have told her they sleep better, have more energy, feel calmer, and are more confident in their ability to move.
Some report relying less on a cane, but Sharon is careful to remind them not to discontinue an assistive device without guidance from their physician or physical therapist. Tai Chi is a complementary practice, not a replacement for medical care or vestibular rehabilitation.
The benefit many students value most is not mastering a form. It is having a place where they can stop overthinking and simply move.
As one student told Sharon, “My mind is calm, and I can just flow and follow you.”
How to Begin Safely
For someone with dizziness or imbalance, the right class and instructor can make a significant difference. Before beginning, ask your healthcare provider or vestibular therapist whether Tai Chi is appropriate for you.
When evaluating a class, consider asking:
- Can the movements be performed while seated?
- Are chairs or other stable supports available?
- Does the instructor routinely offer modifications?
- Can participants rest or step away when needed?
- Does the class incorporate breathing and body awareness?
- Can you observe a session before participating?
Local senior centers, community education programs, recreation centers, and councils on aging may offer beginner classes. Online videos or virtual classes can be a good alternative for people who find travel, unfamiliar environments, or group settings difficult.
Whatever format you choose, begin slowly. Practice near a sturdy chair, counter, or wall if you are at risk of falling. Avoid movements that feel unsafe, and stop if your symptoms become severe or unusual.
Not every instructor or program will be right for every person. Sharon encourages beginners to keep looking until they find a teacher whose approach feels safe, welcoming, and enjoyable.
Meet Yourself Where You Are
Emily’s advice is equally simple: If you feel drawn to Tai Chi, give yourself permission to try it—but be gentle with yourself.
People living with vestibular disorders often judge themselves for what they can no longer do. Tai Chi offers a different goal. Instead of comparing today’s body with the body you had before your illness—or with someone else in the class—you can begin with the body you have in that moment.
You may practice standing one day and sitting the next. You may complete an entire session or only a few minutes. You may discover physical improvements, emotional benefits, or simply a moment when you are thinking about something other than your vestibular disorder.
“This is your practice,” Sharon reminds her students.
For Emily, that practice has not meant leaving every symptom behind. It has meant finding a calmer and more compassionate way to live, breathe, and move through them.
