Tai Chi is a unique pastime, not only is it exercise but it is also consider both a sport and an art. One of the key factors in Tai Chi is the ability of the person practicing the art to focus and use basic meditation methods to execute the exercises correctly. Added to this are factors such as the environment, tranquility, and the proper clothing.

The need for proper clothing cannot be underestimated when practicing Tai Chi as the right fitting clothing is just as important as preparing yourself mentally. According to the experts the spiritual energy possessed by all human beings flows through every pore of the body and wearing tight and restrictive clothing can greatly reduce this energy flow. It is said that this is even more important for beginning practitioners of the art as these people are just learning to find and harness their energy.

The exercises in Tai Chi require a lot of movement and flexibility so clothing such as jeans and jackets are inhibiting and should not be worn. Clothing such as this will also make the wearer extremely uncomfortable while in meditation.

The best clothing for Tai Chi will be light, soft and flexible so that it doesn't inhibit movement and is also limber enough that it will allow the practitioner to easily hold the required postures. The suggested fabrics to use are cotton, silk, and linen. Pants made of linen are always a good choice because of its thermo-regulation properties and in contrast to silk is very durable and resistant to abrasion. With that said the old time traditional Tai Chi masters always wore silk due to it being so plentiful in China. Another good option for those who cannot get silk or linen is cotton which is cool and inexpensive.

As far as color goes, most Tai Chi clothing will be either Black or White or a combination of the two. Some schools will have colors that are specific to that particular school.

Some more casual Tai Chi schools do not necessitate uniforms be worn by their students and will use t-shirts or sweat shirts with the name of the school printed on them. In most cases the shirt is white and will have traditional Tai Chi symbols printed on it or it will be imprinted with the school's logo. In most cases the pants are left up to the student to choose.

The clothes don't make the man and this is also the case with Tai Chi, someone who is very skilled can practice the art in any clothing and in any environment. The point of this article is to show that the optimum choice is to have loose comfortable clothing, especially in the beginning when you are first learning.