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. Speakers 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 one of the triggers or exacerbators of symptoms, learning to introduce the right kind of movement can also become 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.

Tai Chi for Balance

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