How do I start a daily yoga or tai chi practice if I have chronic pain?

When there's pain, the body wants to protect itself—often by tensing, by holding. I've found that the gentlest approach isn't about pushing through or ignoring the discomfort. Instead, begin by noticing. Pick one slow movement—maybe arm circles, maybe a seated forward fold—and do it for just three minutes. The goal isn't flexibility or strength yet. It's to listen. Your body will tell you what it can do today. Some days that's more; some days it's less. This is not failure. In tai chi, we say the slowest hand is the strongest hand. Chronic pain often improves not through force but through consistency and kindness. Even five minutes daily of gentle, attentive movement can reshape how your nervous system relates to your body. Start where you are. Notice what shifts—not in weeks, but in months. The practice itself becomes the medicine, not the achievement within it.