Begin by standing with your feet shoulder width apart, arms relaxed by your side.  Check your posture for correct alignment.  Take several breaths to relax before moving.  Once relaxed, shift enough of your weight to the left leg to allow your right foot to pivot 45 degrees on its heel.

Next shift your weight onto your right leg and balance your weight over your right knee. 

Begin the series of movements by lifting your left leg,.  Extend the left leg, and lower it a step in front of you by bending the right knee.

 FIRE --
Execute the element FIRE – As you shift your weight forward from your hips into a front stance position, allow your arms to swing out and up to shoulder height in front of you—then, as you settle back onto your right leg into an empty stance allow your arms to return to slowly to your sides. 

Pivot your left foot inward,  shift your weight forward over the right leg and execute a turn at the waist.

Beginning

Relax and continue each move as
relaxed as you possibly can. 
Executing the moves exactly is less important than doing them in a relaxed and flowing manner.
  FIRE

 WATER
 --  We begin the element WATER.  As you shift your weight over the right knee and begin turning, allow the right arm to move away from your side,  circle the arm out over your left shoulder and head.  As your weight shifts onto the left leg,  your right foot will pivot on its heel.  Allow your body to turn from the waist so you face the opposite direction.

WATER

When your left arm is over your head, bend the arm at the elbow and allow your arm to drop in front of you to chest level while at the same time raise your right hand up to your chest.  The two hands are now parallel.  With the both arms bent and your wrists parallel in front of you.

As you begin to exhale, push your body forward from the hips into a front stance while extending both arms forward. 

Then settle back into an empty stance onto your left leg and return your arms to the same paralleled position.

  METAL
 – Metal continues from the empty stance, pivot your left foot outward and place the back of your hands together in front of your chest.

METAL

  As you begin to inhale, roll your hands inward toward your chest and continue upward over your head as you shift your weight to the right knee and balance yourself over the right leg, allowing your body to turn 90 degree.

 Exhale as you open your hands and separate you arms as you bring your left knee up and step out parallel to your right leg

 
.  Feet should be shoulder width apart as you sink into a horse stance while continuing to circle your arms outward and down to your sides. 

 WOOD  
       Sink lower in your stance by bending your knees.
                          Push your hands and arms down as if into sand.
         (The more you can bend and slowly stretch with these
           exercises the better your health benefits.)
– While in the horse stance, inhale and allow your body to rise evenly while raising both arms in front of you to shoulder height as if you were running your hands up a column or tree trunk.

             WOOD

 
 EARTH

– Exhale as you turn your hands outward and extend each fully to your sides.

EARTH

Lower them forming a circling effect and return your arms slowly to your sides as you shift your weight over the left leg ready to begin the series again.  The second time you step out right first and repeat the series in the opposite or counter clockwise direction.

Traditionally, you begin the series facing NORTH as you execute the element of FIRE by stepping out with the left leg,     Turn SOUTH doing WATER.
The movement of METAL will turn you West.  Wood and Earth are done still facing WEST.   

Continue by stepping with your left leg still facing West.
 Do FIRE and turn EAST with WATER and South for METAL, WOOD and EARTH.  You continue this series until you end the forth set facing north.

You then step out with the right foot and do FIRE facing North and turn South with WATER and complete the 5 elements four more times. 

Always do Tai Chi as slowly as you can and stretch out those muscles.  Breath deeply and slowly with the exercises.  The lower you can go, the more benefits you get.  Except.  If something hurts, skip it or do it in a soft manner that does not hurt.  Pain has no place in Tai Chi exercises for Stress and Health. 

Traditionally, one always steps left, but as Americans we tend to want to start with the right leg just as we drive on the right side of the road.  It just feels right. 
 It is your Tai Chi – do what makes you feel comfortable.  Start on whichever leg you wish—facing any direction you care to.  Just remember how you were facing when you started because as you progress and get lost in the fun and concentration of the movements, you may forget which way you started.