Tai Chi, A Movement Form Of Yoga Combined With Meditation

As you make your way to work every morning, you may have passed a group of people standing in one place and moving their bodies in slow movement. You may wonder if that is actually exercise since nothing energetic is happening. But, this is exactly what the ‘Supreme Ultimate Force’ or Tai Chi is.

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi is defined as a movement form of yoga combined with meditation. Despite many of its sets or movements being rooted in the martial arts, they are performed gracefully, softly, and slowly. Amid much guessing as to its origin, Tai Chi is said to have started with the legendary Chang San-Feng in the 12th century.

In principle and practice, Tai Chi developed with several of the tenets of Chinese philosophy, including both Confucianism and Taoism.

Chen Man Ching, Tai Chi master said in 1947, “When one practices the form he must keep relaxed. Over time, they may find that it will become part of their mental and physical state”. To fully understand the meaning of Tai Chi, no amount of rushed efforts to understand the art of Tai Chi will bring that about. Permitting Tai Chi to search for the inner chi and empower the body entails lots of practice and patience. You start achieving a harmony of soul, mind, and body once your inner chi has been located.

Benefits

There are several benefits that Tai Chi has to offer. People in China believe that Tai Chi can treat depression, arthritis, high blood pressure, treat heart disease, etc., strengthen tendons and muscles, and prolong. Stamina can also be increased with Tai Chi. Jo Li, a university student who has practiced Tai Chi enthusiast for the last 2 years, recently realized that he is able to run for a longer period of time without easily becoming tired. Research shows that Tai Chi produces benefits in endurance and oxygen uptake and has aerobic benefits.

For those who think that Tai Chi is merely for people who don’t want to do strenuous exercises or just for seniors, think again! Doctors now recommended it as an optional fitness regimen for pregnant women because it is slow-moving and gentle. For pregnant women who have never performed any kind of exercise before, Tai Chi can be extremely beneficial for them because it lowers the risks of injury for these women. Yoga and other ‘passive’ exercises, entail a certain amount of movement that could be difficult for pregnant women in later stages of pregnancy.

Dealing with changes in work, lifestyle, and body size can be very hard and stressful for a lot of pregnant women. This is where the meditation aspect of Tai Chi plays a role. Deep breathing methods as well as assisting the mind to concentrate on the repetitive and slow movements of the breathing can provide remedy to these external changes. Patience is also taught in Tai Chi and improving such a virtue would certainly come in handy when the baby arrives. What’s more important to a woman then stability when she is pregnant? In 1996, the Emory University conducted a research that showed practicing Tai Chi helped reduce the risks of falling by almost 50 percent.

Tai Chi helps both children and mothers-to-be. A 26-year-old English teacher named Anne D’Souza, has brought in Tai Chi exercises to her class to before lessons. She observed that after the exercises, the children, come into class prepared for their subjects and a lot of calmer. They also fared better in class. Tai chi can also increase performance, focus, and concentration as observed by the American Journal of Medicine and Sports. Tai chi was so successful for Mrs. D’Souza class that she shared the exercise to her fellow teachers to use on their students.

The rising number of people performing Tai Chi exercises proves its popularity and the regard people have in it. All over the world, people are practicing Tai Chi so much so that even an event named Tai Chi Day is held on the last Saturday of April, each year. This happening started in 1999 and now is recognized by the UN World Health Organization and is recognized globally. Celebrations include free classes and mass Tai Chi exercises in most cities.

The great number of Tai Chi exercises has captivated a lot of people so much that a glance a heartland estate around 7 am or 7 pm, will ensure a show of small groups of people amassed and practicing Tai Chi enthusiastically. When schools are out for the holidays, around June and December, you can see a lot of children joining the neighborhood ‘uncles’ and ‘aunties’ participating in Tai Chi actively.

Tai Chi is the way to a better life, mentally and physically. According to master Chen Man Ching,” Tai chi is the great ultimate, encourages the timid, invigorates the debilitated, raises the sick, and strengthens the weak”.

Dominic Sembello – Board Certified Acupuncturist and Herbalist in Linwood, NJ.