The Benefits And A Short History Of Tai Chi

Whenever the West thinks of “martial arts,” it unavoidably thinks of punching, kicking, and body contact rather than meditative, rhythmic, slow body movements to help promote, inner peace, calmness, and relaxation. But that’s exactly what the defensive art of tai chi is all about: meditative rhythmic exercises to help the person attain tranquility and peace. This article will attempt to discuss tai chi’s background, foundation, and benefits and how and where to get started.

The History of Tai Chi

Tai chi is a type of Chinese defense art that is several hundreds of years old. It has its origins in an oriental system known as TCM or traditional Chinese medicine. (Tai chi is the exercise performed by folks who perform graceful and fluid exercises in parks all over China, and by more and more people throughout much of the modern world).

In some documents, tai chi goes as far back as two and a half thousands of years ago and entails a sequence of contemplative slow body movements that were primarily designed for the defense arts and for promoting calmness and inner peace in people.

A few famous tai chi masters have demonstrated an ability to effortlessly throw an attacker to the floor with both spectators and the attacker unable to clearly see how it was done. Their motions utilize extremely subtle movements and strong internal energy that go unnoticed by most of the people who observe. This movement explains the phrase “five ounces can turn aside a thousand pounds.” A tai chi artist with this high level of skill can harness a tiny amount of energy to offset the significantly more powerful external force of an attacker.

Chi or Qi

According to traditional Chinese medicine, all persons are considered minute representations of the universe, and are deemed to make up the never ending interplay of the five elements of earth, wood, fire, water, and metal. TCM states that these elements move throughout all the organs of the body in a corresponding manner as the five phases of universal Chi, with chi defined as vital energy or life energy, being the basic force in the body that moves through invisible and internal channels known as meridians. One attains a state of good health when the comingling of these elements bring about the balanced and smooth flow of chi. One can say that the reason they study tai chi is to help their chi flow in a smooth manner.

Qigong

Tai chi is a discipline that sprang forth from the ancient practice of Qigong. This Oriental practice combines movement, breath, and mind to produce a natural and peaceful balance of energy which can be applied for recreation, self-defense, or work. Qigong is similar to yoga which has a wide variety of postures and movements that have been developed throughout the centuries. There are over 3,000 different versions of Qi gong and five important traditions: Buddhist, martial arts, medical, Confucian, and Taoist as well as two essential types: “hard” and “soft.” Soft qigong is also known as inner qigong, of which an example is tai chi.

The Three Most Popular Forms of Tai Chi

Yang, wu, and tai chi chih wu are the three most popular forms of tai chi. In its most basic form, the yang style has 24 movements (in the traditional form, it has 108 movements), and is challenging because your knees are bent most of the time and you need to maintain a wide stance.

In its shorter form, the wu form comprises two to three dozen movements (in the traditional form, it has a hundred movements), uses higher stance than the yang style in which the knees are not quite as bent and is much gentler than the yang style because it uses a narrower style.

There are 20 movements in the tai chi chih style and they use also a higher stance than the yang or wu, but with much less weight transfer from one leg to the other. For beginners, it may be easier to use the wu style to improve balance since it uses a narrow and high stance which fosters balance.

Regardless of what style you use, they all should be performed in a graceful, deliberate, and slow manner with each motion seamlessly flowing into the next without hesitation.

Tai Chi Benefits

Some practitioners firmly believe that tai chi can help extend life and slow down aging; boost thw flexibility of tendons and muscles, and help in the treatment of cancer, depression, skin conditions, digestive disorders, high blood pressure, heart disease, and many other conditions. The bad news however, is there hasn’t been a lot of studies that could establish solid scientific proof that it truly works for a wide range of health problems. In a specialized tai chi research where several studies on one subject was reviewed, (known as a meta-analysis), the author comes to the conclusion that while there is proof that support the positive outcomes of tai chi on balance, fitness, and health, a lot of the research has been constrained by the type and duration, the small numbers of subjects, and the wide variation of tai chi styles used. Taking into account these limitations, the following is a list of some of the recorded benefits of tai chi.

Rise in Self-Confidence and Decrease in Fear of falling

In a large group of 70 year old and older seniors who performed tai chi on a regular basis, researchers discovered that the recurrence of fear of falling was lessened from 55 percent to 32 percent. Self-confidence and confidence about not falling, in general, may be one of tai chi’s unintentional benefits, but one that is definitely worth pursuing. In an identical research on seniors, 55 percent of participants who practiced tai chi ascribed their increased self-confidence to better balance. The authors came to the conclusion that “along with the perception of enhanced physical and mental control, an overall sense of improvement in general well-being was achieved that motivates older people even more to continue exercising.”

Reduction of Stress

For adults of all ages, the demands of living can be an extremely challenging experience. While we may not be able to directly refer to research that show a decrease in stress when performing tai chi (although a certain study suggests that people who performed tai chi said that mental control was one of its benefits), the mental concentration, movement, and breathing required of practitioners of tai chi may be just the distraction they need from their frantic lifestyle. The body-mind connection deserves particular attention since it has been shown that, when combined with eye-hand coordination and body movement, breathing can help bring about calmness. Among people who practice tai chi or yoga, the sense of calm and inner peace is indisputable, and perhaps, a person looking for a physically active and creative way to boost their physical and mental health to relieve stress should be willing to give tai chi a try.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia symptoms frequently flare up without relief and are one of the most common musculoskeletal conditions connected to severe painful symptoms and serious impaired health. Unfortunately, fibromyalgia has no known cause and cure. In a research performed on 39 people suffering from this disease, it was shown that after performing tai chi two times, one hour a day, every day for six weeks, the health-related quality of life and symptoms improved. For the other people suffering from this condition, this is certainly great news.

Walking

The pace of walking slows done with age and studies indicate that it may be related to an increased chance of falling. However, one study showed that people who performed tai chi was able to walk more steps than people who did not practice tai chi. There is a clear association between walking and a low incidence of diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other chronic conditions, and if tai chi can improve walking, therefore, it’s definitely worth trying.

Aerobic capacity

As a person ages, his aerobic capacity is lessened. However, according to studies, conventional types of aerobic exercise can be enhanced with regular training. Researchers conducting a meta-analysis study reviewed seven studies that focused on the impacts of tai chi on aerobic capacity among adults (average age 55 years). The researchers discovered that people who performed tai chi for a whole year (108 postures using traditional yang style) experienced higher aerobic capacity than people about the same age living sedentary lives. The authors concluded that tai chi should be considered a type of aerobic exercise.

Endurance & Strength

A study observed the effects of tai chi among 60 to 70 year old adults who performed tai chi for 12 twelve weeks three times a week (via one hour classes). The subjects were then subjected to a battery of physical-fitness examinations to record their flexibility, endurance, muscle strength, and balance before the start and after the end of the study. Within six weeks, substantial improvements were statistically recorded. After the end of the study, further improvements in each of these areas were still being seen. The heads of the study concluded that tai chi is an effective way to improve balance, increase flexibility, and bolster muscle strength in the lower and upper body of older adults.

Prevention of Falls and Balance

A majority of the studies on tai chi has been performed in older people in the field of fall prevention and balance. This area of study is vital since injuries associated with falling are the number cause of disability, injury, or even death among seniors. Hip fracture is one of the most serious fall injuries these people tend to incur; actually, 50 percent of all seniors hospitalized for hip fracture never return to their former degree of function. Since tai chi motions are deliberate and slow with body weight shifting from one leg to the other in line with upper body movements (with one leg occasionally in the air), it can help improve balance and people have long assumed it decreases fall frequency and promotes balance. This theory has been strongly supported by and credited to some research.

Another study compared 65 year old and older men who have over 10 years experience in practicing tai chi with men with similar ages who have led sedentary lives (have not done tai chi or any other physical activities). The study showed that the men who practiced tai chi had better scores on tests of cardiovascular function, flexibility, and balance. One other study which included the participation of 22 women and men aged 22 – 76 years with mild balance problems showed significant improvement in function in the Romberg test (a standard balance test) after eight weeks of tai chi practice.

Additional reasons to perform tai chi:

1. It can be performed alone or in a group (look for a tai chi teacher willing to teach the exercises in your workplace during lunch hour).
2. It’s noncompetitive.
3. It’s done at your own pace.
4. It can be done anytime and at any place
5. It requires no special equipment or clothing and uses very little space.
6. There is very low risk of injury
7. Movements exert very low stress on your joints and muscles and are gentle and low-impact.

Tao chi movements are extremely diverse, and as people become more accomplished, they can add more movements to their routine.

How much tai chi do I need?

Not enough tai chi studies have been done to indicate what the maximum amount of tai chi is to garner meaningful benefits. Research has demonstrated impacts in as little as an hour of training a week. Still, as with dancing or any new type of activity, in the beginning, there is a sharp learning curve and a lot of people might find performing the exercises two or three times a week to be a more effective way to perform tai chi. Among tai chi circles, it is a traditional wisdom that an individual may need to practice tai chi for at least a year before he or she becomes proficient.

Eastern Healing Solutions, LLC
10875 Grandview St #2200
Overland Park, KS 66210
(913) 549-4322
http://www.overlandparkacupuncturist.com