Tai Chi

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi is a long established Eastern wellness practice that takes the form of exercise which has many beneficial affects on your physical and mental health.

It is an ancient system from China that consists of slow, flowing movements which are excellent for correcting balance and helps keep the joints supple and flexible. The two main aspects of this discipline are the conditioning of the body while being able to focus the mind.

By simply practicing the set of exercises for 20-minutes per day, you will be able to free yourself of the harmful effects of unending stress while increasing your stamina and health.

The History of Tai-Chi

The practice of Tai-Chi dates back to around 1820 and the Chen family. The exercises are all about relaxation and creating a state of harmony between the mind and body. The Chen family used it mainly as a type of therapy to improve health and longevity.

Tai Chi practices are based in the belief that we each possess the means to create and manage a state of health and wellness without need for drugs, or surgery, or any other artificial or invasive measures to reverse the effects of disease.

The Chen's believed that the causation of most disease was the result of a state of disharmony between what we think and how we act.

Benefits of Tai Chi

The benefits are numerous and include learning how to breath more efficiently, lowering of the blood pressure, increasing bone density, improving joint flexibility, and an overall feeling of wellness.

Tai Chi and Arthritis
The biggest complaint from those who suffer with inflamed joints is the pain that is associated with even the simplest movement. Accordingly many are looking for arthritis exercises to improve movement and reduce the pain.

If you are suffering from arthritis, using exercises to improve your mobility and decrease pain is a viable option to drugs and eventually surgery. These activities are quite simple and do not require a great deal of time. Improvement is noticeable immediately after beginning these exercises, so individuals will be able to notice improvement.

Many arthritis sufferers have adopted T'ai-Chi as a method to combat their painful, swollen joints. The slow, simple, stretching movements allow individuals to combat stiffness and regain their lost mobility.

Tai Chi and Stress
Many here in the West have difficulty grasping the concept of therelationship between mind and body. And yet, at the very depths of our "natural knowing", we acknowledge that we create our own reality by the manner and nature of our thoughts.

When we suffer the effects of long-term stress, the conflict between what we feel and how we act on those feelings results in the body suffering excessive degeneration and damage -- which eventually becomes manifest as debilitating illness and disease.

The ill-effects of long-term stress was long ago recognized in China, wherein the loss of balance between the 'Ying' and the 'Yang' (the spiritual self and the physical being) lead to illness and disease.

The slow, deliberate movements allows individuals to focus their mind and body on lessening pain and stiffness while beginning a new chapter in their life!

The Styles and Types

There are three types and styles:

The primary difference between these styles have to do with the number of steps included in the routine and the pace at which they are performed. The routines contain between 24 and 35 steps, which all flow into one long movement. Tai Chi is learned one step at a time until you can blend them all together without pause.

There is always a starting movement and an end movement, with the movements in between having names like, "part the wild horses mane", and "hand strums the lute", and, "grasp the bird's tail".

The Yang Style

The Yang style is exceptionally good for developing strength and softness (suppleness) a the same time, and is the most popular style practiced in the West. It is a slow form of the exercise consisting of 24 steps. It focuses on continuity with the hands being held relaxed and open for most of the routine. It is the best place to start when first taking up this discipline.

The Chen Style

The Chen style is somewhat more difficult to learn. It has a varied pace with a lower stance and consists of many lulls and crescendos during the movement. This form consists of 35 steps from beginning to closing.

The Wu Style

The Wu style consists of a series of smaller, but more deliberate movements for those who wish to improve balance and leg strength.

Pushing Hands Training Style

The Pushing Hands style is a form of sparring or training for those who are learning the movements. The intent is to unbalance the opponent by making a series of gentle pushing movements, while maintaining your balance.

Success is achieved by skill rather than brutish force and/or rough pushing. This training style aids in the development of skills such as using your energy to its best advantage, being relaxed, and using your reactions and awareness.

Learning Tai Chi

Consider joining a group or session that allows you to interact with others who are in a similar state of conditioning. These group sessions are the best approach to correctly learning the techniques and tasks associated the disciplines of the exercises.

The most common approach to learning this discipline is to begin with an instructional video, and augment your development with personal instruction or group practice as you progress.

Instructional training videos offered by Tai Chi Champion, David Dorian Ross are among the best I've seen for clarity and the development of an understanding and appreciation of Eastern wellness practices and the role they may play in meeting the health care challenges faced by Westerners.

Beginning Practice

One on one with Champion and Master David-Dorian Ross. This is the best way to learn Tai Chi. With this program, created to be more like personal instruction, you'll learn more intuitively as you explore each move, so you feel more confident right away.

On the T'ai Chi Beginning Practice DVD David guides you through the eight essential Tai Chi Ch'uan poses, from Parting the Horse's Mane and to the empowering Crane Spreads Wings.

Daily Practice

Experience the true pace and flow of Tai Chi practice. In this program you'll learn new moves and progress past learning the finer points of the individual forms, and on toward weaving them into a flowing routine that will define your own Tai Chi daily practice.

You will trim, tone and strengthen your body, increase your aerobic capacity, improve your balance, and help create a lasting mind/body awareness.

Presented by David Dorian-Ross, you will build on beginner moves, with an emphasis on segueing smoothly and confidently from one form to the next.

(Includes bonus Lower Body Chi workout.)




Learn More About Chi and the Role Tai Chi Plays In Our Daily Lives