|
Home
The Benefits of Tai Chi by William Tan Chong Yang Tai chi is an ancient Chinese tradition that, today, is practiced as a graceful form of exercise. It involves a series of movements performed in a slow, focused manner and accompanied by deep breathing. It is a noncompetitive, self-paced system of gentle physical exercise and stretching. Each posture flows into the next without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant movement. Originally developed for self-defense, tai chi has evolved into a graceful form of exercise that's now used for stress reduction and a variety of other health conditions. It is meditation in motion, tai chi promotes serenity through gentle, flowing movements. Tai chi is low impact and puts minimal stress on muscles and joints, making it generally safe for all ages and fitness levels. Tai Chi is a powerful form of Qigong in its own right and concentrates on developing softness and relaxing the body and mind to rediscover the source of health in the human body. The benefits of tai chi include:
Tai chi is much more difficult than it looks and requires precise training on how to breathe, move and focus your energy. When you take part in Tai Chi movements, you need to be sure that the moves are done in the exact manner as intended. This way, the moves will have their desired impact. If you are performing breathing exercises, you would want to open your arms in the exact manner as described. This is because you would open your chest up as a result which would allow the lungs to completely expand with air. The end result of this would certainly be positive since the body would get the most impact from the exercise. Again, this is because you would be following the precise method in which the exercises need to be performed. From this, the maximum benefit of the Tai Chi moves can be realized. After learning Tai Chi for more than a year, I feel the great improvement in my health and many thanks to my sifu Master Rennie Chong. September 2013 |
|