T'ai Chi

Because the exercises are not rigorous, T'ai Chi is ideal for anyone physically challanged, whether by injury, illness or normal aging.

T'ai Chi enhances strength, improves flexibility and coordination. It promotes body awareness and improves focus, giving one a sense of overall well-being.

What is T'ai Chi

T'ai Chi ( also T'ai Chi Ch'uan or Tai Chi Chuan) is a Chinese martial art.

In T'ai Chi, practitioners use soft martial techniques in which the aggressor's force and momentum is used against him. It is used in competitions but many people also practice it as a form of physical exercise.

The literal translation of "T'ai Chi Ch'uan," is "supreme ultimate fist" or "great extremes boxing." With roots in both Taoist and Confucian philosophies, these terms relate to the fusion of Yin and Yang, which together, form an ultimate whole.

T'ai Chi usually involves slow movements but some forms move much faster. However, these faster forms are not as widely practiced.

While there are many forms of T'ai Chi, most can be traced back to five major styles: Chen, Yang, Wu Yuxiang, Wu Chien-Ch'uan, and Sun style. The names of these styles reflect the family in which they originated.

The practice started over one thousand years ago by Taoist master Chang San-Feng and since then it has been passed down by generations.

Master Chang developed a form that included thirteen postures and the lineage of this form led to Chen Chang-Hsin, who, in the nineteenth century, broke the tradition of keeping T'ai Chi forms a family secret.

He taught his family's secrets to a student named Yang Lu-Chan. The Yang family developed the five major forms of T'ai Chi.

One Yang family student, Cheng Man-Ch'ing, adjusted the form during the twentieth century. His style involved thirty-seven postures and to this day is the most popular form of T'ai Chi.

Cheng also brought T'ai Chi to the United States, where it grew in popularity and became the most well known form of T'ai Chi.

How T'ai Chi is Practiced

Today, the most popular forms of T'ai Chi are often described as moving yoga combined with meditation. The movements are graceful and are practiced with controlled breathing.

Each movement takes the practitioner into a pose or posture.

Like yoga and meditation, T'ai Chi helps to enhance strength and build flexibility.

It also improves coordination.

T'ai Chi is a mind-body exercise, which means it also promotes body awareness and improves focus, giving practitioners a sense of being centered or grounded.

T'ia Chi is useful in reducing stress and increasing energy levels. It also gives practitioners a sense of overall well-being.

Because the exercises are not rigorous, it has become popular among the elderly and is frequently practiced in hospitals and clinics for both exercise and physical therapy.

However, T'ai Chi is still practiced as a martial arts form.

This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to be taken as medical advice.