The Many Health Benefits of Tai Chi

A few-years-ago my friend Kay and I took some Tai Chi lessons at a local Aikido studio here in Maplewood, Missouri. Our instructor was a tall German fellow with blond hair. We started each session with some warm-up exercises and a few Tai Chi moves. Then we got a little more into the complicated stuff.

The only part of the lesson that I didn't like is when the instructor got to the part of the lesson where Tai Chi was used for self defense. It seemed like he always picked me to demonstrate on. "Alright Walt, come here and choke me." I knew what was going to happen next so I always said no. Not that it mattered. It usually ended up with me on the floor or getting some kind of kick or punch.

For several years after we took the lessons I would get up every morning and do a few of the movements. I must admit that it really improved my balance and energy. I even started doing some of the movements while I was at work and it gave me enough energy to get through a long day.

Tai Chi is a "soft" martial art. The movements are slow. Some say that it almost looks like the ballet. The movements look like a dance because it was outlawed in ancient China, so to fool the authorities, they made it into a dance.

To use it as a form of martial arts you simply speed up the movements. And it's a deadly one. The inventors of the art first practiced on prisoners to see where the points were on the body that, if struck, would kill you. They lost a lot of prisoners that way.

The Chinese believe that a lot of your health depends on your Chi, or internal energy. They believe that disease is caused either by a lack of (Chi) or can result if the flow through your body gets backed up or blocked.

According to The Healthy Planet magazine:

"Tai Chi, when practiced regularly, has been said to help with relaxation, concentration, coordination, flexibility, posture, (spinal alignment), and both physical and mental balance or centering."

There is a story in China of one Tai Chi master who lived to be 95-years-old. He taught a class on his last day of life, decided that it was time to die, went in and sat down in the lotus position and passed away. A day later he was still sitting there. That's how good his posture and balance had become.

The long form of Tai Chi can take a long time to master. Some say many lifetimes. But variations of the short form can be practiced in as little as eight minutes. To find a studio that teaches Tai Chi near you, contact the St. Louis Tai Chi Association at 314 -961-1355. They also give lessons as well.

Source: http://www.thehealthyplanet.com/jan2011_taichi.htm