Tai Chi originated as a martial art technique. Chinese monks living in secluded monasteries practiced it to defend themselves against attackers. To learn Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art is less common now. Increased awareness of the health benefits of Tai Chi have drawn people to this ancient mind-body healing art. While most take… Read more »
For many centuries, the healing art of Tai Chi and its practices were shrouded in secrecy, and only a few people outside of China knew about its almost magical benefits. Kudos to those enterprising individuals who have lifted Tai Chi out of obscurity, brought it to the notice of scientists in the West, and encouraged… Read more »
The Chinese mind-body exercise system of Tai Chi has become popular all around the world as an alternative healing method with many physical, mental, and spiritual benefits. Many stress-weary and disease-ravaged individuals want to take up Tai Chi to improve the quality of their lives and keep healthcare costs in check. But can anyone learn… Read more »
Distracted by media. Weighed down by competition. Straddled with debt. Reeling under stress. This is the life of the average man on the street in the West. It is not hard to figure out why the West has embraced the healing arts of Tai Chi and Yoga so readily. Tai Chi and Yoga are mind-body… Read more »
Do you often see groups of people, young and old, practicing some form of exercise with slow flowing movements in parks? It is a common sight all over the world. The exercise is Tai Chi, and it dates back about 2,500 years to ancient China. You will find it hard to believe, but Tai Chi… Read more »
Tai Chi For Self-Defense: Stay in Motion and Combine Moves Ordinary Tai Chi, practiced for spiritual and physical health, mental balance, and fitness, teaches us an important lesson that carries over to using Tai Chi for self-defense: always stay in motion. When you are engaged in the “active meditation” that is regular Tai Chi today,… Read more »
Deflection and Lateral Movement in Tai Chi for Self-Defense Angles are important in Tai Chi for self-defense – you should always be thinking in terms of slightly oblique motions, rather than straight-on right angles. This is true both when you are making a defensive maneuver – deflecting a punch or blow sent your way by… Read more »
Tai Chi – a Tool for Multifaceted Physical Fitness Developed over the course of centuries in China, but only recently revealed to the West, Tai Chi is a series of movements that combine exercise and martial arts – and which today are an excellent source of physical fitness. The first records of Tai Chi come… Read more »
Tai Chi’s dance-like movements often seem deceptively gentle to observers, who frequently think that a Tai Chi workout cannot build strength – but, in fact, Tai Chi can build strong muscles quite effectively. It is, after all, a true martial art despite its focus on low-impact movements, poses, and breathing. One of its early practitioners… Read more »
Tai Chi – Flexible Bodies and Flexible Minds Tai Chi’s movements have often been likened to a slow and graceful dance, as the practitioners of this five hundred year old Chinese martial art move their bodies through a steady cycle of poses. Stretching, extending, circling, and withdrawing, those who use Tai Chi stretch their tendons,… Read more »
-Becca, A happy new member of our Qigong and Tai Chi community
