Tai chi, sometimes known as Taiji or Taijiquan, is one of the best ways to cultivate balanced health for body and mind.
This mild workout regimen may be the ideal way to keep your strength, flexibility, and balance throughout your lifetime.
Although tai chi is sometimes referred to as “meditation in motion”, it’s more accurate to refer to it as “medication in motion”. This mind-body technique, which started as a martial art in China, is showing promise in the treatment and prevention of a wide range of health issues. And even if your health or physical condition isn’t the best, you can still get started.
This low-impact, slow-motion workout involves a sequence of gestures called after animals, e.g. “white crane spreads its wings”, or martial arts techniques, e.g. “box both ears”, that you perform without stopping. Breathe deeply and spontaneously while you move, concentrating, like in certain forms of meditation, on your physical sensations.
There are several ways that tai chi is different from other forms of exercise. The muscles are relaxed rather than tight, the joints are not fully extended or bent, the connective tissues are not strained, and the motions are often circular and never pushed. Anyone may learn tai chi with ease, even those who are recovering from surgery or are restricted to a wheelchair.
Health benefits
There are also significant psychological and emotional advantages. People report feeling more at ease, rooted, and in-tune with their body as a result of the purposeful motions. This enhances memory, concentration, and sleep while reducing anxiety, tension, and sadness. Tai chi targets muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and, to a lesser extent, cardiovascular training. It is a leisurely, gentle form of exercise that does not exhaust the practitioner.
Muscle strength: Both upper- and lower-body strength may be enhanced by tai chi. Tai chi may be compared to weight training and brisk walking when performed on a regular basis. Tai chi is an unsupported arm workout that improves your upper body, even if you aren’t using weights or resistance bands. Tai chi tones the abdominal and back core muscles as well as the lower and upper extremities.
Flexibility: Tai chi helps increase strength and flexibility in the upper and lower body.
Balance: Tai chi enhances balance and may even lower the number of falls, according to some research. The awareness of one’s own body’s location in space, or sense of balance, deteriorates with age. This sensation, which is produced by sensory neurons in the inner ear and stretch receptors in the muscles and ligaments, is trained by tai chi.
Additionally, tai chi increases muscular flexibility and strength, which facilitates tumbling recovery. Tai chi training has been shown in certain studies to help reduce fear of falling, which increases the risk of falling.
Aerobic conditioning: Tai chi has certain cardio advantages, depending on the intensity and pace of the motions. You could also require more aerobic exercise if your physician recommends one that is more strenuous and requires a greater heart rate than tai chi.
As mentioned previously, there are different types and styles of tai chi.
Tai chi can be practised in a variety of ways, including the five primary styles: Chen, Yang, Wu, Hao, and Sun.
Based on how these Chinese families interpreted the original Chen style, each of these styles is called after the family who created it. Although they all operate on the same basic ideas, there are some variations in terms of movement force, speed, and placement.
Styles in a nutshell
Chen style: The most traditional, distinguished by quick, explosive movements interspersed with soft, gradual motions.
Yang style: The most often used form nowadays, which is distinguished by soft, expansive frame motions. This model forms the basis of most of our programs.
Hao style: It is less well-known, emphasises internal power.
Wu style: Tenderness is the defining feature. Redirecting incoming power while bending slightly forward is emphasised.
Sun style: The youngest of all forms, it is employed in arthritic programmes and is characterised by energetic steps and a slightly elevated posture.
