What is T'ai Chi?

When someone asks me that question I have a hard time answering it. The reason for my difficulty is T'ai Chi Chu'an is many things to me. It is a system of exercise, it is a martial art, it is a means of meditation, it is a sport, it is a means of disease prevention.

When you first come across T'ai Chi Chu'an it looks like a beautiful dance or maybe slow motion Kung-Fu. The name T'ai Chi Chu'an means the "supreme ultimate martial art exercise". The Chinese have been using T'ai Chi Chu'an for hundreds of years.

As a system of exercise T'ai Chi Chu'an is a performed as a series of martial arts movements connected by a slowly moving sequence of transitional movements. These movements stretch and strengthen the muscles and stimulate the body internally. T'ai Chi Chu'an requires no extra equipment, just loose clothing and well fitting shoes. The routines (called forms) can be performed anywhere and take a very small space to perform.

The T'ai Chi Chu'an postures are natural postures, they can be performed by people at any fitness level. Performing the moves in a slow, relaxed manner allows the body to gradually advance in the postures as the body becomes more flexible and strong. The breathing becomes more deep and rhythmic, enhancing the oxygenation of the blood and filling the body with "qi" - life giving energy.

T'ai Chi Chu'an as a Martial Art

While T'ai Chi appears to be a beautiful slow motion dance, it is a martial art and has all the aspects of a martial art.

T'ai Chi Chu'an as a means of Meditation

The single minded concentration combined with the relaxed body required to do T'ai Chi Chu'an is what makes T'ai Chi Chu'an such a great means of meditation. I practice traditional meditaions as well but T'ai Chi Chu'an is my preferred way to meditate. While I'm "playing" the form I'm completely focus, yet I have to maintain an empty mind. The body must be a relaxed as possible and an inner balance is achieved that I can't really describe. During this process I am present in the moment.

T'ai Chi Chu'an as a sport

Most sports popular in America today have some drawbacks. Either you must have equipment to play or you need to be in good physical condition or you stress one set of muscles. Most sports are prone to accidents especially for those "weekend warriors" who only have time to play on the weekends (and really isn't that most of us?). Because or these drawbacks we even have a term for combining several elements of exercise into a cyclical workout pattern: "cross training." What if you could play your sport for hours or minutes whenever you had some spare time? What if it took little or no equipment? What if your sport was a low risk for injury? What if there were no special clothing requirements? What if you could practice your sport anywhere? T'ai Chi Chu'an fits all this criteria.

T'ai Chi Chu'an as a means of disease prevention

I think most people agree that dynamic good health depends on getting some level of good physical exercise. The human body was designed for movement. Our labor saving inventions and desk jobs have taken away the exercise our ancestors got chasing their next meal or preparing the fields to grow their food. Since most of us spend much of our time sitting behind a desk or working in a factory we have to add exercise routines to our everyday lives to remain healthy. As a means of exercise T'ai Chi Chu'an is a good way to promote good health. An additional benefit to this exercise is the stimulation to the acupuncture points throughout the body and the deep breathing that oxygenates the blood and fills the body with "qi". Qi is the Chinese term for the life force, that life giving energy that we take for granted.

Admittedly, when I first heard these claims for T'ai Chi Chu'an I was skeptical. Most of my experiences have shown that whenever anything seems this good with no downside it's not what I expect. I have found T'ai Chi Chu'an to be a very balanced complete workout. I hope you will try it and see for yourself.

24 Movement Short Form