Learn Tai Chi Chuan
What is Tai Chi?
Tai Chi Chuan is a Chinese martial art more commonly known now for its slow and graceful movements. Like everything in Tai Chi there is a double meaning in both the movements and even its name itself. Tai Chi Chuan can mean both Supreme Ultimate Universe and Supreme Ultimate Fist. And the movements or form are practiced slowly for health benefits, however when sped up they show how a person might defend themselves in a real time situation.
What are its benefits?
Tai Chi Chuan is centred around one principle, the Tao or Supreme Ultimate, which is divided into two interconnecting principles. Yin and Yang.
Soft and Hard, light and dark, aggressive and passive etc. The Tao is constantly changing between these, as every subject has within it the seed of its opposite. As one diminishes, the other grows.
Recognising this Tai Chi teaches you how to defend yourself not by using force against force, but by showing you when and how to yield to the force, then as the force begins to diminish you can begin to attack effectively and without resistance. This can be beneficial when dealing with a larger or heavier foe whose power and strength you would never be able to match.
As well as improving awareness skills, confidence, focus and mood. Tai Chi Chuans slow and graceful movements have a number of health benefits such as: Increased flexibilty, increasing strength, lowering blood pressure, developing muscle tone, improving balance, posture and increasing energy levels.
Examples of this can be found below:
YIN = SOFT= ENERGY= LOWER BODY = FRONT= FEMALE
YANG = HARD =PHYSICAL = UPPER BODY = BACK= MALE
Chi Kung is the building of the bodys vital energy (Chi). Chi Kung exercises help to maintain a physiological and psychological harmony within a person. These exercises are simple and done individually, (unlike in Tai Chi where each movement becomes entwined in the next) in order to focus on specific parts of the body, internal organs or energy channels. The aim of which is to increase the flow of Chi to throughout the body. These simple exercises when practiced daily can have many health benefits.
Chi Kung exercises are practised alongside Tai Chi Chuan in order enhance and complement each other.
What will I learn?
To begin with you can expect to learn 8 Chi Kung exercises often refererred to as the Eight Style Brocade. These are excellent for maintaining health and vitality when practiced regularly.
As well as the 108 movements to the long form of Wu Dang Style Tai Chi Chuan. The long form is divided into 6 easy to learn sections.
Different forms exist and more information on these can be found by visiting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_tai_chi_chuan_forms#Hand_forms
