Practice T’ai Chi?
Tai Chi is practiced by 20 percent or the world’s population and is vastly becoming the most popular exercise in the world today. The expansion of this art is due to one important fact, and it feels good. Tai Chi is a valuable tool for improving health; it is a powerful business tool as well. Companies see that Tai Chi improves productivity by helping employees to be happy, relaxed, and creative.
Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese art, in the beginning it was purely used as a martial art. It also was a closely guarded family treasure passed down from generation to generation. Now many all over the world practice Tai Chi for health, relaxation and a state of well-being. There many styles of Tai Chi, the style mostly practice is the Yang style. But there is the Chen style, Sun style, Wu style and Wu Hao style. No matter, which style, it’s the principles that are important. Tai Chi is Not Karate, Tai Chi is not Tai Kwon Do those arts are external arts. Tai Chi is an Internal energy art practice slowly to gain balance and endurance and flexibility. Its form is a continuing motion from one posture to another.
Tai Chi differs from most arts in that people of all ages can practice it. Many people with disabilities and ailments practice Tai Chi as therapy. No one is restricted from practicing Tai Chi, and yet Tai Chi can benefit the fittest athletes, just as it benefits elderly arthritis sufferers. Tai Chi has no belt or ranking system because the benefits or Tai Chi can be felt and not seen.
By practicing Tai Chi’s relaxed movements every day, we allow the muscles to release tension on the bones. Tai Chi recognizes that the body always wants to be in most healthful posture possible.
Range of motion:
Silk reeling exercise called, (chan zhu gong). This is spiral movement to develop energy (zhen qi) to open the eight channels to improve yin-yang balance and flow of blood. It connects upper and lower, left to right, also in and out.
The practice helps you connect to dantian movements and exercises the joints of the body. There are eighteen major joints. Also good for muscles and tendons, relaxation and greatly improves range of motion.
Flexibility:
Tai chi increases flexibility by regularly stretching the muscles very gently in slow and controlled manner. The more you practice gently the more you are going too increase your flexibility. Breath and motion start to match and only then can you ask the body to do more.
Stability & Balance:
Many of us are not in the age group that is likely to suffer serious injury from falling, we can all benefit greatly by having better balance. Better balance puts less stress on the body throughout the day and you will find that you have more energy as Tai Chi practice improves your balance. A balance study by Harvard and Yale center for disease control and Emory University said, Tai Chi practitioners fall and injured themselves only half as much as those practicing other balance training. For aging Americans, the simple act of falling can be fatal; it’s the sixth largest cause of death for older Americans.
Other Benefits of T’ai Chi:
· Boost the immune system
· Slow aging process
· Lower high blood pressure
· Increase breathing capacity
· Reduce asthma & allergy reactions
· Alleviate stress responses
· Help to ensure full range mobility far into old age
· Improve balance & coordination
Sifu Herb Parran
Grand Master Feng Zhiqiang's Hun Yuan Taiji System