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Why Should I Practise Taiji |
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Written by Administrator
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Monday, 22 June 2009 21:26 |
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Why Should I practice Taiji (Tai Chi) Gordon Muir
Taiji (T'ai Chi Ch'uan) is a unique form of exercise for health and martial art, created about four hundred years ago. Originally Taiji was developed as a martial art but was discovered to have very powerful health restoring and preserving abilities in the early 1900's and has been promoted as a health art ever since.
Traditional Chinese Medicine describes the type of exercise it believes best for the body as 'twisting and stretching'. The idea behind moving your body in such a manner is to open channels of energy in the body that are often closed or weak as a result of lack of exercise, injury or simply poor health habits. These channels are likened to an underground river of energy in the body that must flow unimpeded for full and robust health to be possible. Taiji is the ideal exercise to achieve this state of 'super health' as it has a strong emphasis on exactly this type of movement.
Many common ailments that are either prevented or alleviated by Taiji (such as arthritis, headaches, joint problems) are diagnosed as being caused by either stuck or insufficient qi (old spelling is chi). Many doctors, even in the west, now prescribe Taiji as a means of reducing the impact of these diseases.
Although Taiji is a dynamic exercise it is low impact. Taiji never damages the body as many other exercise systems do but only serves to strengthen us and make us more flexible. Strength is required to perform Taiji correctly and at the beginning of learning this profound art there is a conditioning period where the whole body is strengthened and made more flexible. For those who persist in the art to the point of mastery there is a whole new world of health and strength waiting.
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