TAI CHI FOR OVERALL DEVELOPMENT

Tai Chi (TaiJi) is a form of Chinese martial art that relates with the forces of “yin” positive and “yan” negative, usually practiced for defense training and for health benefits. The taijitu symbol is a fusion of yin and yang and involves five elements taolu, neigong and qigong , tuishou and shansou.These denotes solo hands and weapon routine forms, breathing and meditation, response drills and self defense techniques.

The mind is the main unit of focus on the movements that helps to bring state of calm and mental clarity. Tai chi as a martial art is used as a form of self defense.It is the precision by which a person responds to changes from outside so that yielding and sticking to incoming attack rather than meeting with opposite forces. It is a challenging part and requires a lot of training for accomplishing the outcome. The taichi classes have become synonymous as a treatment and healing in hospitals, clinics, community and senior centers. The martial art is not emphatic in its usagelike kicking, punching, fighting rather it is slow, rhythmic, meditative movements to find peace, calmness. Good health is achieved when the flow of your “qi” i.e.five elements (metal, water, fire, wood and earth) flow in an interrelated manner to the organs of the body. This is what tai chi is all about. It has roots with traditional Chinese medicine. Tai Chi helps to prolong life, increase flexibilty, strengthen muscule and tendons, curing heart disease, blood pressure, arthritis, digestive disorder, depression and cancer. Tai chi is the potent way to find area of balance and preventing fall with shifts of body weight from one leg to another coordinating the movements of upper body. Individuals who practiced Tai Chi had high level of aerobic capacity than the sedentary individuals, walked significantly more steps than the individuals who did not, improved health quality, more concentration, fleunt breathing, calmness and were physically active.

SOME REASONS FOR DOING TAI CHI:

1. You do it at your own pace.
2. The risk of injury is very low.
3. You can do it anywhere, anytime.
4. It can be done in groups or by yourself.
5. It is an Ultimate Beauty Treatment.

Start with breathing: Warm up with proper breathing and centering. As with any martial art, it's not just how quickly and forcefully you can strike a guy out.  Having a firm grip on your mind. To clear yours, focus your chi, and tap into your potential, you'll need to start with proper breathing. Put your feet up to shoulder width apart, no further.Place your hand on your lower abdomen, about 2 inches (5 cm) below your navel. Push in lightly.Breathe in and out through your nose slowly (lips loosely together) from this area of your abdomen. If you can't feel this area moving, push in with your hand a bit more.

Concentrate on all parts of your body one at a time: Once breathing like this feels normal, start relaxing every part of your body one at a time. Start with your feet and work your way up to your scalp. Get as tiny as you'd like -- down to your fingernails even. You'll find you were holding tension without even realizing it.If you start to sway, that's actually a good thing! It means you're relaxing and your body isn't tensed to balance. If that does happen, consider slightly readjusting your feet or moving your concentration back to your balance until you're steady again.

Root yourself: One of the concepts of tai chi is "rooting." Imagine roots growing out from underneath your feet. You are a part of the ground, never losing balance, focus, or you’re centering. Your limbs sway like branches in the wind, never hesitating for fear or apprehension. You are rooted.This does not mean you or your legs are stiff. Quite the opposite. Just imagine roots under you, a part of you, allowing you for freedom of movement because you cannot fall, you cannot fail, and you will always be a part of the natural world.

Think about your frame: One of the concepts of tai chi is "rooting." It's fairly self-explanatory: imagine roots growing out from underneath your feet. You are a part of the ground, never losing balance, focus, or you’re centering. Your limbs sway like branches in the wind, never hesitating for fear or apprehension. You are rooted.This does not mean you or your legs are stiff. Quite the opposite. Just imagine roots under you, a part of you, allowing you for freedom of movement because you cannot fall, you cannot fail, and you will always be a part of the natural world.

Experiment with different styles. Because all Tai Chi is good, it's more important that you do any rather than worry about which style is right for you. But once you get immersed in the world, you may want to experiment. The Yang style is the most popular. It has a steady tempo and, as discussed above, uses large frame movements. It's probably what you think of when you think of Tai chi.In Wu, the movements are almost microscopic. The movements are very slow and deliberate.The Hao style isn't very widely spread. You probably won't find a teacher that practices it. Choose a style of tai chi that fits your needs and interests. Bear in mind that Tai chi is not about competition,you are joining the class to learn the skills under your teachers guidance and instructions.