Tai chi is an ancient, self-paced and noncompetitive Chinese martial art. Tai chi, which incorporates gentle, flowing choreographed movements, focuses on developing aspects of your spiritual and mental self, although many people practice tai chi for health reasons too. According to the Mayo Clinic, tai chi may reduce your levels of stress, anxiety and depression, improve your balance, flexibility and strength, improve your quality of sleep, lower your blood pressure, increase your energy and agility and decrease your chronic pain.
Martial Art
Although tai chi is often characterized by the use of slow, accentuated movements, several tai chi styles, including Yang, Wu and Chen, possess more vigorous and faster-paced forms. According to AllMartialArts.com, as a mode of attack and defense, tai chi resembles kung fu, and is considered a martial art. Tai chi may be used with or without weapons. As a martial art, tai chi teaches you to avoid direct engagement with an attacker, as direct engagement will undoubtedly result in injury to one or both of the involved parties. Instead of using brute force as a method of self-defense, tai chi emphasizes the redirection of opposing forces until your attacker experiences exhaustion. According to TaiChiChuan.org.tw, Lao Tzu, a philosopher of ancient China, summed up the essence of tai chi as a martial art when he wrote that "The soft and the pliable will defeat the hard and strong."
Integrates Mind and Body
Tai chi is based on the belief that your mind and your body are not separate entities, but rather, are different manifestations of Qi energy or vital force. Practitioners of tai chi believe that pursuing bodily health through consistent participation in focused, meditative exercise naturally facilitates a healthy mind and a mind-body connection in which you experience a heightened awareness of the present moment. Catherine Kerr, a Harvard Medical School instructor and tai chi practitioner who has devoted her life to studying the effects of mind-body exercise on the brain, suggests that regular participation in tai chi can influence your brain's neural connections in a positive way. Kerr states that "Meditation, motor learning, and attentional focus have all been shown in numerous studies to be associated with training-related changes---including, in some cases, changes in actual brain structure---in specific cortical regions."
Daily Practice for Optimal Health
The health benefits of tai chi have been well studied, especially its ability to reduce your stress and boost your immune function. Other health benefits from tai chi include improved mobility and endurance, a possible delayed decline of cardiorespiratory function in seniors, reduced tension and fatigue, improved mood, reduced likelihood of experiencing a fall--and a decreased fear of falling--improved respiratory efficiency and decreased salivary cortisol levels. According to Thomas M. Krapu, Ph.D., research also indicates that tai chi is helpful in the treatment of numerous medical conditions, such as Parkinson's disease, coronary artery disease, rheumatoid arthritis and dementia. Tai chi can be practiced regardless of your age, weight or past history of exercise participation, and is an ideal activity especially for older adults who may find the high-impact nature of conventional exercise methods unappealing.
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