Discover Tai Chi For Beginners

For hundreds of years, people have practiced tai chi for health and inner calm. Tai chi is related to qigong, a branch of traditional Chinese medicine, but it is also a martial art closely related to kung fu. In fact, the full name, tai chi chuan, translates to "supreme ultimate fist." Most contemporary students practice tai chi for benefits like improved strength, balance and flexibility---and just for the fun of doing the beautiful, slow movements.

Origins

According to legend, tai chi originated around 1200 to 1300 AD when an elderly Chinese monk, Zhang San-Feng, watched a snake evade a crane's direct forceful strikes by using circular, yielding movements. He turned that observation into a martial art he could use to overcome stronger opponents. Since then, tai chi has been passed down from teacher to student, and today there are many tai chi styles.

Physical Benefits

"There's a great quote from Chen Man-Ch'ing," says Master Peter Hill of World Tai Chi, an organization that certifies tai chi instructors. "Someone asked him, 'Why do tai chi?' He said, 'So when you're old enough to know what life is about, you'll have the vitality to enjoy it.'"
Studies cited by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) have shown tai chi to be beneficial in many areas of physical well-being. For example, a group of 40 adults with osteoarthritis in the knees who practiced Yang-style tai chi for 12 weeks experienced less pain and depression and better overall health-related quality of life.
Other studies cited by NCCAM have shown tai chi may positively affect the immune system, help post-menopausal women maintain bone density, and lower the risk of falls in older adults.

Mental Benefits

The Alzheimer's Association encourages regular physical, mental and social activity to help maintain good brain health. Studying tai chi combines all three: a tai chi student has an incentive for daily exercise, always has a new form to learn and gets regular social interaction with a teacher and fellow students.
Also, when a performing a tai chi form, the internal movement of the breath is synchronized with the external movements, which calms the body and mind. Many tai chi students report feeling more relaxed and may even have lower blood pressure and sleep better.

Learning Tai Chi

Tai chi is a "soft" martial art. Its defense techniques are non-aggressive and use internal energy to neutralize an attack. Students do "push hands," a two-person exercise for practice in using a minimum of energy to overcome a partner's force. The core of tai chi practice, however, involves learning "forms," long series of slow, flowing movements. Most tai chi teachers will have students learn and visualize the application behind each movement.

Getting Started

There are many tai chi videos on the market, and some are very good. However, they should be used as an additional resource--it's almost impossible to learn tai chi without a teacher and other students to practice with. There is no universal tai chi certifying organization, but there are organizations like Plum Blossom Federation and World Tai Chi that offer standardized teacher training and distance learning programs and can help you find a teacher.
Tai chi is an art. Like all arts, it requires practice. Many of the movements are complicated and counter-intuitive, so you should expect to feel frustrated and overwhelmed at first---in fact, if you don't feel clumsy and lost, you're probably not trying hard enough. Stick with it, practice regularly, and once the principles of tai chi begin to flow naturally, you'll be glad you put in the effort.