Tai Chi Movements

"Tai chi" translates as "supreme ultimate"---a name that expresses tai chi's status in Chinese culture as one of the best things you can do for your body. The peaceful, constant movements of this ancient form of exercise and meditation can help you open your joints, stretch your tendons and muscles, strengthen your entire body, focus your mind and lift your spirit.

History

Legend has it that Chang San-Feng, a Taoist master who lived between the 10th and 12th centuries A.D., created tai chi after watching a snake fighting a crane. Chang copied the animals' effortless and effective movements to create a short tai chi form consisting of 13 postures, according to the Patience Tai Chi Association's website. Eventually, the tai chi form passed to the Chen family, who practiced it secretly until the 19th century, when Chen Chang Hsin taught it to Yang Lu-Chan. The Chen and Yang styles remain the most popular forms of tai chi worldwide today.

Types

Yang tai chi is the style you're most likely to come across outside of China. It features slow stretching movements and an even pace. Derivatives of Yang style include Cheng style tai chi, marked by a shorter set and an upright posture. Taoist tai chi, created by Taoist monk Moy Lin-Shin, combines Yang tai chi with elements of other qi-cultivation exercises. To the casual observer, Chen style tai chi can be surprising---its practitioners transition quickly between slow, steady movements and bursts of speed, according to the website Everyday Tai Chi.

Key Concepts

A tai chi practitioner should strive to move the body as a single unit, pushing the feet into the ground in order to project force out through the hands, wrote Chang San-Feng, in his "T'ai Chi Ch'uan Treatise," translated by Stuart Alve Olson in his book "T'ai Chi According to the I Ching." The tai chi form is like a river, "rolling on without interruption," becoming one smooth, continuous motion. The practitioner relaxes into the floor with each movement, making sure that his feet are well planted, even if the movement requires him to rise. He focuses the mind on what he is doing, while remaining calm at all times.

Features

The origin of tai chi in the behavior of animals is reflected in the names of the movements. "White Crane Spreads Wings," "Repulse Monkey," and "Wild Horse Separate Mane" are the names of three movements in the Wu tai chi form, according to the International Wu Style Tai Chi Chuan Federation's website. The number of movements in tai chi varies widely from school to school. The Simplified Yang style uses 24 moves, while the long Yang style can have up to 128. Some tai chi schools emphasize tai chi's origins as a martial art, and will teach you how to apply the moves for self-defense. Other schools focus more exclusively on the meditation or health benefits of tai chi.

Benefits

In addition to stretching your muscles and helping you feel more relaxed and energized, tai chi has many potential health benefits, according to Healthfinder.gov, a website of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. Bone health, overall well-being, cardio-respiratory fitness, and quality of life were all positively affected in people who practiced tai chi, according to a 2010 research review.