The Chinese art of tai chi developed from an ancient Taoist exercise tradition that aimed to increase longevity. By performing exercises that stretch and open the body while giving a strong focus for the mind, tai chi practitioners sought to direct the flow of qi or vital life energy through their bodies, strengthen their internal organs and support optimal health. Tai chi's dual focus on physical training and mental awareness makes it a powerful meditation form and martial art.
Tai Chi Set
The most recognizable tai chi exercise, the tai chi form or set is a series of flowing movements composed of slow-motion steps, kicks, blocks and strikes. If you're a beginner, learning the tai chi set is a matter of figuring out and remembering where to put your hands and feet. While this is a mental challenge in and of itself, over time, your mental focus will turn to keeping your mind on the martial arts purpose of each movement. The slow pace of the set allows you to perfect your timing and track improvement over years of training, notes Raymond Pawlett, martial arts champion, instructor, and author of "The Tai Chi Handbook."
Push Hands
Once you've developed a feeling for the tai chi set, some instructors might introduce you to push hands, or tai chi sparring. In this exercise, you work with a partner, pushing and receiving pushes to learn how to sense another's line of force and intention, to apply tai chi techniques and to use your whole body as a martial instrument. Warding off attacks and using your opponent's force against him are just two of the moves you can apply in push hands, says Weimin Kwauk, tai chi instructor in Huntsville, Ala., and author of "Chinese Traditional Meditation: Calm and Moving." Working with a partner helps your mind stay in the moment and offers a great whole-body workout.
Weapons Forms
Weapons forms allow you to deepen your mental focus and your physical strength as you practice tai chi. In the West, you're most likely to encounter tai chi sword --- a double-bladed, straight-edged weapon --- or saber --- a curved, single-bladed weapon. While the footwork in weapons forms resembles the empty-handed tai chi set, adding a weapon into the mix requires you to use the blade as an extension of your body, according to Douglas Lee, tai chi practitioner and author of "Tai Chi Chuan: The Philosophy of Yin and Yang and Its Application." Extending your mental focus into the weapon helps to teach you to project your qi and intention, key components of learning to use tai chi as a martial art.
Standing Qigong
At the heart of tai chi's mind-body workout is stillness. For this reason, many classes offer lessons in standing qigong meditation, also called standing-on-stake. Legendary accounts of Taoist masters who are able to toss opponents into the air with the flick of a wrist often refer to stillness exercises like standing qigong as the core practice behind these abilities. Practicing this simple meditation for several hours a day allows tai chi students to access what qigong master Paul Dong calls "empty force." Writing in his book "Empty Force: The Power of Chi for Self-Defense and Energy Healing," Dong notes that the essence of this meditation is to achieve a calm center that stays with you long after you're done practicing for the day.
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