WELLBEING
Rejuvenation for body and soul
VIJI GEORGE
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Tai Chi, an ancient healing art, helps one bridge seeming opposites in life: the self and the world, work and leisure, the spiritual and the material.
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Photo: Murali Kumar K.
Simple and effective: Tai Chi.
In today’s society, where people going through the pressure of survival have very little time on hand to pursue anything meaningful towards a healthy life, there has always been a search for something that would not demand fitness as a criterion for learning.
Tai Chi is an art based on ancient healing and martial practices which are heavily influenced by Chinese philosophy, such as Yin Yang. Yin represents softness, calmness, gentleness, etc., while Yang represents hardness, strength, brightness, etc. Tai Chi consists of movements which flow from one to the next.
Enhancing awareness
Tai Chi trains us to become more aware of the body. This in turn trains the mind, enhancing its sharpness and clarity. Gradually, we find ourselves naturally applying the Tai Chi principles in everyday life. We learn to be more gentle and patient with ourselves and others. We cultivate a healthy respect for our efforts in practising Tai Chi as a part of our daily lives. Tai Chi helps us to see the beauty of life and the importance of maintaining a balance between the human and the environment, family and friends, work and leisure, and between the spiritual or inner dimension and the material world.
Enhancing energy flow
To benefit from Tai Chi as a healing art, it is important to cultivate our energy. We conserve the energy by relaxing the body, using the body efficiently, calming the mind, nourishing the body with good food and learning how to enhance the energy flow throughout the body.
The flow of energy is affected by tension, worry, fear, over-excitement, over-work, injuries, environmental factors such as weather, location and even the people around us. Emotional blocks, such as not expressing our feelings or being true to ourselves, can hamper the flow of energy in the body.
With regular training, we learn to heal our mind, body and spirit. The power to heal yourself is really within your reach. Take responsibility for your health and well being. Prevention is better than cure.
We get older day by day. Our body gets weaker year by year. However, everyone wants to feel younger and healthier. Now, you too can achieve that using a simple way.
Some take supplements for healthcare. Some exercise everyday. Of all kinds of exercise you can do, one clearly stands out in its health benefits…Taichi Chuan.
Lots of people around the world practise this kind of exercise regularly and enjoy their good health into their 60s, 70s and even 80s. They seldom spend money on healthcare supplements.
They practise this exercise 21 minutes everyday. The secret lies in the word: “Everyday”. That’s right, they practise it consistently.
If you can invest 21 minutes a day, you too can join those peoples for many years of good health. But if you cannot allocate that time out, this is not for you.
Even if you are young and healthy today, don’t take your health for granted. With such an unhealthy living environment, your health may deteriorate much faster than you imagine... if you do nothing about it.
While practising it you will sweat a lot without raising the heart rate. Amazingly, you can still breathe normally instead of panting!
With enough space, you can practise Tai Chi almost anywhere, even in your living room. So, bad weather and no sports partner won’t stop you from exercise.
Too old to exercise?
Everyone can practise Tai Chi. Because of its slow and gentle movements, senior people can do it safely. Some people in their 70s and even 80s still practise Tai Chi everyday.
After reaching a certain age, we cannot stress ourselves too much with rough sports because of the possibility of serious injury, especially to the knee joints. With Tai Chi, you can safely practise it until your old age.
For more info see www.taichiacademyindia.com.
Tai Chi quick facts
Over 1,000 years old
A gentle, non-impact, slow moving, exercise for body, mind and spirit
A non-impact exercise that improves muscle strength and body posture, flexibility and lubrication in the joints, and balance and coordination of the body
A perfect beginning exercise programme for those who have never exercised
Safe for all trimesters of pregnancy because it is done slowly while standing up
Called meditation in motion — it’s one of the only fitness programmes where you meditate while exercising
A philosophy of life that teaches you balance, moderation and respect for nature
Tai Chi basics
Tai Chi means the “supreme-ultimate” exercise.
Although it was originally a form of martial art, it is widely practised for good health and longevity.
Tai Chi was designed to work with your body’s energy systems, also known as “meridians” in Chinese medicine. It is believed in Chinese medicine that practising Tai Chi can improve the functioning of your brain and internal organs. Additionally, it is believed that Tai Chi will help regulate your body chemistry by normalising the function of your endocrine system which affects hormonal release. Very often, pregnancy problems can be related to hormonal imbalances which can be corrected with regular Tai Chi practice.
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