Tai Chi Exercises Should Always Be Combined With Proper Breathing And Meditation

A never ending quest for sports or skills that enhance well being and health may inevitably lead you to the most useful and gracious forms of Tai Chi. While it is thought to be a skill for combat, these restful and mild movements are done to activate the smooth flow of Chi or vital energy. Tai Chi is known by millions around the world as the ‘elixir of youth’, since it is considered to be a recreation for attaining longevity.

Tai Chi was developed in China by Taoist monks who formed the exercise movements through their observation of a duel between a crane and a snake. The skill one develops is filled with the knowledge of the sky, man, and earth. These exercises should be performed along with proper breathing and meditation to arouse full awareness.

They can be performed in a group or in solitude. People of all ages throughout China practice Tai Chi early in the morning every day. It helps them start the day feeling joyful, relaxed, content, and healthy. While there are many styles of Tai Chi, all involve graceful, relaxed, and slow movements in which every step segues into the next one. Tai Chi can be seen as a dance between the body and soul in which focus plays a very important role in the exercises. If this type of exercise isn’t fully embraced whole-heartedly, you aren’t expected to experience ultimate well-being.

Tai Chi enhances health by treating physical ills, improving muscle strength and tone, enhancing sleep, and relieving rigidity and pain. Some people report that the exercises has helped treat conditions such as osteoarthritis, rheumatism, arthritis, chronic heart conditions, fatigue, insomnia, and depression.

As with any other physical recreation, you should be careful not to exercise excessively as it may lead to sprains or injured muscles. Tai Chi should not be practiced with painful joints, during pregnancy or illness, or directly after a meal. If you are a beginner, we advice that you first do some research about Tai Chi and then join a group or hire a trainer to be on the safe side.

Steven Goldfarb, L.Ac. is a board certified and licensed acupuncturist and the founder of Goldfarb Chiropractic and Acupuncture Center in West Orange, NJ.