People start tai chi most weeks of the year. We see a lot of new starters. Over the years the physical condition of the intake has changed. It has worsened.
Quite often young people start class with poor physical health; raised, tense shoulders, stooping, poor balance, stiff joints, tense muscles, poor motor skills and limited flexibility.That is an easy question to answer. But it is just a number. Consider instead your age relative to the people around you or people you see in your everyday life.
Do you look old for your age? Are you flexible? Strong? Supple? Do you get out of breath? Are you happy?Many people are so uncomfortable in the absence of noise that they will leave the television on even when no one is watching.
I have passed people on lonely mountain paths carrying radios that were blasting out rock music. They like the scenery but fear the silence.
We are overwhelmed by noise pollution which keeps us from being able to relax and which wreaks havoc on our nervous system.
(John Lash)
Week in, week out, people attend tai chi classes. The instructor is always friendly. The lessons are always stimulating. Your fellow students are always courteous, well mannered and nice.
Your personal life may be in turmoil, your work life may be tedious or disappointing, yet tai chi class remains a constant: comfortable, familiar, friendly and fun.A tai chi class is a quiet place, yet somehow neither boring nor lacking in stimulation. There are no mobile phones, no TV screens, no computers, no concerns, worries or deadlines.
Instead, you can relax, let go and get some much needed 'me' time.Most people have minds that are like adverts chattering noisily: worrying, flitting and unsettled. Qigong and tai chi slowly encourage you to become quieter inside.
By moving slowly and calmly, you are aware of what is happening as it happens.It is good to talk, yet talking is also a problem. If your mind is never still and quiet, you cannot possibly feel relaxed and at peace.
For many people talking is a compulsive habit, serving to mask the anxiety within. Without the chatter, people feel alone and isolated.
Tai chi creates a situation where your attention is absorbed with where you are and what you are doing, so the mind becomes quieter automatically.
Unlike concentration, you allow the mind to open and become expansive. You feel, hear and see everything around you. The chattering of your thoughts will begin to fade.There are calm places to be found in every town. A tai chi class is a good example. Calm voices, settled emotions and an atmosphere of friendship and camaraderie will be immediately apparent.
This may feel most unfamiliar to you, odd even. Don't panic. Give yourself time to adjust to something different. Just stay with it and enjoy. A feeling of serenity and peace may settle upon you.If you do not commit time to calming activities and rest, your mind may never know stillness. Even in the midst of stunning beauty and peace, tranquillity will elude you.
Most people exist in a bubble. They wake in their own home, get into their car and then go to work/shops/wherever. There is seldom any time spent being calm.
Homes, cars and public places are usually filled with noise and stimulation. Visual images, flickering screens, twittering voices, gossip... Where is the peace in your life? The stillness?Taijiquan students study all 13 areas of practice:
Exploring these 13 areas of study will offer a balanced comprehension of the art.
People often refer to tai chi as being a complete exercise. The word 'complete' refers to the fact that tai chi training covers a very diverse spectrum of concerns that coalesce to form a powerful tool for fitness and wellbeing.
When practiced daily, the benefits of tai chi are truly amazing.Tai chi is a vehicle for exploring the many insights offered by the elusive and beguiling study of existence known as 'Taoism'. It is a hands-on approach to spirituality.
There is plenty to read (if this is something you enjoy) but the emphasis is mainly upon doing rather than reading, thinking or talking.
Life is lived through action, not words. The art of tai chi is a physical journey that will lead to an inner search for meaning and understanding within the student.
Improved body use, decreased muscular tension and a more flexible body all result in easier, fuller breathing. The student learns how to slow, lengthen and deepen the breath in everyday life.
This leads to a more calm, emotionally-centred sense of being.The effectiveness of tai chi as a physical exercise can be overlooked. It is easy to dismiss the seemingly mild training as being ineffectual.
However, tai chi provides a very effective workout. It moves the body in a safe, therapeutic, healthy manner and has no known side-effects.
There is a substantial amount of evidence to support tai chi's medical and health claims.
