How to Tai Chi Your Way to Better Health
The very center of the 16th century in China brought another style of martial arts known as Tai Chi or Tai Chi Chuan meaning ‘Supreme Ultimate Boxing’ in translation. It started as a form of boxing under the category of ‘martial arts’, a tag that we have come to recognize as a product of China. This is thanks to the movie industry and the earliest martial arts actors such as Bruce Lee, Jet Li, Jackie Chan, and Michelle Yeoh.
But Tai Chi decided to take another route as it changed from a style of combat into an art of breathing and exercise for wellness and better living. Nowadays, it is a term that is generally synonymous with an outdoors group therapy that consists of people in pajama suits, silence, and slow body movements.
In comparison to sweaty work out sessions and expensive food supplements, Tai Chi sounds like a cinch! This is because it is: It is the art of revitalizing the mind and body with positive energy that the haphazardness of modern daily life has taken away from us with little daily exercises and mindfulness.
Benefits of Tai Chi
Taking up Tai Chi as an alternative health measure or only as a hobby can lead to numerous bonuses, some of which are listed below:
1. A Stress Melting Experience
Modern living has led to many mental and psychological problems, the most common ones being stress and anxiety. Tai Chi has a reversing effect on both as research shows that it combines the benefits of exercise and meditation. Some believe that the daily practice of this Chinese art can lead to long-term stress management and better overall health.
2. More Energy
The slow breathing exercise and reduced body movements that come with Tai Chi relaxes the body. This helps practitioners of Tai Chi to sleep better and therefore have more energy the next morning with an added feeling of vitality.
3. A Relief in Old Age
This combat art-turned meditation has numerous benefits for older people, especially for those with physical ailments or difficulties such as those losing their locomotive and cognitive abilities. This can be linked to the fact that Tai Chi is about paying attention to one’s surroundings and physical movements.
4. Approach to Arthritis
Tai Chi is also proven to elevate the pains that come with arthritis. There are as many as 350 million among the global population reported being suffering from arthritis.
With the onset of old age, physical movements can become slower as the body becomes stiffer. The five senses also begin to wane, thus slowing down the mental-to-physical reaction time. Among many aging people, the joints in the body, especially the knees and the back, start to swell and cause severe pain. In these sorts of cases, the patient is diagnosed with arthritis.
5. Calm the Flabs Away
As much as Tai Chi is relaxing and therapeutic, it is still a form of physical exercise, but without the strain that comes with other types of work out or gym sessions. If you are someone who cannot maintain long durations of rigorous exercise, or have difficulty making movements such as lunging, weight lifting, or just running, you can steadily martial arts your way to weight loss.
Granted that this method will not lead to any fat burning miracle, it is still a healthy alternative for people with breathing issues or anyone with long-standing physical problems. All in all, Tai Chi is recommended for everyone for its many health benefits. Make sure that you consult a Tai Chi practitioner or sign up for a proper Tai Chi course instead of trying to learn on your own if you want to reap all the benefits of this exercise.
