TaiChi puts you in a position to thrive

PERHAPS YOU have seen people, individually or in groups, practising TaiChi in the parks or in your health club. That...really...quite... slow series of changing moves and positions (known as the “form”, a choreographed set, ranging from 24 to 108 positions). You probably wonder how something so slow could be an exercise. How can it be good for you physically? Or do you think of it as a moving meditation, with benefits that are more non-physical?

What most people do not realise is that TaiChi is a martial art — it is precise and it can be demanding. What makes TaiChi different from most other martial disciplines is that it is a synthesis of Chinese medicine and martial arts.

It incorporates the principles of Yin and Yang (the symbol in the middle of this page); co-existing opposites and the attempt to harmonise these opposites within us (disharmony leads to illness and physical weakness). It is this special aspect that is the spring from which its health-giving qualities come from.

TaiChi is recognised as an exercise in falls prevention and is recommended by the

World Health Organisation.

The NHS says:

“Studies have shown that

TaiChi can help people aged 65 and over to reduce stress, improve posture, balance and general mobility and increase muscle strength in the legs,” while

Harvard Medical

School describes it as “a gentle form of exercise that can help maintain strength, flexibility, and balance and could be the perfect activity for the rest of your life”. TaiChi can be adapted, while keeping true to its principles, to suit most people, at most levels of fitness and ages, from standing to sitting. Known as an internal or soft martial art, TaiChi puts the emphasis on the internal health of the body, breathing, heart and posture. It is physically challenging, for sure. But that challenge can be tempered to the abilities of each individual. In addition to the physical health benefits of TaiChi, there is also a mental health advantage. Because of the tempo of TaiChi, it is a mental challenge. We may be able to slow down our bodies; it is something else to try to slow down and be calm in our heads.

Because we learn it slowly, we are focused on ourselves, on our breath and body, in each moment. Practising TaiChi is akin to carrying out a moving mindfulness exercise; one is very much grounded in the here and now.

Learning TaiChi is similar to learning a musical instrument. We start off not knowing anything — not even how to hold it correctly, let alone play it properly and, through patient, considered and slow instruction and practice, we learn, we hit each note well and as we speed up, a tune emerges. (Another little-known snippet is TaiChi can also be fast.) TaiChi is the antidote for that 21st century world malaise, instant gratification — helping us learn and develop patience, deal with frustration, improve balance, posture, breathing and cardiovascular health over time, with no quick fixes, where the results are cumulative. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

How can something so slow be good for you?’ TaiChi is an antidote to our 21st century malaise’