Tai chi literally translated means “supreme ultimate” and as a martial art its full title should be Tai Chi Chuan which means “supreme ultimate fist”. Tai Chi is the undiscovered treasure of the West. It is something that has amazing benefits for the young and old. The health benefits to Tai are numerous but the ones most often cited are stress relief, balance, psychological health and increased joint flexibility and muscle tone. There is a prevalence here in the west that Tai chi is something for older people, nothing could be further from the truth. Everyone can benefit from it.
There are amazing health benefits for all. Tai Chi has often been called “moving meditation”. I feel it’s especially beneficial for today’s young professionals. Its slow movement literally slows down the frenetic pace of modern life allowing you to enjoy the moment. It’s concentration on breathing allows you to relax and the complexity allows you to focus attention on something absorbing that breaks the cycle of stress that may have built up during your day. Your constant progression reinforces your self-confidence and fills the needs for constant progression needed by the ego to feel that we are making headway in our life.
Spending time doing Tai Chi practice is akin to taking time out to read. The book you’ll be reading from is called “Me – a users manual, updated for the 21st Century”.
“One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller
Further reading…
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tai_Chi
http://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-living/stress-management/in-depth/tai-chi/art-20045184
