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Practicing Tai Chi is renowned for its health giving properties, people all over the world are benefiting from this exercise which focuses on relaxation, breathing, and gentle soft movements.
Many modern masters have turned to Tai Chi to successfully treat many and varied illnesses:
Dr Yang Jwing Ming started Tai Chi training at the age of nine to treat a stomach ulcer
Jou, Tsung Hwa started practicing Tai chi when diagnosed with enlarged heart and stomach ulcers
Dr Chi Chiang Tao considered that Tai Chi saved his life when he contracted tuberculosis
Cheng Man-ch'ing started to practice Tai Chi to help with a lung problem
The movements of Tai Chi combined with the relaxation they generate enable the natural energies of the body to move freely throughout the body this encourages a state of physical well being.
The balanced postures of the form require that most of the weight of the body is transmitted through one leg. This encourages the body to strengthen the legs, the more the legs gain in strength the more they relax and therefore more of the bodies weight passes through the leg efficiently. Legends exist of great masters being so strong they can prevent injury to themselves by the strength of their limbs.
The typical twenty minute form will exercise the heart and lungs as the lower movements of the form require large amounts of energy to execute.
Each posture encourages the flow of chi throughout the various meridians of the body, the movement of this energy encourages the movement of blood through the circulation system. The heart and circulation system become very energised and benefit from a healthy workout.
Practitioners say it can have a positive effect on people's health, improving memory, concentration, digestion, balance and flexibility.
"Tai Chi is all about breathing and posture. It's about getting the mind and body to work together. Some people call it moving meditation.
Doctors in the United States analysed 47 studies looking at the impact Tai Chi had on people with chronic health problems, like heart disease or MS.
They found that it could improve balance control, flexibility and even the health of their heart.
This latest study by doctors at Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston suggests there is medical evidence to back up those claims.
Their findings are based on a review of studies published in English and Chinese.
"Overall, these studies reported that long-term Tai Chi practice had favourable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in elders," the researchers said.
They said the martial art helped to reduce "pain, stress and anxiety in healthy subjects".
But it also had benefits for people with serious conditions, such as heart disease and high blood pressure.
"Benefits were reported by the authors of these studies in cardiovascular and respiratory function in healthy subjects and in patients who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery as well as in patients with heart failure, hypertension, acute myocardial infarction, arthritis and multiple sclerosis."
"Most people practice Tai Chi for its health benefits and for stress relief."
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My tai chi master used to say that chi is nothing special, it is everywhere. Chi is an energy found wherever there is life, with practice we can sense chi moving within our bodies and learn to use it to move our bodies in a very effective way. There are rumours of tai chi masters that can influence the chi of others without even touching them.
As we practice our form we may notice changes in the sensations in our extremities, tingling in the hands and fingers, feet and toes. We may become aware of energies moving throughout the body and sensations of full and empty moving between our upper and lower body.
