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Can Tai Chi help me relax? |
| Posted on Mar 16 2008 at 8:56 PM |
| News / Blog >> Acupuncture |
Tai Chi, famous for its slow and graceful form, is praticed by millions of Chinese, who practice in China's parks early in the morning. This beautiful dance-like practice was encouraged by the Chinese government, after the Chinese revolution, when doctors were in short supply. Reasoning that as Tai Chi is so good at promoting good health the country's leaders got the whole population to learn and practice Tai Chi on a daily basis. Prevention is better than cure - especially when there is a real shortage of medics!
Although Tai Chi is good for health and stress reduction this is not why it was originally developed or practiced. What many people don't realise is that Tai Chi is a formidable martial art. Tai Chi Chuan (Taiji Quan) is the most popular of the 3 main schools of Chinese internal martial arts. Tai Chi means 'undifferentiated unity'. It implies the cultivation of balance and harmony. Chuan means boxing or martial art. The quite, meditative practice encourages the smooth flow of energy (qi) through the body and it is this that promotes mental and physical health. But it is this development of concentration and sensitivity that enable a Tai Chi Chuan master to use an assailant's own force against him to win a fight.
It is not necessary to learn the martial aspect of Tai Chi in order to gain health benefits, and indeed the form of Tai Chi promoted by the Chinese government was changed. They took all the martial movements out of the form - largely so they weren't teaching the population an awesome martial art which could be used against the state in the case of a counter-revolution. However, it is also true to say that all Tai Chi Chuan masters state that without some study of the martial aspect of Tai Chi it is impossible to gain the full health benefits of its practice.
In the external martial arts, such as Shaolin Kungfu, fights are won through skill and muscle power. But in the internal arts the student is taught to develope internal energy (qi), sensitivity and relaxation rather than brute force. Again, it is these qualities which are good for stress managment and health. This is taught through the slow, circular movements of Tai Chi and through special qigong exercises. Qigong is China's best kept secret and only in recent years has the West begun to learn of this vast treasure house of ancient teachings.
Qigong is the art and science of energy (qi) cultivation (gong). There are many different forms of qigong and many different applications. As well as forms which develope flexibility and power for martial artists there are forms for self-healing, healing others, developing concentration for students and business people, and for spiritual development. Qigong can be active, involving movement, or passive, involving visualisation, breath and medititation. Unlike Tai chi, which is far too complicated to learn from a book, there are many simple qigong forms which can be learnt from books, CD's and DVD's.
Medical qigong is now used in most Chinese hospitals. In a study at the Changzhou Drug Treatment Centre in China, Prof. K. Chen from the USA and his Chinese colleagues found that heroin addicts who practiced qigong, and received qigong healing, recovered faster, on withdrawal of heroin, over a ten day period, than patients with no treatment, or receiving the detoxification medicine lofexedine. Anxiety, sleep, withdrawal symptoms and detectable morphine levels all improved fastest in the qigong group.
Qigong has been found to have a good effect on all systems of the body, including that of the cardiovascular, immune, digestive, respiratory and musculoskeletal. It is also good for the brain and fosters mental health and longevity.
To find a Tai Chi teacher see www.taichiunion.com, or see the links on the left hand column for a great local teacher. My favourite qigong book is "The Way of Qigong", by Kenneth Cohen.
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