Early in the morning, I take my dogs to Central Park for their daily morning workout. I always encounter, an elderly Asian couple practicing these fluid movements with arms outstretched. They were in deep concentration, slow,calm and focused, accompanied by deep breathing exercise. This graceful form of exercise, now being used for stress reduction and other health conditions. Some use it for the martial arts aspect. This exercise is called t’ai chi.
This ancient Chinese tradition, also known as t’ai chi churn, is a noncompetitive form of exercise, self paced and gentle. Each flow of movements, the posture flows into the next, without pause, ensuring that your body is in constant motion. T’ai chi is a holistic movement that benefits the body, mind and spirit. It has been described as meditation in motion, and promotes serenity through gentle flowing movements. Watching someone practicing these movements of t’ai chi, it looks very easy. The smoothness and balance of the movements, controlled and regular breathing, and remembering how you progress from one part of a sequence to another becomes demanding, in terms of time, patience and memory. You have to be in a constant flow and therefore timing, being patient, and having good memory, in following the flow of sequence, all very important in the practice.
T’ai Chi exercises every part of your body. The benefits of t’ai chi includes:
- decreased stress and anxiety
- increased aerobic capacity
- increased energy and stamina
- increased flexibility, balance and agility
- increased muscle strength and definition
- T’ai chi may also help:
- Enhanced quality of sleep
- Enhance the immune system
- Lower cholesterol levels and blood pressure
- Improve joint pain
- Improve symptoms of cognitive heart failure
Watching a t’ai chi master demonstrating the sequence of movements, is like watching a ballerina in motion. After doing a t’ai chi exercise, you will not feel exhausted because of the slow fluid movements, but rather energized and balanced, less stressed and more confident than you were before. With improved breathing, digestion, and bowel movements, your nerves become steadier and more resilient to stress. Because t’ai chi is a low impact workout, and does not put stress on your muscles and joints, it is safe for all ages, especially the elderly who otherwise may not exercise. It improves the over-all well being in older adults and reduce the risk of falls in the elderly.
If you are looking for a way to reduce stress, consider t’ai chi. It will help increase your quality of life and help you to live longer.
