What are the Health Benefits of Tai Chi?
The following mainly relates to Yang & Wu Style Tai Chi although Chen can also be beneficial.
Mind
- Good practice requires a flowing, detached, conscious, meditational state of mind.
- This state works to free the mind from static negative mental patterns and leads to greater consciousness.
- This is very helpful with anxiety, depression and anger patterns.
- Generally one develops greater stillness of mind in every day life and greater mental energy.
- It is also normal to finish a session feeling happy!
Body
- Performance of the Tai Chi forms requires a high level of relaxation and your body takes this out into every day life with all of its benefits.
- During practice Chi / consciousness energy circulates throughout all of the energy merideans of the body.
- Old physical tensions and trapped energy are opened up allowing the practitioner to recover their vitality.
- The body gets exercised without straining the heart or anything else and so Yang Tai Chi in particular is ideal for people with weak health.
- Tai Chi gently develops strength in the legs and so is very good for rebuilding physical health and developing grounding in a persons energy.
- Balance & Coordination in particular improve. Useful for everyone, it is of particular importance in older age for reducing falls which are a major cause of serious health issues.
- As well as the muscles, the joints themselves relax and open with long term practice and so it is of enormous value in maintaining bodily comfort and mobility, especially with the onset of arthritis.
- In fact it is of all round benefit to the circulatory and digestive systems strengthening the internal organs including the heart and liver and nourishing the whole body.
- Generally Tai Chi will assist in many conditions of dis-ease because it helps the mind and body learn to be at ease together.