Tai Chi: Meditation in Motion

As well as calming and focusing the mind, tai chi has many documented physical benefits, including increased flexibility, balance, muscle tone and good body awareness.

Tai chi exercises use a continuous series of flowing movements, practised together in a sequence known as the Form. These motions are intended to help your “qi” (internal energy) to move freely through your body, encouraging harmony between your mind and body. Whatever your faith in qi, there is no doubt that the controlled, flowing movements bring real physical benefits.

Benefits

Practising tai chi keeps you aware of your body. The precise, repetitive movements, with their emphasis on the controlled use of gradual tension and relaxation, help you to achieve a heightened appreciation of the way your whole body moves. This in turn improves posture, coordination and balance, relaxing tense muscles and reducing many of the stresses on your bones and joints.

The slow, controlled motion of the exercises also helps to load your bones and works muscles in parts of your body that are often neglected by more conventional weight-training exercises. One study at the National Taiwan University Hospital found that doing 30 minutes of tai chi daily for six months increased leg muscle strength in the 50 to 60-year-old volunteers by up to 20 per cent.

No Equipment Needed

One of the great advantages of tai chi is that anyone can practise it. It is low impact and carries little risk of injury, making it suitable for elderly people or those suffering from bone and joint problems. Because the exercises improve balance, it also reduces the risk of falls and fractures. Arthritis sufferers should find that the gentle movements lessen stiffness and improve flexibility.

Tai Chi Forms

Many different styles of tai chi have evolved over the centuries. The type most commonly practised in the West today, the Yang style, is characterized by mainly vertical postures and relaxed movements, performed at a slow pace and complemented with calm, even breathing.

There are several Forms in each style and the number of movements in a Form can vary from as few as 12 to as many as 108. It generally takes 5–15 minutes to complete a sequence of movements, depending on the Form.

Slowly but Surely

When learning a tai chi Form, first try to familiarize yourself with one or two movements in the sequence and practise them regularly. Add more postures gradually, to give yourself time to learn each movement thoroughly. Although it might take only 10 minutes to perform a complete sequence, it can take several months to learn all of the movements that make up the Form.

Be patient – the more slowly you work through the exercises, the better you will understand and benefit from them. You may start to see any benefits to flexibility, balance and posture after only a few sessions but you may need to practise for much longer to see results.

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