Can Tai Chi Help You Live a Longer and More Vital Life?
Embrace Your Mind, Body, and Spirit
Want a fascinating form of exercise that works your body and mind? And – best yet – this exercise could even help you live longer.
Then, consider Tai Chi.
What is Tai Chi?
Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art. Imagine a mind-body practice composed of gentle, slow movements paired with breathing patterns that will over time give you more strength, balance, grace, coordination, flexibility, and focus.
There are many different styles, including:
:: Chen
:: Cheng Man Ching
:: Wu
:: Wu Hao
:: Yang
:: Sun
:: Wudang
:: Zhao Bao
Chen style is considered the oldest form of Tai chi, and the most popular style is Yang. But the style you practice is much less important than the quality of your teacher.
Tai Chi for Longevity, Overall Health, and Well-Being
Perhaps Tai Chi’s most important benefit is that it promotes longevity. From lowering blood pressure and managing stress to reducing risks of falling, Tai chi is worth a try … no matter one’s age.
While it’s considered a low-impact form of meditative exercise, it packs a punch with lots of benefits through controlled, deliberate movements. Strong sense of balance has been linked to living longer.
Tai Chi Can Help To Reduce Falls
Tai Chi is effective for improving balance because it places the emphasis on maintaining your center of gravity as you shift weight from pose to pose. This requires steady rooting of your feet in the ground while keeping your body weight balanced during each movement.
Tai Chi offers multiple benefits to all age groups, especially seniors that lack balance and tend to fall. This martial art affects both static and dynamic balance. Static balance is holding a Tai chi pose like standing on one foot. Dynamic balance involves keeping the body in control while performing different Tai Chi movements. Tai Chi helps you improve your balance because it forces you to perfect proper alignment and stepping which can improve your daily mobility.
Improve Muscle Strength and Flexibility
Tai Chi helps increase muscle strength while helping to keep muscles supple and flexible. You see, Tai Chi is an exercise that works all muscle groups, which can help to increase both strength and stamina. Making slow, controlled Tai Chi movements will work the upper and lower body in addition to core muscles.
People that suffer from arthritis and Fibromyalgia can try Tai Chi to improve symptoms. It will help lessen pain, improve balance, and enhance physical mobility and function.
Boost Cognitive Function
Keeping your mind sharp is important at any age. Tai Chi is known to boost cognitive function and help to improve memory and focus. Cognitive impairments, such as dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease, may benefit from Tai Chi.
Better Quality of Sleep
Tai Chi’s ability to help people breath more deeply has been known to improve the sleep quality. Plus, its poses and movements help calm the mind, reduce stress, and promote relaxation.
Cardiovascular Fitness
Tai Chi has a significant impact in improving heart health by helping to reduce resting blood pressure and resting heart rate. This martial art has also been shown to help improve respiratory function.
Tai Chi Can Help Improve Current Health Conditions
Tai Chi can help improve certain health conditions. It can help to reduce pain and stiffness, while improving muscle strength and balance in a variety of chronic medical conditions.
Arthritis or Fibromyalgia: Tai Chi has the potential to help relieve pain, improve physical movement, flexibility, and balance. This includes reducing inflammation and improving joint movement.
Diabetes: Tai Chi can help people with diabetes lower blood sugar levels. The increased physical activity Tai Chi provides helps the body use insulin more effectively.
Hypertension and Heart Disease: The fact that Tai Chi is a form of exercise that can help reduce stress and, thereby, help lower blood pressure. Tai Chi’s assortment of full body movements can also help manage bad cholesterol, high triglycerides, and high A1C levels.
Neck and Back Pain: Tai Chi gets the hold body moving. This helps improve leg and core strength in addition to flexibility. And this can help relieve neck and back pain.
Parkinson's Disease: Anyone with Parkinson’s Disease has to contend with balance problems and a greater risk of falling injuries. The slow movements in Tai Chi can help improve balance.
NOTE: Tai Chi’s health benefits will vary. Seek the advice of a medical professional before starting any Tai Chi program.
Tai Chi Can Help Improve Mental Health and Stress-Related Anxiety
Tai Chi is considered an effective way to help improve mood and lessen anxiety. Tai Chi’s slow, mindful movements help create a relaxed state. Of course, exercise helps the brain stimulate endorphin production. Those endorphins help generate feelings of pleasure and emotional resilience.
Tai chi’s leisurely pace and gradual movement can force your mind to attune to the body’s movements. That can help you get in tune with yourself, mind and body. The more you perform Tai Chi, the more relaxed it will help you feel.
Tai Chi Movements
When it comes to Tai Chi, there is not “one size fits all.” Each Tai Chi style is unique. And each teacher will have their own way of training you.
Tai Chi stances and postures can be modified to suit your unique level of fitness and functionality. Classes might begin with a warm-up, then followed by Tai Chi poses, and form practice.
What If You’ve Never Done Anything Like Tai Chi Before?
Almost all students start Tai Chi practice with no experience. Any competent Tai Chi teacher will be able to teach you starting from square one. Little by little you would learn more postures and learn more of the choreographed movements call a form.
Here are some Tai Chi poses you may learn in a class:
:: Parting the Horse's Mane
:: White Crane Spreads its Wings
:: Brush Knee and Side Step
:: Play the Lute
:: Step Back and Repulse Monkey
:: Grasp the Sparrow's Tail
:: Single Whip
:: Wave Hands Like Clouds
:: High Pat on Horse
:: Kick With Right Heel
:: Strike Ears With Fists
:: Kick With Left Heel
:: Snake Creeps Down
:: Golden Cockerel
:: Fair Lady Weaves the Shuttle
:: Needle at the Bottom of the Sea
:: Fan through Back
:: Deflect Downwards, Parry. and Punch
Whatever poses you’re instructed to do, the starting posture remains consistent. You are asked to stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and knees slightly bent. Place your arms by your side, stand upright, and focus on your breathing. Inhale deeply through the nose and then exhale through the mouth.
As time goes on, your Tai Chi poses and moves will improve. Remember, Tai Chi is an art form so anyone at any level can continually improve their form.
How to Get Started Doing Tai Chi
Whether you join an in-person Tai Chi class or follow a class online, either can be a great way to start. When you go to a class, you benefit from a trained instructor offering suggestions and corrections throughout the class. On the flip side, learning while watching a YouTube Tai Chi tutorial allows you to go at your own pace and stop the video until you master each pose.
Despite the slow and relaxed movement, an hour of Tai Chi can be exhausting. Those that practice Tai Chi have different workout schedules. Some do Tai Chi one hour a day, 7 days a week. Others do Tai Chi twice a week. You can make the schedule that works best for you.
Practice Makes Better Results
The more consistently you practice Tai Chi, the more significant the health benefits become.
At first, Tai Chi feels awkward and can be quite challenging. However, with a little practice the movements will become more natural. You’ll start to enjoy performing the beautiful, flowing movements. And you’ll start to notice the added strength, grace, and balance it brings to your life.
If you’re taking an in-person class, don’t take getting corrected on your Tai Chi poses personally. This centuries-old art form – like any art form – takes practice and patience. A skilled Tai Chi Sifu (teacher) takes decades to develop their skill.
Warning: Tai Chi is Addictive and You’ll Never Want to Stop
There are so many valuable health benefits associated with Tai Chi, China's ancient meditative martial art. Once you start to see the results, whether visibly becoming more flexible, breathing better and more deeply, experiencing less pain, or improving balance, you’ll want to continue this practice daily.
Trust me, you won’t want to miss a day because the positive effects of Tai Chi when dealing with day-to-day stress are so beneficial to your overall quality of life. Tai Chi could help you live a longer more vital life. So, grab your most comfortable exercise clothing and get started today. You’ll be glad you did.