Tai Chi is something I am sure most of us are aware of or have most likely seen. You know, those people in the park who look like they are practicing some kind of martial arts but in slow motion. That my friends, is most likely "Tai-Chi", the ancient art of moving meditation and healing. More importantly, there is a reason these people are showing up everyday to perform this practice. It make them feel healthy, and reinvigorates there energy.
What started off in ancient china as a martial art, is now found is seven main styles of "Tai-Chi" from 7 different family heritage lines [Chen-Style, Chen Small Frame, Yang-Style, Wu-Style, Sun-Style, Wu(Hao)-Style]. Regardless of the one that you may have found, or that we teach here on Jungle Meditation, the main purpose is to inject energy into your body, mind and spirit and to help you heal those aches and pains and make you more limber, active and energetic.
The two main purposes and also benefits is the meditation and movement aspects of the Tai Chi. I will highlight some of the basic aspects of each here for you.
Meditation: The focus and calm that is cultivated through the meditative aspect of tai chi is seen as necessary for maintaining personal health (in the sense of relieving stress and maintaining homeostasis) and has the added benefit in the application of the form as a soft style martial art.
Movement: Tai chi is the art of movement and is a practice of the appropriate change in response to outside forces, of yielding to and engaging an attack rather than meeting it with opposing force. It allows anyone to create movement and strength in a slow and methodical movement that will promote physical fitness, which is an important step towards a healthy body, a healthy mind and a healthy lifestyle.
Hopefully, you know more than you did before reading this article about Tai-Chi. Even if it only helped you understand those slow motion martial arts people in the park, at least now you know why they are doing it and the benefits they reap from practicing the art of Tai-Chi.
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Tai Chi is something I have always wondered about, and primarily thought it was for old people because that is what I mostly saw, elderly people in the park as you described. I am starting to think that maybe this is for anyone at any age. Will you be doing any training on Tai Chi or releasing any videos? Would love to participate.