The Chinese internal practice of Taoist Tai Chi is a gentle form of martial art that guarantees the health and well-being of people who practice it.
Millions of people around the world are benefiting from the exercises of taoist tai chi. There are more than 500 training schools for this specific style of tai chi located in 25 countries across the world. While it has been in existence for centuries in Japan and China, taoist tai chi was brought to North America in 1970.
The basic intent of Taoist tai chi is to restore and facilitate health. It’s perhaps the gentlest form of exercise anyone can experience and is perfect for people who are recuperating and for old people. The movements are graceful, deliberate and slow and intended to help the student enhance his flexibility and strength.
When one practices taoist tai chi, painful muscles and joints can be alleviated since it relaxes the body through delicate stretches and turns. It is also a way to reinforce weak muscles and boost blood flow in the body. It can be also used to help dizzy or disoriented people regain their balance.
The delicate action of the exercises is also intended to help free anxieties and stress. Taoist tai chi is sometimes referred to as “meditation in motion” as the sequence of movements added with a feeling of mindfulness help to rejuvenate and repair both body and mind. Because the exercises are for working out and are so grounded in meditation, they can be considered as a form anti-aging exercise.
The physical aspect of Taoist Tai Chi is made up of basic principles referred to as the ‘Foundations’. The whole set of the Foundations is comprised of 108 movements. Some movements of the Foundations mimic the postures of animals or the military as is typical of all tai chi practices. But the movements are not as aggressive as the very ancient Frame styles like the Chen style.
In regard to the spiritual aspect of Taoist tai chi, the goal is to cultivate an inner sense knowing, wisdom, and peace that puts the practitioner in a spiritually strong position wherein they’re able to express generosity and compassion to others. The greatest objective of Taoist tai chi is to lose all self-centeredness and ego via the practice of this age-old technique of “meditation in motion.”
One can loosely compare Taoist tai chi to the Alexandra Technique that emphasizes on breathing, relaxation, posture, balance, correcting angles, lining up the spine, turning in spirals, watching the transfer of weight, opening and closing the limbs, and aligning and stretching the spine. The movements are performed with a relaxed but focused state of mind and are circular and gentle.
One pivotal component of Taoist Tai Chi is that it adopts the virtues of kindness, selflessness, and the annihilation of selfishness. It’s lived and not just practiced, your life changes although permanent change does not occur overnight and may be best taught through example by living a life in compassion, harmony, and in service to others.
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