Feeling the weight of stress beating down on you? Are you feeling “burned out” and experiencing anxiety attacks as a result of chronic stress? Are you suffering from stress-related ailments like hypertension, increased susceptibility to infections, gastrointestinal disorders, allergies and the likes?

Wondering how to cope up with the stressful nature of modern living? Try Tai-Chi!

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi and Qigong Schools teach the positive benefits of Chinese martial arts. Tai Chi is considered a “moving meditation” and, in theory and practice, has evolved to encompass principles of traditional Chinese medicine; that is, the mind, body, and spirit are deemed as a single entity. Qigong, another martial art, focuses more on spirituality and was historically practiced in Taoist and Buddhist monasteries. However, both Tai Chi and Qigong have come to be known worldwide for their benefits to health.

When I began practising Tai Chi in 1991 the thing that struck me about it was its power or at least the promise of its power. What I went on to witness and discover was that there was nothing mystical or particularly esoteric about the power of tai chi it was more just a case of doing it, following tai chi’s unique set of principles and just witnessing what arose within me. When I practice my form (sequence of movements) it is never exactly the same but it is always beneficial.

The Origins of Tai Chi The principles of Tai Chi were established by Taoist hermits and evolved as a martial fighting art called Tai Chi Chuan.

The early Tai Chi teachers were mystical figures however; the exception was Chang San-Feng, who was the first major figure in Tai Chi history.

The Ming Dynasty places his date of birth at 1247 and he is credited with being the founder of the fighting art called Wudang Kung fu.

Western medical science is only beginning to understand what T’ai Chi and Qigong offers us. However, just the tiny amount of research that has been done so far indicates that T’ai Chi and Qigong are very powerful health tools that can save each of us and our society a great deal of money and personal suffering.

I was quite surprised when I began searching for research on Tai Chi’s benefits for diabetes . . . it was very difficult to come by. Because on its face, Tai Chi seems to possibly offer many benefits to someone with diabetes. Tai Chi is known to stimulate microcirculation in practitioners, and is a highly effective stress management technique, and very gently burns a significant amount of calories. In fact, Tai Chi may actually help the body find homeostatic chemical levels. For example, in a study on sex hormones Tai Chi was found to have a “balancing effect” on the hormonal chemistry of participants, lowering the abnormally high estrogen levels in older men, while raising the abnormally low estrogen levels in older women.

Tai Chi requires fundamental meditation skills to execute properly. There are a variety of important aspects to your martial arts and exercise workout. Issues to consider in your session include:

Proper exercise clothing

Environment

Ambiance

Disruptions

Some of the experts argue that wearing proper clothing during the exercise session is every bit as essential as the mental preparation before actual session itself. They rationalize that:

Spiritual energy Qi flows from every pore in the body