The Practice of Tai Chi

Today our lives are so full with pressure from work, families, money problems and having to be in two places at the same time, that we give our selves little time to relax and listen to our inner selves. We may not even feel part of the planet we live on, travelling through space in our own stress filled bubble, yearning for a different way of life. We may not realise that the slow, graceful, dance like movements of the Tai Chi practitioners in the TV intermission, could have a considerable impact on how we control our lives and cope with the stress we suffer in our modern western world with all the complexity of 24/7 lifestyles.

Practicing Tai Chi allows me the time, in an otherwise very busy daily schedule that is time just for me, a time of quiet and gentle exercise, the experience of stillness in movement. When practicing Tai Chi on the beach with the music of the waves or by “Bystock Lake” with it’s blossoming water lilies and the smell of pine resin, the practice of Tai Chi becomes a time for grounding and becoming at one with the universal life force. At times when life at work becomes unbearable I am sometimes able to think through the “eight posture” form and remember what it feel like when I practice Tai Chi and relax, or when I wake up worried in the night, I go into the front room and work through a form and go back to bed stress free.

Physically, Tai Chi and Qigong has improved my breathing and increased my lung capacity after heart bypass surgery. Regular Tai Chi practice has improved my balance and suppleness, I have become more coordinated and relaxed and not so inclined to get angry and frustrated by hustle and bustle of everyday living, I have become a much calmer person as a result of practicing Tai Chi plus my concentration and co-ordination has improved.

My research into Tai Chi and Qigong has introduced me to a history, a philosophy and a culture that has its roots in the Chou Dynasty over 2000 years ago and may have been influenced by a tradition that is even older. Tai Chi and Qigong has become more than just an evening class but a way of life, I believe I have benefited physically and mentally as result of regular Tai Chi practice, and I believe that a lot of other people would benefit from the experience too.