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Pushing hands (tui shou), the partner exercise of tai chi. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

What is Tai Chi? You must be wondering the moment you came across this term, it very well known as one of the ancient Chinese martial art and exercise. This practice originated in the region of China, and now it is practiced extensively all around the globe particularly where Asian communities are living.

In the Chinese culture, working out happens to be an extremely imperative part of one’s daily living. People living in the regions of Taiwan, China and various other parts normally get up early morning so that they can work out. Tai Chi is a renowned exercise that most of the Chinese practice. However, in the western regions, the antediluvian Chinese workout is still unknown and various people have doubts about it.

The Different Theories

There are some unusual origin theories. Zhang San Feng happens to be one of the renowned origin theories. Zhang San Fen has been considered as a Taoist monk from Wu Dang Mountain and he was someone considered as an expert in the field of intimate martial arts. He once had a dream and in the dream he saw a crane and snake fight.

Every single time when the crane grasped on top of the snake, but it relaxed and fully escaped through the cranes grip. As the snake is soft and delicate, it was capable to trounce the crane with ease. Later on Zhang San Feng considered this principle that was opted by the snake, and came up with thirteen different postures. With the passage of time, these postures became the fundamentals of the Tai Chi.

Original Postures

Out of these thirteen basic postures, various different styles emerged. All of these styles were originally developed from different families and later on were also named after them. The primary ones are Sun, Wu/Hao, Wu, Yang, and Chen.

Although all of these styles are different but they do have likely movements, they do have some exclusive moves as well which are useful in differentiating every style from another. It does not matter which particular style you prefer practicing, the ideology is pretty similar or same.

The Differences

Some people keep wondering about the differences between Qi Gong and Tai Chi? However, Qi Gong appears to be a much broader term. It has many different kinds which mainly include sitting Qi Gong, moving Qi Gong, and standing Qi Gong. On the other hand, Tai Chi happens to be just another structure of the moving Qi Gong. These can turn out to be exceeding useful in improvising an individual’s internal energy as well as enhancing the internal organs functioning. Contrasting the Qi Gong, the technique of Tai Chi even can be utilized for the purpose of self defense. Every single move if learned appropriate can be extremely beneficial for self-protection.

Health Benefits

Tai Chi offers numerous health benefits as well. The primary ones include cardiovascular, flexibility, balance, stress reduction, self defense and strengthening the internal system. According to modern research, there have been a lot more and it has proven to be extremely effective for an individual’s balance as well as the body system.

Conclusion

Tai Chi happens to be a low impact, gentle and soft working out technique that can be useful in enhancing an individual’s overall wellness and health. It has also being recommended by various Chinese medicine practitioners to patients so that they can prevent themselves from getting more illnesses. This particular technique can be adapted easily at all levels and by all ages. Tai Chi is for all!

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There are several styles of t’ai chi, one is the Yang-style which was founded by Yang Lu-chan or popularly known as Yang Fu-k’ui.   When Yang became a teacher of the art form, other syles emerged and developed from t’ai chi. When he became a member of the Palace Imperial Guards, Yang introduced the style and eventually, it became popular.

Currently, about 20% of the population worldwide is performing t’ai chi as exercise.   There are several reasons why this form has become the preferred style.  Even if it is a martial arts form,  t’ai chi style has distinctive forms.  The hand forms are slow, steady and flows softly, unlike the rapid movements of other martial arts form.

Even so, t’ai chi still has the same health benefits.  This practice has become a popular style in businesses, schools and even in hospitals. This form can significantly improve a person’s physical health. There are some business owners swearing on the efficacy of t’ai chi in improving productivity among employees.

But practicing or training martial art form like Yang t’ai chi requires time; and for individuals who live fast-paced lifestyle and are always rushing from one schedule to the next, this extra time is a luxury.  But Yang’s style does not only have a long form, it also has a short form.

Yang style tai chi chuan Grandmaster Yang Zhenduo performing Golden Rooster Stands On One Leg (右金鸡独立) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

The Yang’s long form has more than 300 movements.  The short form uses about 108 movements and still retains the same health benefits, as well as the principle or techniques for self-defense. Since the number of movements are reduced, it takes a shorter period of time to execute and therefore, can easily fit a person’s hectic schedule.

Stress is another reason why injecting t’ai chi training in your schedule is crucial. Our society and culture thrives on stress, we are ridden with deadlines and pressure.  Practicing t’ai chi can helps relieve stress. T’ai chi also helps a person develop their focus, calmness, and concentration despite being in stressful situations. The movement are executed in a relaxed manner, thus, effective in cleansing the body and mind.

Yang t’ai chi is beneficial in many levels. Physically, the practice of this martial art form increases a person’s flexibility, immunity, and cardiovascular health. Since t’ai chi revitalized the body through the movement of qi or energy, practitioners became and felt younger that their actual age which puts cosmetic surgery to shame. Aside from improving overall physical health, psychological and mental problems such as fear, anger, hatred, and obsession, can be released through the practice of t’ai chi.

The practice of Yang t’ai chi is definitely one of the best ways of guaranteeing a longer and healthier life.

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So what we focus on is sealing all the extra space your our opponent gives us. If we control this space we control our opponent. We close space through pressure. What Is pressure? It is the ability to put force against something to create a resistance.. You can learn more by watching the video….

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Wrap Up: This is the first video in the series, I will get the other two up in a few days. I also shared some martial art sites from around the web.

I look forward to bringing you some more good shizzit

Larry

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Image by whirling_dervish via Flickr

So I am starting amaze film footage again. I would have liked to edit this better, but do to time constraints at the moment and the fact that I am in the process of saving up to upgrade my computer and video camera.. I didn’t want to keep you waiting any longer.

So I have some good stuff to get uploaded to youtube so I can share it with you..

THANKS SIFU FOR THE GREAT FOOTAGE!!

I have some good stuff to upload over the next few days..

Thanks for being a part of our community!

- Larry

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Because in many circles Tai Chi is considered part of chinese preventative medicine I though I would include some articles about acupuncture to help you better understand what it is and how it can help you.

Image via Wikipedia

You might be thinking about making an appointment at an acupuncture clinic.  Many people consider this for various symptoms; some common ones being persistent pain, stress-related symptoms, or other problems such as weight loss.

In China, many people use their acupuncture visits as a periodic tune up in order to stay healthy.  Chinese acupuncturists sometimes get paid as long as their client is healthy, rather than when their clients have symptoms.

So, let us take a tour of a modern American acupuncture clinic to see what it is like.

A typical clinic looks like any professional office, and you will be shown into a room where you are comfortably seated in a chair.  The acupuncture practitioner comes in and begins the diagnosis.

There are two major parts to the diagnosis, physical observation and a discussion of your symptoms and environment.

A basic physical observation will include taking your pulse and observing your tongue.  Unlike a traditional doctor’s office, your pulse is taken on both wrists, and at several points on each wrist.

Your pulse is taken both near the surface of your wrist and also more deeply below the surface. These observations will be written down and used together with the discussion with the practitioner.

You should think about a number of things to discuss at your first acupuncture visit.  If you are coming in for a particular symptom or set of symptoms, this should be a major part of the discussion.  Think about several different aspects of your symptoms.  Let’s say that you have persistent pain in your ankle, to use one example.  

The pain may not be constant during the entire day; it may ebb and wane depending on the hours of the day.  The pain may increase or decrease due to certain activities, and you should observe these as much as possible.  You might think that walking would certainly increase the pain, but sometimes walking is not as much of a problem as persistent standing, for example, as a cashier in a grocery store.  Also, the pain might change depending on the times of the month, and that should also be mentioned to the acupuncture practitioner. 

Cause and effect, if any, is also important to report.  Some things to consider if stress is a component, for possibly the pain started or increased when you got a new supervisor at work.  Notice that a diagnosis for an acupuncture visit includes physical, emotional, social, and mental components to the diagnosis.  So come to the acupuncture office armed with as much information as you can gather about the reason you are coming.

Once you and the acupuncture practitioner get through the initial diagnosis, some time is taken to construct a plan of treatments.  Depending on the particular symptom that you have, and the other personal information that was taken in the initial diagnosis, your first treatment might be this same day, or you may be asked to return on a different day to start your treatments.  The time of day and the particular days for acupuncture treatments are carefully selected in order to achieve the best result possible.

If you do have an initial treatment, it will be painless, and generally takes less than an hour, sometimes much less than that.  The acupuncture practitioner will insert very slim needles at specific locations, which will remain for the number of minutes needed for your particular symptoms.  When the needles are still you are not even aware of them.  Inserting and removing needles is also pain free, rarely there may be a slight twinge, but not more than that.

During your treatment you may feel more relaxed, a buzz of energy, slightly warmer at the needle insertion points, or exactly the same as when you came in.   However, the needles are doing their work to regulate and rebalance the circulation in your body.  So enjoy your first visit, and know that each visit brings you closer to your optimal health.

www.redefineyourreality.com Guided Meditation Video for Inspiration and Spiritual Healing. Listen to a subliminal message directed to your inner wisdom. Daily Guided Meditation Can Greatly Help in Spiritual Enlightenment and find inner peace. To get …

The practice of meditation has been around for several millennia. Although there are no recorded texts which would point exactly when this practice started, several ancient civilizations became the cradle of today’s meditation practices.

India particularly is hailed as the proponent of meditation as an organized practice. Over centuries, many Hindi scholars have written about meditation, from the ways of doing it to its benefits. Some of the well-known Hindi texts include the Vedas and the Yoga Sutras which was written by Patanjali.

But no one has arguably been more influential in the world of meditation than Siddharta Gautama, otherwise known as Buddha. In 500 BC, he achieved enlightenment through the
practice of meditation. His influence spread throughout Asia and eventually the whole world.

While the East has been practicing meditation for several centuries already, the Western world picked the practice up much later. In fact, it was only in the mid-20th century when meditation became a popular practice among Westerners.

Today, more and more meditation centers and organizations crop up in the West. While meditation used to be intertwined with religious practices, a good number of Western meditation centers are stripped off this spiritual aspect. They usually focus now on the health benefits of this practice especially in the fast-paced world of today.

But regardless of the loss of the spiritual side of meditation, it is still widely-recognized for its benefits to people’s mental well-being. It was and it still remains as one of the central aspects of meditation.

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Recently at a health club I go to I was talking to a woman who lives down the road from me. She was telling me how she was taking Tai Chi at the gym.  Of course that got me interested so I asked her what style of Tai Chi she was learning.

She didn’t know she said her teacher was just a Tai Chi facilitator. At the time I didn’t know what she was talking about. I have been doing Tai Chi for a lot of years now and I never heard that term before.

Eventually I did find the teacher she was a very nice elderly lady. I asked her what exactly was a Tai Chi facilitator.  Basically she took a few classes on basic chi gung and basic tai chi and learned a 24 movement form. I think she said it was yang style tai chi, but her single whip really didn’t look like my single whip at all.

I even had the pleasure of doing push hands with her. She was soft, but what I quickly felt was that she really didn’t have any martial skill at all.  She teaches and uses tai chi as a simply daily exercise to do.

That made me realize that there are many different reasons why a person would train in Tai Chi Chuan.  Many of the reasons have nothing to do with combat.  It also made me realize why so many people think that Tai Chi is useless in a fight.

If the only version of Tai Chi I have ever seen was dedicated to healing and not fighting I would also think that Tai Chi is a useless fighting system.  That is not the case though.  Understanding the full nature of the art and you will quickly realize why it is called cotton fist.

Tai Chi Has Many Flavors

Any tai chi is better then none at all.  It doesn’t matter where you learn it from or even why you are  learning it. What is so great about Tai Chi is it helps you better understand yourself. It is that knowledge that is priceless.

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Enter Tai Chi – Sharing Ideas

Almost everyday I see new people joining our Tai Chi social community. The problem is many people that join don’t actually add any value to the site. In fact they just join and start spamming absolutely non relevant stuff.

I am not sure what prompts these people, I would think if they wanted to actually get folks to click on their links they would try and add value to the site rather than just spamming their garbage.

Yes I said garbage because that is all it is.  Leave it up to a few bad apples to ruin it for the bunch.  I hope you come here to share your knowledge and learn.  If your intentions aren’t that, please don’t bother to joining.

I will start deleting accounts of people who do not add value to our community.  Starting TODAY! I will be monitoring everything that goes on here. If I see pointless spamming going on, I will delete you and your post from our site.

Tai Chi Training

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Training with Master Zhang Gwang Ping in Beijing (Tauranting Park) www.freedomfightingarts.com

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Here’s my Week 2 update. Some big milestones this week: group 1 finished the form. Group 2 has been languishing in the purgatory that is holding static postures.

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BT training tai chi push hands with Master Wu and ground techniques with Richard Garcia

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One question that comes up all the time is: Can Tai Chi Fighting really help you in a real fight.  Like all martial arts, ultimately the style is only as good as the person practicing it. Here in America Tai Chi’s fighting applications have more or less vanished in favor of health and wellness. What we have left is a watered down version of a once great art.

YMAA Taiji Applications (Yang taijiquan) tai chi fighting!

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Tai Chi fighting at high level?

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What does a high level tai chi fighter do that compared to an external fighter that is so different, awsome, etc…… Or is it more about being older and still being able to fight and healty.

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Combat Tai Chi Vol 9: Golden Cock Stands on One Leg

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At the highest level Tai Chi fighting skill has no equal

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