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Holistic health
The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi lists 8 ingredients that
promote good health:
Awareness (including mindfulness & focussed attention)
Structural integration (including dynamic form & function)
Social support (including interaction & community)
Embodied spirituality (including wisdom & ritual)
These 8
tai chi
components offer a multi-layered approach to the cultivation of
fitness,
vitality and wellbeing.
1. Awareness
Tai chi involves the cultivation of moment-by-moment awareness, paying
attention to what is taking place as it is taking place.
Unlike mainstream meditation, this does not involve sitting. It is an active
process, involving your body as well as your mind.
The physicality of the art enables you to take the skills immediately and
directly into everyday life.
Balancing
Heightened physical, emotional and psychological awareness are all hallmarks
of long-term tai chi training.
The student possesses the ability to sustain attention, avoid over-thinking,
evaluating and judging. They learn to attune to the flow of what is taking
place; to find harmony and balance.
Clarity
Adjusting, attuning yourself to what is actually taking place requires an
acute presence of being. A clearer state of mind means better
decision-making and more effective action.
2. Intention
The metaphorical images featured in the tai chi forms and The Tai Chi Classics e.g. 'Stork spreads wings' evoke images, movements and feelings
designed to resonate in the practitioner.
This imagery (and associated visualisation) encourages a cognitive element
that contributes significantly to the fitness benefits of the art.
Every movement in tai chi begins with intention.
Mind-body
Mind-body unity is a major theme in tai chi, particularly for students of
the martial art.
The cultivation of jing is entirely contingent upon the ability to visualise
and then physically generate very specific types of force using the
coordinated actions of the body.
Play
Instead of practicing in a forced, uncomfortable way, the tai chi student is
encouraged to be playful and open-minded. To have fun.
This leads to greater progress and deeper physical relaxation.
3. Structural integration
The integration of the 8 ingredients leads to a more balanced experience.
Tai chi treats the body as a network of coordinated elements, a
dynamic process of being.
Good use of circulation, breathing, the nervous system, skeletal
structure/joints combine to
make you feel energised and create a
positive therapeutic outcome.
Slower, coordinated movements encourage a whole-body
unity to develop.
Soft tissue
Tai chi seeks to keep muscles relaxed and soft; pliable and flexible.
This interest in softness extends to incorporate tendons, ligaments, fascia,
skin and the organs of the body.
Poise
One famous aspect of tai chi practice is the onus upon optimal use of the
body. A student seeks to gain a physical sense of good alignment.
Rather than stressing, straining and punishing the body, they move
in a deliberate, powerful way.
4. Active relaxation
The problem with most modern activities is
tension.
Driving the car, watching TV, using the computer or speaking on the phone
can promote habits of adverse muscular tension and stress.
When people undertake mainstream exercise/sport they typically end up exerting.
The muscles never relax and the joints become inflexible.
Not forcing
Students are taught how to allow things to gradually unfold, rather than
forcing a result.
Forcing promotes resistance whilst allowing leads to release.
Gentleness is cultivated.
The body is treated with care and respect.
Do less as standard
Tai chi seeks moderation.
Not too much and not too little. Neither passive nor overly-active.
'Doing less' and 'letting-go' are big themes in the training.
5. Strengthening & flexibility
The effectiveness of tai chi as a physical
exercise can be overlooked.
It is easy to dismiss the seemingly mild training as being ineffectual.
However, tai chi provides a very effective workout.
It moves the body in a safe, therapeutic, healthy manner and
has no known side-effects.
There is a substantial amount of evidence to support tai chi's medical and
health claims.
Workout
Students who practice the martial art will receive a rigorous aerobic
workout when they engage in the many partnered training methods.
Standing qigong, sustained form practice and heavy weapons all lead to the
development of muscle mass.
These muscles will not be tensed and bulging, but rather, relaxed and
mobile.
Considerable power can be generated.
The dynamic stretching that takes place within
tai chi results in a
comprehensive workout for the entire body.
6. Natural, freer breathing
Improved body use, decreased muscular tension and a more flexible body all
result in easier, fuller breathing.
The student learns how to slow, lengthen and deepen the breath in everyday
life.
This leads to a more calm, emotionally-centred sense of being.
7. Social support
Students in a tai chi school are encouraged to interact with one another
in a healthy, friendly manner, free from the competitive norms found in
wider society.
There is a supportive atmosphere of trust and care.
The training hall is a safe place to be.
Interaction with the instructor is of particular importance, as this commonly
entails the passing-on of knowledge, bespoke physical corrections and the
exploration of deeper philosophical issues pertinent to the training.
Ideally, a tai chi school should be a good place to be: a pure place.
There is no meanness or petty behaviour, no malice or sarcasm.
Good humour, camaraderie, polite manners, consideration, respect and fun
result in a pleasant training environment.
8. Embodied spirituality
Tai chi is a vehicle for exploring the many insights offered by the
elusive and beguiling study of existence known as 'Taoism'.
It is a hands-on approach to spirituality.
There is plenty to read (if this is something you enjoy) but the emphasis is
mainly upon doing rather than reading, thinking
or talking.
Life is lived through action, not words.
The art of tai chi is a physical journey that will lead to an inner search
for meaning and understanding within the student.
Complete approach to health
People often refer to tai chi as being a
complete exercise.
The word 'complete' refers to the fact that tai chi training covers a very
diverse spectrum of concerns that coalesce to form a powerful tool for
fitness and wellbeing.
When practiced daily, the benefits of tai chi are truly amazing.
Page created 19 April 1995
Last updated
16 June 2023