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Plan ahead
If you are planning to have a baby, tai chi for health is a good way to
prepare your body for the experience.
Pregnancy can put the body under tremendous strain.
Poor balance, along with bad habits of posture and movement can make pregnancy
more difficult than it needs to be.
Typically the knees and the back suffer the most.
What can tai chi do?
Tai chi is not merely an exercise system. It involves 'motor learning'.
Motor learning is about the process of
using the body, rather than simply
exercising the body.
Mobility, relaxed movement, balance,
structure, alignment, biomechanics, efficiency,
ambidextrous body use, joint
health, coordination,
skill,
emotional wellbeing or
psychological flexibility.
Tai chi combines exercise with motor learning.
Leg strength
Lower body strength is a key feature of tai chi practice.
Students learn how to use their legs in a healthy, comfortable,
powerful way -
without taxing the knees or hurting the lower
back.
Instead of stressing the joints and the spine, larger muscles are responsible
for doing most of the work.
Ergonomics
Ergonomics is concerned with good alignment, comfort, strain,
exertion, range and reach.
Everyday chores such as cooking, gardening, brushing your teeth or
washing the dishes may be seen from an ergonomic perspective.
Standing up from a chair involves a complex set
of biomechanical factors.
Picking up a heavy item or squatting to tie shoe laces all can be examined in
terms of comfort, healthy body use and efficiency.
Balance
By maintaining stability during tai chi practice, you learn not to lean.
An upright, stable body works constructively with gravity rather than slumping.
It feels as if somebody has their hands on your hips as you
move, supporting the body.
Fatigue
Modern life saps
energy.
People are often exhausted, unhappy,
frustrated...
They are frequently
emotionally, physically and
psychologically unbalanced.
Feeling drained is
commonplace.
Tai chi addresses this by teaching people how to conserve
energy.
Relaxation
Relaxing both mind and body will improve your health and make you feel
better.
The commitment you make towards being relaxed will prove itself worthwhile when
you start to feel fresh and energised.
Calming the nervous system changes how you move - you will feel less jerky and
more fluid.
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.
Emotional wellbeing
Tai chi encourages a positive attitude to life and a
cool head in the
face of adversity.
Emotional balance cannot be faked.
It requires a calm mind and a positive relationship with those around you.
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 safe place to be.
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.
Prenatal
Armed with good knowledge of how to use the body skilfully, and the
physical habits acquired through practice, you can confidently explore what is
happening with your body.
Good use of circulation, breathing, the nervous system, skeletal
structure/joints combine to
make you feel energised and create a
positive therapeutic outcome.
Avoid stretching too far and take easy, small
steps.
Postnatal
Once you've had a baby it is important to be
gentle with your body and allow it time to
recover.
The moderate nature of tai chi means that you can exercise without exertion,
strain or needing to push yourself.
Take your time, do whatever feels comfortable and
appropriate.
Ask your Doctor
If pregnant, see your Doctor before trying
tai chi.
Make sure that they consider it to be appropriate and follow their
guidance.
Avoid DVDs and on-line instruction videos
It is extremely unwise for anyone to attempt to learn tai chi from an
on-line example or a DVD they've bought.
Doubly so if you're pregnant.
Seek tuition from the best
instructor you can find.
Page created
18 April 2007
Last updated
29 August 2019
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