Long Life, Good Health Through Tai Chi Chuan

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art practiced with as much softness in the musculature as possible. It is a slow-motion, moving meditative exercise for relaxation, health and self-defense. Originally from China, Tai Chi has gained enormous popularity in America and throughout the rest of the world for its health benefits. People play Tai Chi Chuan to improve one’s well being both mentally and physically and so embrace the spirit of good living. When correctly practiced on a regular basis, Tai Chi Chuan can restore vigorous health, improve digestion and raises ones spirits. Perhaps because of its value Tai Chi grows to be a regular practice for millions of people worldwide.

If you really want to learn Tai Chi Chuan then you must really learn to become calm mentally by adjusting oneself emotionally to the task of “settling the breath with the body”. In conception Tai Chi Chuan for health was created through Taoist visions of the flowing and formless harmony of nature. The Taoist appreciation of health development was in pursuit of restoring and rejuvenating body strength, mind and will. The player practices an inner exercise and deep breathing to produce Chi which is a nourishing restorative inner force which promotes health.

As a martial art, Tai chi chuan works on a number of levels, but the principal aim is to teach practitioners to relax and become fluid in their movements. This allows for smoother actions and quicker response times. The objective is for self-defense to become a reflexive action rather than a repetition of technique. There is a variety of sensitivity exercises which allow the practitioner to adapt instantly to an opponent and to react in the most appropriate manner. Incoming force will, typically, be diverted, however slightly, and the corresponding opening in the opponent?s defense exploited. The level of response can range from applying holds and locks, to immobilizing an opponent, through to highly damaging strikes against nerve centres and acupuncture points (dim mak).

Power training consists of chi kung to develop internal strength, as well as methods to strengthen the tendons and ligaments. The ability to issue power (fa jing) from close range is a basic feature of Tai chi chuan. This involves incorporating the whole body into one unit behind an attack. Tai chi chuan includes punches, kicks, locks, open hand techniques and throws in its repertoire, as well as traditional Chinese weapons ? sword, broadsword, staff and spear.

Today, while traditional practitioners of Tai chi chuan are still in evidence, the majority practise the art in order to both maintain and improve their health and to provide an increasingly necessary antidote to the stresses and strains of modern day life.

Wu Yuxiang leaned from Yang Luchan and a variation of the original Chen form from Chen Chingping and created the Wu style. A man named Hao Weizhen, learned the Wu style from Wu Yuxiang’s nephew and taught the style to Sun Lutang, who in turn created the Sun style. Yang Luchan had another student, a Manchu named Quan You, who in turned taught the art to his son, Wu Jianquan. Wu Jianquan popularized his variation of the Yang style, which is commonly referred to as the Wu Jian Quan style. In recent times there have been many other variations and modifications of the art, but all may be traced back through the above masters to the original Chen family forms.