The basic exercises of Tai Chi

The basic exercises of Tai Chi

Tai chi is, along with yoga, meditation and acupuncture, among the disciplines that have been shown to bring the most health benefits according to research from various universities around the world. But what are the first steps for someone who wants to start the practice of tai chi? Here are some basic exercises.

The basic exercises of Tai Chi

Anyone who has been at least once in China or in some neighboring countries will surely have been fascinated to see how widespread the practice of tai chi is in people of all ages, from children to octogenarian masters, who gather in city parks for the practice of exercises that are sweet, healthy, charmingly elegant , and of various kinds according to the levels of experience.

Tai chi, also called and written in other forms, including tai qi, taiji, tai chi chuan, is  a sweet martial art , chosen and practiced certainly not by those who feel the urgent need to learn to fight or defend themselves. Closely linked to Taoist alchemy, tai chi, it is famous for bringing numerous benefits, first of all longevity .

It is a complex, refined art, which according to tradition requires numerous lifetimes of practice to master. It is an internal martial art, based on internal forces and not on external muscular strength. There are many variations, generally linked to a family, thanks to which the practice of tai chi has been preserved to this day, together with qigong .

Read also The management of emotions in Tai chi >>

 

The basic exercises

In the universe of its complexity, in tai chi there are basic exercises, transversal in almost all the different schools of tai chi, and considered important for the daily practice of both beginners and experts. Let’s find out.

Tui Shou : although it is practiced in groups, tai chi does not normally include forms of contact, except in the case of a specific exercise, called tui shou or “ pushing hands “.

It is considered a routine exercise and although it is typical of tai chi, it can be found in other internal kung fu styles , such as shou dao and baguazhang. In this exercise , you come into contact with a partner and begin to push and receive the thrust without putting up resistance and without interrupting the flow.

The whole body participates and this exercise is considered one of the best for learning to relax the joints and become aware of the dantien .

Warm -up: Warm-up is conceptually different in tai chi than in any other martial art or sport. Here, the warm-up is not only preparatory to the exercises but is  one of the main exercises and the stretching phase can last up to an hour.

It shouldn’t surprise us: for the chi to flow, all joints must be extremely mobile and the muscles relaxed . Furthermore, stretching is a calm and unexciting activity, which also calms the nerves.

Breathing exercises : Causes such as stress , poor posture , excessive mental grind, have a bad influence on our ability to breathe deeply and correctly.

Learning to breathe smoothly and deeply through some exercises is an essential part of tai chi . Here are some precautions in this regard: breathe exclusively through the nose ; breathe by touching the palate with the tip of the tongue ; avoid apneas between the inhalation and exhalation phases, as happens in yoga ; breathe with the belly and not with the chest; continue these breathing methods while practicing tai chi.

Practice with the ball : keeping a ball or any sphere in your hands during the tai chi movements will help us maintain correct posture and begin to be aware of chi .

Whatever movement we undertake, the relationship between the hands between them and with the rest of the body must be balanced. The same can be said for the knees in some postural exercises: managing to harmoniously change one’s position by keeping a pillow tight between the knees will help us to keep the low posture and the sacrum oriented in the right direction.

Once we have become familiar with the balance between hands and knees , we can begin the exercises with which we describe circles in the air with the upper limbs and on the ground with the lower ones.

 

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