Tai Chi Chuan is one of the great treasures of the Chinese culture. It has a
long history in China. Today, people worldwide practice it as an art, a form
of preventive medicine, and a health maintenance exercise. Because Tai Chi is
a slow, relaxed, gentle, physical exercise, it can be performed by people of
all physical conditions and all age groups. One can engage in this art to keep
fit from youth and continue to practice well into old age.
Today, external appearance is very important to many people. They believe
that as long as one looks good, one is healthy. As long as one is moving, one is
exercising. These are fallacies. We know that external appearance does not
indicate what is inside. The same is true in exercise. For example, one may
sweat a lot after a half hour on a stationary bicycle. Although one sweats a
great deal, this exercise does not improve one's health much because this
exercise mainly works on one's leg muscles and lower body more than the upper
body and hands. Also it cannot improve the condition of one's immune system or
the physiologic functions of the organs. Tai Chi Chuan on the other hand, has
been documented to strengthen one's immune system. It was published in
PREVENTION magazine that people who practiced Tai Chi Chuan in a study had
higher white blood cell counts than those who did not.
There is a common phenomenon we observe everyday. Professional athletes often
do not have long careers when compared to average people. This is especially
true when the sports they play are very physical. Many athletes have a career
that lasts an average of 10 to 15 years and then they are forced to retire due
to health problems. Many of these retired athletes come down with immune related
diseases when they are middle aged. This is the result of high physical and
emotional demands they experience in sports competition. They use up a lot of
energy known as "life force" or "qi" in Chinese medical theory to maintain the
physiologic organ functions and they do not supplement enough energy during
their careers.
All forms of activity require energy as the source of power. A human body is
one big and complex unit that has many systems and requires a lot of power to
maintain it. In order to maintain this unit in top shape one needs to eat a
variety of foods and maintain all physiologic functions. Therefore, in order to
have good health, besides eating foods, an ideal exercise is necessary to
improve and maintain all physiologic functions. An ideal form of exercise should
work on muscle groups, the skeletal system, circulatory system, nervous system,
respiratory system, immune system etc. In addition, when one is exercising, one
should be supplementing energy and not only expending vital energy to keep all
these system functions. In this way, he physiologic functions of the body will
not degenerate over time. However, it is common that as one gets older, the
immune system weakens and the health becomes poorer. Many common exercise
methods are too rigorous and not proper for people with poor health or older
people. But Tai Chi Chuan, because of its characteristics as a slow, relaxed,
smooth, gentle exercise, it is an ideal exercise for people of all health
conditions and ages.
Cultivation of life is equivalent to preservation of life. It involves
exercising all the body's physiologic organs in moderation so that these organs
will function for longer duration. Practicing the slow and gentle movements of
Tai Chi Chuan is the best method of cultivating life. Although the movements are
slow and gentle, they are very scientific. They work on every part of the body
to keep all physiologic organs in good condition. With its slow, soft,
continuous and relaxed movements, it is different from most common calisthenics
exercises which are physically demanding. Tai Chi Chuan's movements are based on
some of the characteristics of human physiology. Therefore, when one practices
Tai Chi Chuan, one should relax the body to improve the blood circulation, the
nervous system, open the pores on the skin so the skin can "breath". Performing
the movements properly will also help keep the body and back upright to support
the skeletal system to set the bones in their proper alignments. Tai Chi chuan
is an exercise in which one invests enough physical effort but with a minimum
output of energy. It correctly fits the concept of cultivation.
In today's medical science, the endocrine system is one essential aspect of
the body. When this system functions normally a baby grows up to be a teenager
and then an adult. This is the result of the balance of the body's internal
environment. When one gets older, the body's internal environment begins to lose
balance and the endocrine system starts to degenerate, deteriorate and its
functions become less efficient, and one begins to have problems. However, When
one practices Tai Chi Chuan, the white blood cells inside the body increase,
which in turn can balance the body's internal environment and help to improve
health and delay the degeneration process of the endocrine system's function and
other physiologic organ functions.
We are living in a stressful and complex society. In order to survive, we
must mobilize all our resources to confront this complexity daily. Our brains
and nervous systems are also negatively affected by this type of life. When one
lives in this stressful, stimulating society that is full of temptation, sooner
or later, the body is overwhelmed by negative factors and cannot take it
anymore. This will speed up the physiologic organ functions, and sooner or
later, one will get sick. Today, there are many diseases which people come down
with that are clearly related to our stressful life style.
Tai Chi Chuan is an exercise which emphasizes relaxation and tranquility.
This is exactly the opposite of what we generally experience in our daily lives.
When one is calm and relaxed, the nervous system is refreshed and more
efficient. Therefore, when one practices Tai Chi Chuan in a natural relaxed
manner, it is better for the central nervous system and many physiologic organ
functions. Tai Chi practice gives the active portion of the nervous system a
chance to re-charge and be restored, while making the inactive portion of the
nervous system become active so that the nervous system becomes balanced. In
addition, the stretching and relaxation of the body in Tai Chi Chuan practice
helps those people who have sedentary careers to improve and restore their
muscle functions as well as improve their blood circulation.
The relaxed, natural, soft, stretched, tranquil, gentle, slow and circular
motions required in Tai Chi Chuan practice provide the best method to support
all the physiologic organ functions. When one correctly practices Tai Chi Chuan,
all outside stimulus will be filtered and negative emotions will be ignored so
that a practitioner will enter a healthy tranquil condition. In other words,
when one relaxes, the nervous system will become more efficient, the blood
circulates better, and the body becomes more coordinated and balanced. When one
turns, twists and stretches the body in Tai Chi Chuan practice, the skeletal
system, muscle groups and internal organs will be properly exercised. When one
practices Tai Chi Chuan regularly, the body is maintained in a healthy
condition. Therefore, Tai Chi Chuan is the best medicine for people today.
Article By Master Vincent Chu
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