Tai Chi enhances agility, coordination and overall fitness. Regular Tai Chi practitioners tend to enjoy good range of motion, flexibility and posture. They also are likely to sleep more soundly at night and possess more mental clarity. Because of its ability to relax the mind and muscles, Tai Chi can go to the root of most health problems, balancing the energy systems that run through the body, aligning the spinal posture, and providing the practitioner with positive vital energy. Being a profound self-improvement practice, Tai Chi is one of the most soothing and yet powerful things you can do for yourself. Its magic can be found in the unique combination of meditation, breathing, and movement.
Meditation
Studies show that taking time to slow down the body and mind not only calms the person, but also decreases his heart rate and blood pressure, alleviates his anxiety, and increases his mental focus and acuity. The meditative aspect of Tai Chi can also be beneficial for the central nervous system and the immune system, making it quite ideal for people with any stress-related conditions, depression, or chronic illness. The mindfulness and peace you get from practicing Tai Chi instructs you how to listen to your body that can help you realize problems before they can turn acute. This peace and mindfulness can spread throughout all other aspects of your life, enabling you to find gratitude in each moment.
Breathing
Tai Chi’s deep breathing techniques normalize the respiratory system, helping treat conditions such as emphysema, bronchitis, and asthma. Breathing out toxins from the lungs and breathing in fresh air releases tension, stretches the muscles responsible for breathing and expands lung capacity. The inhaling and exhaling process symbolically reminds us to let go of things that no longer serve us and permit new abundance to enter our lives.
Movement
Because all the major muscle groups are positively influenced by Tai Chi, it helps improve muscle coordination and tone and increases stamina, flexibility, strength, and agility. According to a 1996 study conducted by the National Institute, Tai Chi’s attention to balance can reduce the number of falls for about 50 percent in elderly patients and enhance body awareness. Thirty percent of adults 65 years and above suffer from falls each year, usually with disastrous results. Among older adults, the 7th leading cause of death is Hip fractures. We would save more than a billion dollars a year if this could be decreased by even just 10%, aside from the fact that it could lessen or prevent the suffering and pain of the patients.
Tai Chi has postures that can teach you how to move your body appropriately, helping you to self-realize your physical presence. Seniors will be less likely to lose mobility and enjoy better balance in their bodies. All the joints in the body can be rotated in Tai Chi, freeing any obstructed energy that could play a considerable role in the aging process. Tai Chi can also stimulate the body’s liquid systems to increase range of motion, keep tissues and joints more supple, and to reduce any symptoms of arthritis. The various motions done by turning from the waist can serve as an internal massage. When the stomach is stimulated, these motions can help alleviate gastrointestinal conditions and constipation, aiding digestion.
Dominic Sembello is a licensed and board certified acupuncturist and the clinical director of Health Source Acupuncture in Linwood, NJ.