Tai Chi
In our quest to achieve health and well-being, we in the United States are trying to take good care of ourselves. We understand that, while we may have more lifestyle and food choices than ever before, many of them are not all that good for us. As a nation we are getting sicker and less fit. That makes us unhappy because we are also concerned with our appearance and would like to live longer lives. So the air waves are flooded with diet tips and exercise programs, and we go from one to the other seeking the perfect solution.
Tai chi is an ancient Chinese discipline that seeks to help us be healthy from the inside out. It is based on the recognition that the world–which includes us–is a solid example of ephemeral chi or “energy.” A few years ago that seemed like a very foreign, even “flaky” concept, but such understanding has permeated even conservative American and European circles over the last decade. Perhaps awareness has grown because there is even a branch of science, quantum physics, which explores the manifestation of energy and how it affects us.
In tai chi one usually stands and performs a series of movements under the tutelage of a trained teacher. There are different schools of tai chi and so the series of movements may vary depending on who is leading. But all the movements are gentle, are synchronized to breathing, and mimic shapes and ways of nature. They seek to effect change in our bodies and our minds slowly, by aligning us with the essential energy that is all around us and that runs through us.
In China, people young and old traditionally do tai chi in parks at dawn, and such classes can now be found in open spaces, as well as in health centers and even churches and synagogues, throughout the United States.
Tai chi does not instantly give us toning or weight loss. But over time it can change our appreciation of our bodies and lead our minds to make healthier choices that will serve us over the long run.