Tai chi is an ancient physical art form which was developed way back in ancient china. Tai chi means ’supreme ultimate fist’, as the name suggests this art form is primarily a martial art but it is different from the conventional martial art forms.
In Tai Chi there is use of slow tempo maneuvers and subtle movements instead of explosive kicks and hard punches to overcome an opponent.
Tai chi is claimed to have been found by a wise monk Chang Seng Feng. According to the sayings this monk once had a dream of a fight between a snake and a crane. Taking this to be a divine dream Chang Seng studied the dream and made the thirteen postures that laid the foundation of Tai Chi.
After a few years practitioners starting improvising and innovating the basic Tai Chi style. This lead to the birth of a number of forms such as Wang style,Wu style, Chen style etc. Although the birth of new forms were not only restricted to these three but the above mentioned were the most prevalent form with Yang style being the most practiced.
Tai chi involves a lot of discipline. Just like KungFu and other art forms Tai Chi requires students to maintain a very rigid life style. The demands are seldom met by casual students and on top of that Chinese practitioners are known for being very selective of their students. These reasons have lead to a sharp decline in Tai Chi as a combat art form the last decade.
Today Tai Chi has been modified as a means to attain better physical and mental healths. There are increased number of people signing up for classes as a part of their health regime. Even government is taking initiatives to popularize Tai Chi by sponsoring centers teaching Tai Chi.
The question that comes to ones mind at this juncture is invariably” What Tai Chi actually is?”Tai chi is essentially a martial art form but has softer and subtle moves. One should not undermine the power of this art form because of its slow tempo. Tai Chi consists of 24. 40, to108 moves. Doing it ensures exercise of the entire body akin to doing high quality exercise or aerobics.
These facts make Tai chi a valuable art which continues to gain popularity amongst people of all age groups.
Samuel Oliver contributes to the website, TaiChiEssentials.com with a focus all about Tai Chi and Qigong where you can discover tips, secrets and know-how all about your Chi practice including What is Tai Chi
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