It seems the history of Tai Chi can be traced back to Buddhist and Taoist temples. Though the history of Tai Chi is mostly told from a modern perspective of legend, it would appear that many Buddhist and Taoist theories and practices are apparent in the teachings of Tai Chi. Some believe that the martial art form was founded by Zhang Sanfeng in the 12th century. Others purport that it was founded by the Chen family in 1820 who then taught it to the Yang family. It was around that time that the Neo-Confucians were beginning their climb into the intellectual side of Chinese life.

The practice of Tai Chi combines flowing movement and breathing techniques with mental and spiritual awareness to bring about a workout that benefits the mind, body, and soul. If you are experiencing a lot of stress in your life, then you may benefit from joining a Tai Chi class in your local area, or even getting a book or video from the library and learning the movements on your own at home.

Tai Chi, The Great Ultimate, was found earliest in the Book of Change, or otherwise known as I-Ching. Legend said that this scripture has written by the first emperor of the Zhou Dynasty - Zhou Wen Wang. Thus I-Ching is also known as Zhou-Yi.

I-Ching, or the Book of Change, with its name implies, stated that life is in constant flux of change. The word I (Yi in pinyin) means 'change' in Chinese. It is formed from the characters of the sun and the moon, which represents yang and yin respectively.

I have read a number of books, articles, and novels, and have watched movies and television series that touched on the origins of Tai Chi Chuan (Tai Chi Boxing), and the question, “Who Created Tai Chi Chuan?” made me concern very much!

Breathe Your Way To Healthier Life

“I don’t have the time to exercise!”

“I am busy! How can I spend 10 or 15 minutes to just sit there, closing my eyes and meditate?”

“I don’t have the room to do this!”

“I can’t stretch like that!”

“At that specific time, I’m not available!”

Do all the above sound familiar to most people who want to stay healthier but could not do so due to a number of reasons? The list can go on endless…

“How nice if I can get to do something easily – at anytime and anywhere, and stay healthy!”

Yes – now you can!

Taoist Philosophy
To understand the purpose of the form it is important to understand its basis and roots.

The origins of Tai Chi go back over 5,000 years and are based in Taoist philosophy developed and refined by the great Taoist thinkers such as, Tao Te Ching, Lao Tzu and Chuang Tzu.

The core concept of Taoism and Taoist philosophy is that everything in the universe is subject to change and when dealing with this change we should act not to fight it but work with it and avoid conflict.

The Origins of Tai Chi
The principles of Tai Chi were established by Taoist hermits and evolved as a martial fighting art called Tai Chi Chuan.

The early Tai Chi teachers were mystical figures however; the exception was Chang San-Feng, who was the first major figure in Tai Chi history.

The Ming Dynasty places his date of birth at 1247 and he is credited with being the founder of the fighting art called Wudang Kung fu.

He is believed to have studied under a Taoist recluse living in the mountains of Northwest China; he then studied at a Shaolin temple.

Learning Tai Chi
Tai Chi combines movement, meditation and breathing, to enhance the flow of vital energy in the body, to increase both physical and mental well-being.

Tai Chi is one of the most broadly applicable systems of self-care in the world and is suitable for both young and old alike.

In China, it is estimated that 300 million people alone practice Tai Chi.

Tai Chi however is not just practised in China, in the 20th century it spread throughout the world and as we enter the 21st century, it is more popular than ever.

Tai Chi - The Form

Way back in 2003, the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine’s Oct. 9th issue reported a study finding that Tai Chi “could decrease blood pressure and results in favorable lipid profile changes and improve subjects' anxiety status.

Based on Traditional Chinese Medicine, the concept of Qi is extremely important. Qi can be translated as energy. It's a form of life energy. Every living thing has Qi, even plants.

For us – human being, Qi plays a very important role. It's your LIFE!

It regulates the proper functions of your body. The five vitals and six organs of your body must function properly in order for you to maintain good health.

Tai Chi is an internal martial art which can be soft and gentle. It can and should be practised in a flowing way for practitioners of any age. Particlularly, in China and the est nowadays, people ove r 50 are taking up tai chi whilst the younger generation in china are not so interested in such a traditional art!

I was quite surprised when I began searching for research on Tai Chi’s benefits for diabetes . . . it was very difficult to come by. Because on its face, Tai Chi seems to possibly offer many benefits to someone with diabetes. Tai Chi is known to stimulate microcirculation in practitioners, and is a highly effective stress management technique, and very gently burns a significant amount of calories. In fact, Tai Chi may actually help the body find homeostatic chemical levels.

Curious about Tai Chi but running short on time and patience to make an in depth research of your own? Here is a simple but accurate article on the topic of Tai Chi sparring. It's organized and easy to digest.

Tai Chi, also known as Tai Chi Chuan (taijiguan) or Taiji, is commonly translated as Supreme Ultimate Fist and is known throughout the world as a Chinese martial art that combines the principles of self defense with the mental and physical fitness. This art is practiced by millions of people these days for several purposes, including self defense and for its health benefits.

The differences between eastern and western medicine are simple: the underlying assumptions, the methods of observation, and the technologies used to effect the desired result. Traditional Chinese Medicine is an intellectual construct giving shape and understanding of the universe based on observations made from a framework of a different kind of "knowing” than we have developed with the modem scientific method.

There is a very ancient history of Chinese Movements system that associated with health and mental peace besides physical fitness. By all the contributions Tai Chi was born with commitments to keep the Homo sapiens healthy and peaceful life. The physical condition form of meditation is not enough for that reason different personality of ancient dynasties of China contributed endlessly towards the development of Tai Chi movements.

Tai Chi, an ancient form of Chinese meditation, has evolved a lot in its basic styles. It is a combination of yoga and martial arts. Its popularity grows day by day, and its methods evolve at the same time.

Tai Chi Chuan is an art for the development of emotional peace and tranquility, which produces an effect at the mental and physical levels. This increases the practitioner's strength, attentiveness, endurance and vitality.

In modern society many people are preoccupied with comfort and the desire for a healthy and prosperous life. People have invented many ways to improve their state of mind and live a healthy life. One such method is Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese exercise regimen. Tai Chi is fully known as “Tai Chi Chuan,” which means “the supreme ultimate force.” It later spread from China to gain worldwide popularity.

Tai Chi requires fundamental meditation skills to execute properly. There are a variety of important aspects to your martial arts and exercise workout. Issues to consider in your session include:

Proper exercise clothing

Environment

Ambiance

Disruptions

Some of the experts argue that wearing proper clothing during the exercise session is every bit as essential as the mental preparation before actual session itself. They rationalize that:

Spiritual energy Qi flows from every pore in the body

I’ll always remember my visits to San Francisco and passing groups of older adults in the parks, practicing Tai Chi. Just watching them brought peace, and you could tell they were entirely involved in their activity. It has always interested me, but I have to admit I have yet to experience it. However, just recently, at a Mindful Eating workshop, we did ‘purposeful walking’, taking very slow and controlled steps ‘with intention’. We could feel every single muscle working as we minutely and consciously lifted a foot, moved it forward, and placed it in front of the other one.

Feeling the weight of stress beating down on you? Are you feeling "burned out" and experiencing anxiety attacks as a result of chronic stress? Are you suffering from stress-related ailments like hypertension, increased susceptibility to infections, gastrointestinal disorders, allergies and the likes?

Wondering how to cope up with the stressful nature of modern living? Try Tai-Chi!

What is Tai Chi?

The primary energies of tai chi (taiji), Peng Lu, Ji, An, are executed to the four cardinal directions. Repeated practice of the four energies into the four directions as a "drill", "exercise", or "meditation", will intuitively cause tremendously informative transformation of the meaning and execution of the tai chi movements in the solo form. Tai Chi should flow from one posture to another without a break in root. Learn the four directions solo drill, regardless of style.