Gracefully Tai Chi
Extremely beneficial for both the mind and body, Tai
Chi is gaining popularity these days. But if you are expecting magic overnight,
this form of exercise derived from martial art is not for you. A slow but
graceful art, people sometimes tend to get bored as it requires patience and
leave halfway but if you are under the right instructor, you will definitely
continue. So it’s better know more about it and then take the plunge.
Kakoli Thakur
What is Tai Chi?
Tai Chi can best be defined as a moving form of yoga
and meditation combined. Originally derived from an old Chinese martial art
form, it is a sequence of movements performed slowly and gracefully. The main
aim of Tai Chi is to foster the circulation of this 'chi' within the body,
enhancing the health and vitality of the person. It also helps to foster a calm
and tranquil mind.
Tai chi is not like yummy fast food and you cannot
learn it in 15 days, so do not get fooled by people who tell you it’s possible.
“You have to understand the essence, there is a whole process and you have to
go step by step. You cannot jump from A to B. You can learn B only when A is
already inside you clear. Don’t go by the glamour of the dress or the
institute, check the credentials before joining any classes,” says expert Kanishk
Sharma, who has been practising Tai Chi for the last 26 years.
“Dedication, understanding and loving of the art is
important when you want to learn Tai Chi. It’s very important from whom you are
learning.”
Talking about one of his favourite students, Buddha
Paul, he said, “I found this homeless boy in Pune. He was hungry for martial
arts and some Karate guy was fooling him. I trained him for two years and now
he is training the boys in the Indian Army.”
Different studies
across the world have shown the benefits of Tai Chi. It helps in mind-body
coordination, it increases inner body strength, generates inner strength.
A study from Ireland
found that a combo of exercise, meditation, and breathing helped relieve
anxiety and depression among participants.
It helps increase muscle
strength, flexibility and balance and tackles diseases like anxiety, arthritis,
fatigue, joint stiffness, muscle tension, poor posture and stress – common
among the fast-paced lives of executives and corporates.
Says Tai Chi expert JK Singh: “There is no age factor,
people who prefer soft martial art due to old age can prefer Tai Chi.”
Tai Chi has different levels but it takes around six
months to learn basic course. After that people can practise at home for
fitness.
According to Tai Chi expert Rajeev Sabharwal, Tai Chi
is a self-healing art. “It is slow meditation through hand and leg movements.
It helps people who have blood pressure, arthritis, spine problem, dizziness,
etc.”
The problem is that people get excited after reading
about it a lot but since these are slow exercises, they get bored, he says.
“People should be matured enough to know its benefits, I would say if they are
above 18 they can understand its depth. To maintain fitness we teach 18 moves,
which takes around 20 to 25 classes to learn. If one practises between 20 and
40 minutes on a regular basis, it’s enough,” Sabharwal elaborates.
But when one wants to take it professionally, it’s
like a journey; it can be 10 years, 15 years or even more. “Though I am an
instructor I still feel I have a long way to go,” says Sabharwal.
In layman terms, the breathing exercises along with
hand and leg movements help to open all blockages inside our body, it’s a fight
between muscles to generate inner strength.
People even with heart ailments and other chronic
diseases should practise Tai Chi.
Rajeev Sabharwal shared an experience, “Once a woman
from China came to me and said, ‘I am from China, I know the health benefits of
Tai Chi, I have cancer, please teach me so that I gain inner strength to fight
the cancer inside me.’ I was touched. While practising Tai Chi, we breathe in
and out again and again through slow exercises. The oxygen we take in again and
again helps in healing any disease.”
Different types of Tai Chi styles:
Most beginners think of Tai Chi as just one art form
and don’t realize the multitude of styles available.
The five major Tai Chi styles are:
Yang style is widely practiced worldwide.
Wu style emphasize small, compact movements.
Chen style is the original style. It alternates
slow-motion movements with short, fast, explosive and appeals youth and martial
artists.
Hao style is rare. Its primary focus is on internal
chi movements with physical motions being much less important.
Combination styles mix and match
movements from the four other styles.
Fee structure:
·
Fee varies from institute to institute. Generally
starts from Rs 3000 per month.
·
The fee varies from instructor to instructor. Can
be anything between Rs 500 and Rs 1000 per class.
Why Tai Chi:
·
Movements are low-impact and gentle and
put minimal stress on muscles and joints.
·
The risk of injury is very low.
·
Can do it anywhere, anytime.
·
It requires very little space and no
special clothing or equipment.
·
Can do it at own pace.
·
It's non-competitive.
·
It can be done in groups or alone.
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