tai chi chuan
Tai Chi Chuan is known for both it's defensive training and it's health benefits. The slow movement meditation will allow the practitioner to develop a peaceful mind, and give them the tools to handle stressful external stimuli that life can generate.
The term "Tai Chi Chuan" translates as "supreme ultimate fist", "grand supreme fist", "boundless fist", "supreme ultimate boxing" or "great extremes boxing". Tai Chi Chuan training involves five elements, taolu (solo hand and weapons routines/forms), neigong & qigong (breathing, movement and awareness exercises and meditation), tuishou (response drills) and sanshou (self defense techniques). It is purported that focusing the mind solely on the movements of the form helps to bring about a state of mental calm and clarity. Besides general health benefits and stress management attributed to Tai Chi Chuan training, aspects of traditional Chinese medicine are taught to advanced Tai Chi Chuan students in some traditional schools.
The study of Tai Chi Chuan primarily involves three aspects:
Health: An unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person may find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art. Tai Chi Chuan's health training, therefore, concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind. For those focused on Tai Chi Chuan's martial application, good physical fitness is an important step towards effective self-defense.
Meditation: The focus and calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of Tai Chi Chuan is seen as necessary in maintaining optimum health (in the sense of relieving stress and maintaining homeostasis) and in application of the form as a soft style martial art.
Martial art: The ability to use Tai Chi Chuan as a form of self-defense in combat is the test of a student's understanding of the art. Tai Chi Chuan is the study of appropriate change in response to outside forces, the study of yielding and "sticking" to an incoming attack rather than attempting to meet it with opposing force. The use of Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art is quite challenging and requires a great deal of training.
Tai Chi training is for everyone, young or old. Let the Authentic Shaolin kung fu school help you benefit from the power of Chi.
The journey of the mind and spirit can help you with not only self empowerment, but also with life obstacles you might have along the way. The journey of a 1000 miles starts right under your feet.... You have to take the first step.
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"The study of the Tai Chi, is a union of the internal and external. Neither can exist without the other, as in the principles of the Yin and Yang."
