Tai Chi is designed to work around the structure of the body. See? Sounds like I am saying "I am a leaf on the wind." If, however, I told you to use your core to direct your movements, you might understand. In Tai Chi we try to cultivate our Chi and use the Chi to direct our movements and we learn to transfer the energy from our Dan Tien to other parts of our body. The terms are probably what throw people off, take Chi for instance. The Chinese have been at it for centuries, this is not some fad they just made up to sell DVDs. Often we take them to be some Taoist philosophy in practice and never stop to consider the true meaning of what is behind the terms. The Chinese have a lot of terms referring to Tai Chi that frankly, we here in the west just don’t get. Don’t get me wrong you can still achieve many of the same goals from practicing Tai Chi as you can from running, biking, hiking, swimming or even weight lifting but the approaches are vastly different. There is a big difference in the benefits achieved from proper practice of Tai Chi and traditional western exercise. We live in an area where if your exercise does not equate to one hour of heart pounding, strenuous, gut wrenching physical exertion then it’s not exercise. Sometimes when we try to explain Tai Chi to someone that has no previous knowledge of the practice, will get that Mel look that says “What does that even mean?” It’s the internal aspects of Tai Chi they don’t get. When he says it again, Capt Malcom Reynold “Mel” says “What does that even mean?” That’s the part that reminds me of Tai Chi. If you ever have watched Serenity? There is a scene where Wash has to navigate Serenity through an impossible number of ships and debris in space, so he steps into his zone and says to himself “I am a leaf on the wind, watch how I soar!" His focus and concentration were all on the present moment, every thought was tied to every movement his Yi was tied to his Chi. Sometimes I feel like Wash when it comes to Tai Chi.
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