Northwest Fighting Arts
1200 SE Morrison St. Portland, OR 97214
These benefits of tai chi include increased health, wellness, balance, strength, peace of mind, self-defense, etc. All of these perceived health benefits of tai chi can greatly enhance a person’s ability to live a better quality and longer life. These claims are so many how can they be true? Why isn’t everyone doing tai chi if the benefits of tai chi will help you live longer and healthier lives?...
History and Benefits of Chen Style Tai Chi:
Chen style tai chi players believe that Chen style tai chi is first and foremost a martial art; that a study of the self-defense aspect of tai chi is the best test of a student's skill and knowledge of the tai chi principles that provide health benefit...
In China the sword is respected and considered the “king of the short weapons”. The Jian (tai chi sword) is a narrow-blade, double edged sword that requires the highest of skill and spirit to be an efficient practitioner...
Yang Style tai chi is practiced for many reasons. Some of which include the martial art skills, Philosophy, mental training, therapeutic/medical benefits and spiritual training. The practice has a wide range of exercises....
There are thousands of people teaching tai chi and tai chi pushing hands around the world. Personally I have trained with many teachers here in the states as well as teachers in China. I have found that even with the “Masters” there are few who really have a good understanding of how to apply the tai chi pushing hands concepts...
Articles:
Regulating Your Taijiquan and Qigong Training
History and Benefits of Chen Style Tai Chi
History and Benefits of Tai Chi SwordUnderstanding Tai Chi Push Hands
The training procedure with a Taijiquan or Qigong practice should start with regulating the body, breath, mind, Qi and then the spirit. It is important to have a good understanding of what these are to move forward to higher levels of practice. Also learning them in this progression one will feed into the other giving you the most efficient results...
More about Taijiquan and Qigong training.
Tai chi chuan is sometimes referred to as “Thirteen postures” or “Thirteen patterns”, these patterns include “Eight Jin Patterns,” also called the “Eight Doors” and five foot work patterns referred to as the “Five Strategic Stepping patterns”. According to the Tai chi chuan classics the eight Jin patterns are related to the eight trigrams (BaGua) and the five foot work patterns are related to the “Five Elements”...
More about the thirteen postures of Tai Chi Chuan.
Tai Chi is a practice with several facets. Many practitioners choose to focus on certain elements such as cultivating their health. This is an excellent goal. It is important though to be aware of the whole while pursuing your personal goals.
Physically the training from Tai Chi cultivates a supple strength and flexibility. One develops grace and balance as the postures condition core support muscles. The body becomes less susceptible to damage as the weight bearing exercises gradually increase bone density and the stretching movements make a person more pliable. The breathwork counteracts stress, improving blood pressure and heart rate by calming the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system.
Mentally the principles from Tai Chi of redirecting force prove invaluable in everyday life. Many find that any debate they enter into becomes a game of psychological push-hands (a tai chi exercise where one learns to counter an opponents force and defeat them without having to directly overpower them). With practice one develops the ability to maintain a calm center regardless of circumstance.
Spiritually Tai Chi practice cultivates ones energy. It can be a key piece of an internal arts practice to elevate your spirit; which is to say, gaining greater clarity and awareness, becoming less susceptible to petty distractions. With a clear mind one learns to put their full intent into their movements. Energy follows this intent extending the movements beyond their regular potential.
Martial use of Tai Chi requires intensive practice. An adept practitioner can handle an opponent of greater size and speed. To do this requires that all aspects of the practice be well developed. It is the combination of a responsive healthy body from the physical, the clear mind and sensitivity of the mental and the heightened energy and awareness of the spirit that make Tai Chi effective. With right timing one doesn't need raw speed. With actions that are responses to opportunities one doesn't need raw strength.
With this understanding you can see that a Tai Chi practice can be adjusted to meet your goals and abilities. For an intro or to discuss to details of how Tai Chi can work for you contact us here.
For more information on Tai Chi, please read the articles below and explore the different Tai Chi family pages.
Qigong
(or chi gong) is an internal art focusing on the study and practice of
the breath and how your breath is directly correlated with the bodies
over all circulation health and well being. There are many styles of
qigong and many reasons one might start a practice...
More about what Qigong is
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The following pages contain information about each family of Tai Chi with detail on each form and guides to the movement of those forms.