Tai Chi is here

I have been working on my Tai Chi certification and classes will start tomorrow . Many people are inquiring what Tai Chi is so I thought I would go ahead and write a blog about what Tai Chi is all about.

Tai Ch has been around for 5,000 years, which ironically is the same amount of time Yoga has been around. The main principle of Tai Chi is that the mind is the primary actor and the body is the secondary one. Tai Chi is based on yin and yang energies, which cannot be separated but they need to be balanced. Yin is thought of as soft, female, winter, cold, slow and dark. Yang is thought of as hard, male, summer, hot, fast and bright. Comparing the two, it's easy to see why we need to balance them.

Tai Chi is a series of flowing movements that, along with proper breathing and technique, will help to calm the mind, balance the body and build strength and flexibility. This is a practice that is suitable for any age. Many people ask if we will be getting down on the floor and the answer is no. We will begin slowly learning each of the movements. Each form has a purpose so we want to take our time to learn them.

Tai Chi will help build strength and endurance. You will be moving slowly and sometimes will be standing on one leg so we can build and maintain balance. One thing that I would like you to remember is that this practice is for you. Keep your mind open to the instruction and to the movements as well as your breath. The active relaxation that occurs with the circular fluid motion will become a form of meditation as you progress through the class. Give yourself grace though. Learning Tai Chi takes time and you may find yourself losing patience with how long it takes for you to be able to flow from one move to the next but with time and practice it will get easier and as you look back, you will find that you learned some patience along the way.