Tai Chi - Self Help/Alternatives

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese form of exercise practiced for health and meditation. The potential benefits include better balance, increased flexibility, more energy, stress reduction, improved circulation, better focus and concentration and a general sense of well being.

Benefits of Tai Chi:

Physical Benefits

Increased flexibility - particularly in the often forgotten spine. Maintenance of flexibility in spinal joints is 'oh so important'.

Full range of motion in a lot of your joints - motion is lotion, as they say. Better yet - use it or lose it!

Increased strength, particularly of the leg muscles

Better balance, fewer falls

Improved posture

Improved immune functioning. (Why? Mental stillness and reduced stress help immune function, as does exercise.)

Improved, deeper breathing - leading to increased oxygenation and vitality of all tissues, improved immune functioning, deeper relaxation

Many people have reduced pain - particularly noticed in shoulders, back, legs and knees

Increased vitality, energy and life - and an increased awareness of the ever-present 'chi'.

Enhanced coordination, and improved fine motor skills.

Decreased blood pressure

Decreased breathing and heart rates

Mental Benefits

Reduced stress

Increased relaxation

Increased concentration and mental focus

Improved memory

Increased sense of happiness and contentedness (is that a word?) and inner peace

Greater ability to 'be in the moment', to pull out of the craziness of everyday living

An often profound sense of being here, now. (Wherever you go, there you are...) In other words, reducing the tendency to live in the past, or worry about the future.

A higher level of happiness

Chronic Pain
Tai Chi is recommended as an adjunct therapy for chronic pain. It is a low weight-bearing exercise, offering stretching, toning and relaxation of the body in ways no other exercise can match. The gentle full range of motion movements are very therapeutic

As well, the mental peace and the stress reduction aspects offered by tai chi can be equally important in dealing with pain and tension. Most importantly! 99.9% of North Americans breath poorly. Proper breathing is considered the most effective way we can assist in our own healing. Both videos teach easy, effective breathing techniques, which are practiced within the movements.