Tai chi chuan

Tai chi is an ancient physical art form,
originally a martial art, where the defendant
actually uses the attacker’s own energy
against the attacker by drawing the attack,
sidestepping the attacker, and throwing the
opponent off balance.

2/19/2013 TAI CHI CHUAN 2

It is an exercise with the movements of one’s
coordination with one’s mind and respiration.


There are many forms of tai chi involving as
many as 108 postures and transitions of
controlled movements.
Tai chi is a way of life that has been practiced
by the chinese for thousands of years.
It is the foundation of exercise regimen
developed to balance mind and body.


According to tai chi balance between mind,
body and spirit should be through
combination of exercises and medication.
According to taoist philosophy the human
body is limitless in its physical capabilities.
But to achieve that capabilities we require the
essential kind of energy.


That energy is known as “CHI”.
Also known as vital energy.
We can generate CHI by combination of
movements, breathing, and mental
concentration.
And it is used to purify the essential life
energies.


Good health requires a balance between
opposing forces within the body.
If one or other is too predominant, sickness
results.
Tai chi emphasizes the development of the
whole person, promoting personal growth in
all areas.


The theory of opposites
The yin : the negative
The yang : the positive


The aim of medication to greatly increase the
yang and to reduce and diminish the yin.
The goal of exercise is to greatly increase yin
and to reduce yang.
The combined practice of meditation and
exercise balances these opposing energies.


YANG (POSITIVE) YIN (NEGATIVE)
 Heaven  Eart
 Day  Night
 Bright an clear weather  Dark and stormy weather
 Spirit  Body
 Arteries  Veins
 Muscle contraction  Muscle relaxation
 Inhalation  Exhalation
 Human activity  Rest
 MALE  FEMALE


 Exercise and meditation
 Opposite to each other.
 Tai chi is combination of
this two.


Mainly 8 energy channels


1)Tu mo : channel of controle, runs along
spinal column from the coccyx through the
base of the skull and over the crown of the
head to the roof the mouth.
2)Jen mo : channel of functions, goes through
the center and front of the body from the
genital organs to the base of the mouth.
3)Tai mo : belt channel, circles the waist from
the umblicus to the small of the back.


 4)Ch’ueng mo : thrusting channel, passes through
the center of the body between tu mo and jen
mo.
 5)Yang yu wei mo : positive arm channel, from
umblicus passing through the chest and going
down the posterior aspect of the arms to the
middle fingers.
 6)Yin yu wei mo : negative arm channel, extends
along the inner aspect of the arms from the
palms, ending in the chest.

7)yang chiao mo : the positive channel that
goes down the sides of the body and down
the outer aspect of the lower extrimity,
ending at the soles.
8)yin chiao mo : the negative channel that
starts in the soles and extends upward on
inside of the legs through the center of the
body to a point just below the eyebrows.


According to chinese medicine breathing for
preventing illness and prolonging youth.
The combination of exercise and breathing
provides an efficient and effective method of
taking iron, copper, zinc, magnesium and
removing wastes and poisions.
So during inhalation – storing of energy
During exhalation – releasing of energy


The movements are performed to assist and
guide the circulation of vital energy, chi,
through the eight channels.
The mind consciously lifts the energy during
inward breathing.
And during exhalation the energy is directed
towards lower abdomen.


 The circulation of chi through the channels does
not occur automatically as a result of the arm and
leg movements combined with breathing.
 But it is the mind’s power of concentration that
combines with the breathing to move the chi
through the channels.
 The outer movements guide the inner
concentration.
 So because of that tai chi is also called “moving
meditation”.

Correct postures is very important for Tai Chi
practice. There are five basic requirements
for the head and ten for the body to keep a
correct posture.


 Suspending the head by an
imaginary string from
above.
 Relaxing the neck, but
keeping it erect.
 Drawing in the chin slightly.
 Closing the mouth and
clenching the teeth slightly
with the tongue touching
the front palate.
 Looking forward, but hiding
one's spirit behind the
eyes.


 Releasing the tension in
the chest.
 Lifting the back.
 Relaxing the shoulders.
 Dropping the elbows.
 Opening the arm pits.
 Not protruding the
stomach.


 centering the tail bone
as if it were hanging.
 keeping a rounded
space between the legs.
 bending the knees.
 sinking
the chi into dantian.


The mind should always concentrate on the
movements you are performing.
The breathing should be in rhythmic harmony
with the body movements.
The body movements should be slow, soft,
and graceful.


Total 5 forms


 Stand straight with feet
parallel and shoulder-width
apart.
 Relax all the joints, but do not
intentionally bend any of the
joints.
 Hold the head erect and drop
the shoulders to loosen the
neck and the back.
 Let the arms hanging naturally
with palms facing the thighs.
 Draw in the chin, chest, belly,
and buttocks to keep the
backbone up straight.
 Straighten the legs, with knees
flexed.

 Close the lips and teeth
gently with the tip of the
tongue resting on the
palate near the teeth.
 Eyes are either looking
forward or are closed
slightly.
 While paying attention to
the whole body and the
space around the body,
focus more attention
on dantian.

 Begin with a five minute
daily practice.
 Then it is recommended
that you advance to two
fifteen to thirty minute
practices every day.
 The therapeutic effect of
this exercise is an
adjustment of overall
balance of the nervous
system and internal
organs.

 1)Begin with the unpolorized pose.
 2)Raise the arms forward at an angle to eye level,
palms facing downward.
 3)Then, while continuing to raise the hands a little
higher than the head, turn the palms gradually to face
each other.
 Palms and fingers should slant upward. Imagine that
you are touching the surface of a big ball.
 4)Continue the movement by turning the palms
downward.
 5)Then lower the hands to the level of dantian, fingers
pointing toward each other.


Breathe in while raising your arms and
breathe out while lowering them.
Remember to relax the shoulders and drop
the elbows while raising the arms.
You can feel the chi filling the dantian while
you are lowering the hands in front of your
body.
Repeat the movement several times.


 1)Begin with a pose like holding a ball in front of your
chest, bending the knees and elbows.
 2)Turn the palms facing upward. Then draw the right
hand to the side of your waist and turn the waist a
little to the right.
 3)Continue the turning of waist and swirling the right
hand up to the side of your ear.
 4)Push the right hand forward and draw the left hand
to the side of your waist while turning the waist to the
left. Slightly protrude the shoulder and the center of
the right palm when the palm nears the end of its
path.
 Repeat the same movement with your left hand.

Repeat cyclically many times.
Breathe in while swirling the arm and breath
out while driving the hand outward.
The hands should move in circular paths.
Try to feel the resistance of the air with the
pushing hand.
You can either look forward or let your sight
lead the hand that is swirling and driving out.

 1)Begin with the right hand in front of your face and
the left hand in front of your navel. Knees are bent
and feet shoulder width apart.
 2)Both hands are drawing vertical circles in opposite
directions.The upper hand faces your body, like
holding a balloon with your arm, and the lower hand
faces the ground as if it were resting on a floating
balloon.
 3)When the upper hand and lower hand are switching
positions, the descending hand faces outward and the
rising hand faces inward as if they were taking the
balloons from the other hand.The waist turns with the
upper hand.

Breathe in while switching upper and lower
hands, breathe out while waving hands from
one side to the other.
Do not lift the shoulder when you lift the
hand.
Palms should move in circular paths.
Fingers should always be bent a little, with the
center of the palms curved slightly inward.
Sight should lead the upper hand while you
are waving it in front of your face.

 Take a stable bow step with the front foot bent slightly
inward and the rear foot sideways at a 45 degree
angle. Both hands are drawing horizontal circles at the
umblicus level. Let the trunk follow the hands and drawing
circles at the same pace. Imagine the hands are resting on
a floating balloon.
 The weight of your body is just like liquid flowing from one
leg to another as you shift the weight from one leg to the
other.
 Keep the tail bone pointing toward the ground and imagine
the head hanging like a balloon. Look at the space
between the hands. Do not protrude the front knee over
the vertical line from the front toe.


Pay no attention to when you should breathe
in or out since you can adjust the speed of the
circular movement,but keep the speed of the
breathing regular.


More than 80% of all illness has been shown
to have stress related etiologies.
Ancient chinese medicine recognized that
there are mental as well as physical aspects of
the disease.
According to eastern philosophies, the mental
state of the individual is considered to be
more important than the physical symptoms.


Tai chi is a specific technique for attaining
peaceful mental status and therefore, it may
help to prevent or reverse disease processes.
Tai chi integrates the body and mind through
breathing and movement.
The movements of tai chi are coordinated with
breathing.


Don’t
worry.
I am with
u..


The entry level of exercises of tai chi has
many similarities with medical treatments for
respiratory illness (e.g., deep breathing
exercises, segmental expansion exercises)
and with walking exercises, the most
recommended aerobic exercise for patients
with coronary artery disease.


In study by lai and colleagues, it was
determined that the elderly tai chi exercisers
showed a significant improvement in Vo2
uptake compared with an age matched
control group of sedentary elders.
 tai chi was shown to be a suitable aerobic
exercises for older adults.


A subsequent study by lai and co workers
further substantiated that tai chi exercise is
aerobic exercise of moderate intensity.
In the past it was believed that tai chi exercise
forms did not have a significant
cardiorespiratory component and therefore
were deemed nonaerobic.
Despite of the slow, steady, smooth pace of
tai chi exercise, there is significant positive
effect on the cardiorespiratory system.

Tse and bailey found that tai chi practitioners
had significantly better postural controle than
sedentary nonpractitioners.
Province and associates found that
treatments directed toward flexibility,
balance, dynamic balance, and resistance, all
components of tai chi exercise, reduced risk of
falls for elderly adults.


Wolfson and colleagues demonstrated that
short-term exposure to “altered sensory input
or destabilizing plateform movement” during
treatment sessions, in addition to home based
tai chi exercises, elicited significant
improvements in sway control and inhibited
inappropriate motor responces.
Functional improvement is more with tai chi
group.


Judge and colleagues demonstrated
improvements in single stance postural sway
in older women after tai chi exercises.
The stress reduction effects of tai chi
exercises, as measured by heart rate, blood
pressure, and urinary catecholamine and
salivary cortisol levels, were compared with
levels in group of brisk walkers.


It was found that the stress-reducing effect of
tai chi characterized those physiological
changes produced by moderate exercise.
Heart rate, blood pressure, and urinary
catecholamine changes for the tai chi exercise
group were similar to these changes occuring
in the walking group.


Tai chi is viewed as an “alternative” therapy ;
has been observed clinically and has been
shown to enhance function in our elderly
patients.


Tai chi chuan

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