Now, exactly what is Tai Chi. I get that question a number of times when I inform people that I teach Tai Chi for quite a number of people have not seen it nor do they
understand what it really is. Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art but is not to be confused with Shaolin Kung Fu. Tai Chi is a meditative martial art that is practiced with meditation rather than hard movements like Kung Fu.

When practicing Tai Chi you take on a more serene state and focus on your inner self. The more you practice, the more you feel yourself within your inner being. The way you accomplish this is to practice the motions slowly in a more meditative state.

Each motion should be executed no faster than three seconds for each one. By taking such time you perfect those motions that you will use, when needed, for self defense. The other martial arts like Kung Fu are practiced quickly which allows mistakes to be made without being detected.

Even though you practice the motions slowly, when they are needed you will execute them quickly. The forms within Tai Chi allow you to repel attacks and then launch your own attack as your defense. This is the martial arts basis within Tai Chi, but what about the actual physical aspects.

By practicing Tai Chi as it should be, you will find that your focus, balance and sense of well-being will increase. There is a cousin to Tai Chi called Qi Gong which is also an exercise program that some schools incorporate into their Tai Chi curriculum. I will get to this style later. There are multiple styles of Tai Chi but all are beneficial in that while practicing you focus inwardly on your coordination, balance and breathing. The breathing is especially important because that has you focus on relaxation.

In any martial art you would be told to only flex those muscles that you need to perform the motion. That means that you keep all other muscles relaxed until they
are needed. Complete relaxation is very difficult to attain but after training in Tai Chi for a period of time you will find that you are able to relax more in other situations.

By practicing Tai Chi you help yourself to become a bit more flexible in that by taking three seconds to perform a move you actually will loosen your joints that probably have not moved like that for a very long time. Also, you, if you do practice correctly, your chance of falling is reduced because as you move one foot to place it in another position you learn to not shift all of your weight onto that foot until you are sure that where you are placing it is solid enough to hold your weight. That, too, requires practice and patience.

Now, what about Qi Gong. It was created long before Tai Chi and is used as a general physical fitness regimen. It can be closely compared to isometrics where you use
yourself as the obstacle as you are trying to move that obstacle. By practicing Qi Gong you will develop more muscle firmness and strength. This adds to your personal power which helps you in your everyday life.

By practicing these two methods, you gain in confidence and self-assurance as you see yourself getting better in these forms.

There are two schools that teach Tai Chi. One is in Sherman at the Parks and Recreation center on Music St. That school teaches the Yang short form of Tai Chi. The other school is in Whitewright and that school teaches both the Yang short form and Qi Gong form.

I hope this has helped to increase the understanding of exactly Tai Chi happens to be.