Tai-What? Taking the Mystery out of T’ai Chi

Have you ever seen the Celebrex™ commercial where there is a group of older people moving really slowly, and a cute dog waves at the end? Those people are doing T’ai Chi (say: tie-chee).

Despite recommendations and endorsements from the NIH (National Institute of Health), CDC (Center of Disease Control), the AARP (American Association of Retired Persons), and the Arthritis Foundation, more than half of the people I talk to have never heard of T’ai Chi. Others have heard of it, but don’t know what it is. Some have tried T’ai Chi, but report they gave up trying to learn it – “It was too hard! I couldn’t keep up with the instructor!”

T’ai Chi is commonly described as a fluid, graceful form of exercise that looks like a slow-motion dance. T’ai Chi originated in China over 700 years ago and is the most widely practiced exercise in the world. T’ai Chi is also called ‘moving meditation’. The slow, controlled movements when coordinated with breathing, require a gentle state of mindfulness, or concentration. T’ai Chi is an exercise for the brain as well as the body!

The health benefits of T’ai Chi have been proven by medical research. T’ai chi has been shown to reduce high blood pressure, improve balance and prevent falling, reduce chronic pain, and stimulate the immune system. T’ai chi builds strength, flexibility, and coordination! Wow! All of that, and without taking a pill! Sounds too good to be true! Why don’t you give T’ai Chi a try and find out for yourself.  

Exercise One: Basic T’ai Chi Stepping
1. Stand-up. Walk forward 10 steps. Count each step out-loud.
2. Do it again! This time, slow it down.
   Lift your right knee; set your foot down, “one”, pause…
   Lift your left knee; set your foot down, “two”, pause…

Did you notice a difference? How was your balance when you stepped slowly? How slow were you able to go? Did you travel the same distance as the first time? How high did you lift your knee as you took a step? Was it harder to keep track of your counting?

Exercise Two: Basic T’ai Chi Arm Motion
1. Stand-up. Imagine a large chalkboard in front of you.
   Reach up and ‘draw’ a number “1” as big as you can.
2. Do it again! This time, coordinate your movement
   with your breathing. Inhale, as you lift your arm.
   Exhale, as you “draw’ your number “1”.
3. Don’t stop with “1”. Keep going, draw the numbers, “2”, “3”, “4”…”10”

Did your arms get tired? Were you able to keep your balance while moving your arms? Did you notice anything about your breathing? Is it quick and shallow, or deep and slow? How was your imagination? Could you ‘see’ the numbers that you were drawing?

Exercise Three: Putting it Together
1. Stand-up. Take a basic T’ai Chi step – lift your knee, set your foot down.
2. Inhale, as you lift your arm. Exhale as you ‘draw’ a number “1”.
3. Take another step. “Draw” a number “2”.
4. Continue stepping and ‘drawing’ until you reach the number “10”.

How did you do? Was it more difficult keeping your balance with one foot forward in your stepping position? Could you feel the adjustments your body was making, trying to help you keep your balance? Did you lose count, and forget which number you were on?

Congratulations! You now know how to do T’ai Chi!  T’ai Chi is a movement art.The basic requirements of this art form include:
1. Doing something with your body (movement).
2. Doing something with your breath (let your movement follow your breathing).
3.  Doing something with your imagination (drawing or painting number shapes).

There are specific movement sequences in traditional T’ai Chi. Learning a specific style, such as Yang Style (Long or Short Form), can be fun for the T’ai Chi enthusiast. However, most T’ai Chi instruction is based on memorizing the specific sequence that goes with a specific style. Students try to learn how to get it “just right”, copying the teacher’s movements again and again. Breathing and imagination are rarely included. The result tends to be dry, boring, very frustrating; and students often give up!

Think of T’ai Chi as an art form, like ballet or modern dance. Art is about expressing yourself. Its about exploring your limits. Its about being creative! So be creative as you step and ‘draw’ your numbers! Let your chalkboard travel with you. Let it move to your right, or left, onto the ceiling or floor! Draw your numbers all around you! Step forward, step backward, stand on one leg as you draw a number!  

One day, when you are doing your T’ai Chi in the park, someone will come up to you and ask, “How long have you been studying T’ai Chi? What style are you doing?” You can tell them, “I’m doing New Forest® Style T’ai Chi, and I learned it on the Internet, in one easy lesson!”

New Forest® T’ai Chi was created by John Bright-Fey, a Grandmaster of Shaolin Temple Martial Arts. He knows all of the major styles of T’ai Chi, including the popular Yang and Chen Styles.  According to Mr. Bright-Fey,  “New Forest® Style is wonderfully complex! My students start with the basic stepping and arm motions. As they progress, components such as T’ai Chi diagrams, trigrams and the 5-elements are added. But the power of New Forest® Style is that it is so easy to learn! It is immediately do-able! A student doesn’t have to wait weeks or months to gain the health benefits. They start on day one! If you want to know the classics, I’ll teach you. But you can start playing jazz today!”