We practice Tai Chi as a way to develop a state of well-being.
This well-being is a state of strength, resilient health, relaxation, heightened awareness and a clear mind.
…You’ve moved your body from a state of stress to a state of powerful ease. This is the change you make every time you practice Tai Chi…
The strength and resilient health come from the movement training. Our bodies need to move. If we become stagnant the body will stiffen, we lose some of our range of motion and our stamina declines. Addtionally, our circulation bogs down as vessels clog. The lymph system (your internal garbage removal service) is stimulated by moving so stagnating leads to a build up of debris.
The Tai Chi form takes us through our full range of ideal movement. Every aspect of the body is stimulated. The slow movement develops strength and control at every point in our range of motion. So, by eliminating weak points in our movement we become less likely to be injured.
The relaxation comes from the breath work and the pace of movement. How we breathe is the most powerful tool we have for controlling our stress response. You see, it doesn’t matter what is triggering our stress. The body responds with tightened breathing & physical tension. Then there are hormones released and we fixate on the perceived threat. Most of our days are spent in a mildly to severely stressed state.
Now imagine your breath softening. You are breathing much deeper. The muscles of the body release and movement becomes smooth and supple. You’ve moved your body from a state of stress to a state of powerful ease. This is change you make every time you practice Tai Chi.
The heightened awareness is the result of our improved movement and deep breathing. Air is energy for your body and mind. How you breathe is how you are fueling yourself. With more energy from better breathing you are able to guide your awareness to much deeper levels of your body, mind and the space around you.
The clear mind comes from the practice of continually guiding your attention deeper into your body and movement. This provides a reset for the mind and allows you to step outside the churn of day-to-day stress thoughts.
We start our practice with simple exercises to immediately experience this state of well being. As you learn and go deeper into the practice of Tai Chi the state of well-being becomes stronger and more resilient.