Tai chi (pronounced "tie chee" and
also known by some other names
and spellings)
is a mind-body practice that originated in China as a martial art. A
person doing tai chi moves his body slowly and gently, while breathing
deeply and meditating (tai chi is sometimes called "moving
meditation"). Many practitioners believe that tai chi helps the flow
throughout the body of a proposed vital energy called qi (pronounced
"chee," it means "air" or "power"). In the United States, tai chi for
health purposes is part of complementary and alternative medicine, or
CAM. This Mini-Site provides a general overview of tai chi and
suggests some resources you can use to find more information.
Among the different names and
spellings of tai chi are taiji and t'ai
chi. Many consider the term "tai chi" to be a shortened form of "tai
chi chuan" (two other spellings are t'ai chi ch'uan and taijiquan).
Tai Chi Chuan: an ancient wisdom on exercise and
health
promotion.
(Abstract)
Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) is a Chinese conditioning
exercise and is well
known for its slow and graceful movements. Recent investigations have
found that TCC is beneficial to cardiorespiratory function, strength,
balance, flexibility, microcirculation and psychological profile. The
long-term practice of TCC can attenuate the age decline in physical
function, and consequently it is a suitable exercise for the
middle-aged and elderly individuals. TCC can be prescribed as an
alternative exercise programme for selected patients with
cardiovascular, orthopaedic, or neurological diseases, and can reduce
the risk of falls in elderly individuals. The exercise intensity of TCC
depends on training style, posture and duration. Participants can
choose to perform a complete set of TCC or selected movements according
to their needs. In conclusion, TCC has potential benefits in health
promotion, and is appropriate for implementation in the community. PMID: 11929351 [PubMed - indexed for
MEDLINE] |
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Tai
Chi
for
Health
Instruction Videos
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