How canTai Chi help me? 14 Ways Tai Chi can Help you
This is one of the most commonly asked questions on Google concerning Tai Chi and with good reason.
How can moving slowly get me healthy, calm and in control?
After all you aren’t lifting weights or going through body pump or spinning. Who does that?
Sitting on a static bike with a super fit trainer screaming at you. You get off and you have gone nowhere, your are exhausted and you are going to have to come back and do it all over again!!
Not that I trained 6 days a week, with a super fit martial arts masters for 4 hour stretches doing hundreds of push ups and crunches. Who does that? - Er me, apparently. But I digress.
How can Tai Chi help you?
There is so much research from all around the world on the benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong. Like;
Stress And Anxiety
Reinforces The Immune System
Helps with Sleep Problems
Improves Cardiac Health
Helps To Reduce Chronic Pain
Helps With Lower Back Pain
Aids Arthritis
Helps to Lower Blood Pressure
Improves everyday physical functioning
Generates a feeling of well being
Encourages better Sleep
This is just a few of the benefits, there are literally hundreds of them.
The simple Act of Slowing Down for 20 Minutes can Help you Immensely
Taking 20 Minutes out of your day, every day can build a lifetime of not only good health but a calm mind too. There is a saying in Traditional Chinese medicine;
The Mind Affects the body and the body affects the mind.
Think about when your mind is agitated, how does your body feel?
Do you feel really good, on top of the world and want to go out and have fun?
No I thought not, how can you with all of those stress hormones rushing around your bloodstream. Do that every day for a few years and you will have more than feeling bad on your plate.
Chronic Stress is associated with Heart disease, Cancer, Arthritis and a multitude of other conditions.
And conversely, if your body is depleted by alcohol, drugs, overwork, chronic stress and anxiety your mind will be disturbed too.
Thinking clearly, logically and positively starts to become difficult too. Good decisions get to be harder, your performance suffers at work and at home and you are not functioning 100%.
A number of years ago a report suggested that one third of commuters into London were on the edge of a nervous breakdown. Now that might sound a bit excessive but everyone who has heard that statistic nods in agreement.
Tai Chi and Qigong discipline you and focus only on this moment
Tai Chi and Qigong discipline you and focus only on this moment, freeing your mind to be at ease. Relaxation starts to become a habit, the stress hormones no longer predominate and your body starts to heal itself. A body under stress does not perform well and do the job it was always able to do given the chance.
The slow focused movements, allow your blood circulation to feed all of the cells of your body with life giving oxygen. Your respiration slows and deepens helping to build your immune system.