Tai Chi

I'm a little caught up on a verb. I don't quite know what the correct verb is when someone 'does' Tai Chi. Does one 'perform' Tai Chi or 'practice' Tai Chi or maybe 'execute'? I think that I'm at the 'practice' stage since I've only been at it for a little over a month. On one level, Tai Chi is a martial art and is supposedly quite an effective and even deadly form of self defense. I'm not really interested in the martial arts aspect but I can see that the basic moves can be combative and defensive.


My interest is in the flexibility, exercise and health aspects. I have been practicing Tai Chi for several weeks and I can tell that I am a lot more flexible and I have better balance. I have a hour-long class each week and practice about a half hour each day at home. The half hour goes by very quickly and I have gone on longer at times.


I wasn't aware of the meditative aspect of Tai Chi until I started the class. It always looked like work and exercise to me but I was always interested in it. Once I got started the rhythmic breathing and repetitive movements at an almost slow-motion pace really lead you into a calm meditative state and reduces stress.


I also didn't know anything about the history of Tai Chi but there are a number of styles or Tai Chi families. Our class is in a Yang style but there are apparently even multiple styles within the Yang family. The class is offered through AARP so we are probably doing the AARP Yang style. I am one of the younger people in the class so that surely has an impact on what direction we take.



Joanne took a Tai Chi class at the YMCA at one time but was frustrated because the instructor tried to move the class too fast. From not knowing anything the first week to performing elaborate sequences of forms in a very short time frame. The class I'm taking is primarily focused on the basic forms and not so much of the sequential movements. That makes it more understandable than what her class was trying to do.

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