yoga's Forgotten Cousin (Tai Chi)

Member Name: sarashaw100

Product:	Tai Chi
Date:	22/03/02 (533 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Increases Flexability, Cheap

Disadvantages: Doesn't burn calories

I cant say that until around half a year ago I had truly heard of Tai Chi. It sounds like something to go with your spare ribs when your ordering a takeaway but the truth is that this a Chinese exercise. There is very little coverage of Tai Chi and what it is really about and I have only every seen a few snippets here and there of it on television, unlike Yoga which is some ways is very similar and yet has huge amounts of coverage due to the rich and famous such as Madonna and Geri Halliwell trying it.

So what is Tai Chi? It was developed around 4000 years ago in China and it is a form of stretching exercise. There are two forms of Tai Chi, the martial form that is a bit like Karate and Kung Fu and then there is Taoist Tai Chi, which was formed for health, benefits and is more like Yoga and dance routines.

I attend and have done for around two months a Taoist Tai Chi class which is what I’m going to tell you about. The class was advertised but I heard about it off a friend. My friend Gill and I decided we were up for a laugh and didn’t mind if we made a fool ourselves it was something to get us out the house on a Wednesday night instead of sitting at home reading dooyoo ops J.

We wore lose clothing not really having a clue what to expect but when we arrived everyone there seemed to be wearing the similar t-shirt or jumper and baggy trousers like track suit bottoms. We were greeted by the instructor who told us that if we started we would be joining in the middle of the course which he had never done before but had no objections if we didn’t mind starting at the deepend. We decided to stay and joined in as best we could.

Tai Chi is made up of 108 different and very basic moves. These moves, some of which I will describe, are joined together and co-ordinated from one to another very simply into a routine which looks a bit like a slowed down dance routine in some ways.

So what are these moves like? Well e
ach is a stretch, which involves the whole body. The hands play an important part because if your hands are in the wrong place the stretch will not work. All fingers are straightened for every move and pushed slightly back but not to far as you should feel no discomfort, this is called tigers mouth.

Grasp Bird’s Tail – stretch out your front arm but keep your palm facing you at a 90-degree angle. Your right arm should stretch out behind you and your left leg should be in front of the right leg and bent so you are lunging forwards.

Brush Knee – Your legs should be in the same position for the ‘grasp birds tail’ but the right arm should be at the same angle down as the front leg and the right arm should be straight out in front and the hand should leave the ‘tigers mouth’ position into a fist which is clenched

Push Needle to Sea Bottom – Both legs should be close together and straight. The right arm goes down, with the left arm clasping it just below the wrist, and tries to get as close to the floor as possible – do not worry if you cannot touch the floor go as far as you can and over time you should be able to get closer and closer to the floor.

I could go on but I’m not covering all 108 moves, as it would take forever.

Ever week at your class you cover a little more of the set and recap over what you have already learned. There are different level classes just like you get at swimming classes so if you improve faster than your class you can move up and join the next class.

So how did I cope joining in the middle of a class? Well I had to sit out for a while but I soon got the idea. My instructor took extra care in explaining the moves, which he did by standing in the middle of the hall while we encircle him so we can all see. The set is broken up into different names and as you go through the set he will tell you what part you are on, such as ‘fa
ir lady’ and ‘snake’.

What are the benefits of Tai Chi? It is fairly easy to do which means that all ages can do it. Most of my class are middle aged and myself, Gill and our friend Vanessa who joined after hearing us praise it are the youngest there now as a girl who was doing her Duke of Edinburgh Award (of which you have to take up a physical activity and spend a certain amount of time doing it each week) has just left. The stretches allow you to increase aerobic levels and flexibility. It is stretching, which means that you will burn very few calories, maybe enough to cover one or two tick tacks, thus I still go swimming and to the gym.

So how much does Tai Chi cost? Well I pay £2 a week because I am in full time education. However if you go to work it costs £4. After a few lessons you are asked to join the Taoist Tai Chi Society, which after membership fee entitles you to go to as many classes you like a week at no extra cost. The membership cost is the same as the £2 or £4 which is really good value as my class is two hours long costing only £1 an hour. For those of you who like freebies there is also a nice free t-shirt you get and a car sticker. The membership fees cover the cost of hall hire, as the instructors are voluntary workers.

If you would like any more information on Tai Chi then the web page is

http://www.taoist.org



Sara

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