Exercise and energy

Along with meditation and nutrition, exercise cultivating qi/ chi is one of the self administered factors of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

Perhaps one of the most popular forms of Chinese exercise is Tai Chi, which means ‘the ulimate energy’. Its origins lie in the religious beliefs of Taoism and it exercises the energy system through slow but highly regulated movements of the body.

A formal class of Tai Chi may take between an hour and an hour-and-a-half each time. For the best results, it’s essential to practise three times a week (but not necessarily in formal classes).

If you are up and about early in the morning in China you will find hundreds of people in the parks practising Tai Chi before beginning their day. The advantages to this form of exercise are that it enables you to develop a healthy body as well as well as an alert mind.

Long-term Tai Chi practice had favourable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in elders, researchers have said. It can also help to reduce ‘pain, stress and anxiety in healthy subjects’.

It can have benefits for people with serious conditions, such as heart disease and high blood pressure as well as conditions such as multiple sclerosis.

To find a class near you, visit the tai chi union website: www.taichiunion.com

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