Learn Tai Chi: Strategies for Beginners

Learn Tai Chi: Beginners Tips

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Tai chi offers a number of benefits to its practitioners. However, the process of learning enough tai chi to reap these benefits can be sometimes frustrating. Here are some ways to accelerate your tai chi learning process.

In this section, you’ll find strategies and tips for:

• Learning tai chi movements

• Learning tai chi for health

• Learning tai chi for martial arts

• Learning tai chi for stress management

• Learning tai chi as a senior

Learning the Movements of Tai Chi. Tai chi involves a series of sometimes complicated movements. Learning the body positions and correct alignments when executing these movements is the first step in learning tai chi.

Regardless of the reasons one has for practicing tai chi, everyone must go through the same struggle to simply learn the movements. This is the first step before one’s tai chi practice can deepen from empty, awkward movements to an energy-filled exercise and health tool.

Learning a series of movements can be frustrating. Here are some tips which will hopefully remove potential frustration and to make your process of learning the choreography of tai chi smoother and more enjoyable.

Learning Tai Chi for Health. Millions of people in China and Asia practice tai chi for health reasons on a daily basis. Since its introduction in the West, many westerners have also taken up tai chi for its health benefits.

To gain the most from your tai chi workout in terms of health, focus on smooth and relaxed movements. These--and not rapid, jerky movements—are the best for energy flow and to avoid physically and energetically jolting your body.

Read more about tips to practice tai chi for health here.

Learning Tai Chi as a Martial Art. Tai chi as a martial art has an ‘in your face’ component that tai chi for health does not. In addition to dealing with the doubts, complexes, and inner demons that are likely to arise from any tai chi practice—and better that these arise and are released than forever stuck in your body—there’s also the matter of dodging blows and landing a few of your own.

To learn to fight well, one must practice specific fighting techniques. Approximating them, imagining them and getting the right energy flow just aren’t enough. One needs to devote time to both a solo practice as well as training with others.

Additional skills and training techniques must be mastered to gain skill as a tai chi martial artist. Read more about learning tai chi as a martial art here.

Doing Tai Chi for Stress Management. Tai chi is a way to gain mental and emotional calmness. Tai chi relaxes your nervous system, and allows stress and tension to simply drain away—along with any potentially detrimental chemicals that were produced during stress.

Tai chi not only returns your nervous system and mind to its normal, baseline state, it can also leave you calmer and less vulnerable when new stressful events arise. Read more about practicing tai chi for stress control and relaxation here.

Learning Tai Chi for Seniors. Tai chi is a low-impact exercise that appeals to many seniors. Its benefits as far as improving physical balance, blood circulation, and even sexual vitality have been well-documented. Tai chi has also been shown to regulate and to lower blood pressure and to promote a good night’s sleep. These, and many other benefits make tai chi especially attractive for seniors.

The benefits from tai chi are real and seniors can gain these through a regular and careful tai chi practice. Here are some specific suggestions for seniors beginning a tai chi practice.

Next: Read about learning tai chi movements.

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