TAI CHI CHUAN Tai Chi can be thought of as meditation in motion. It combines aspects of movement, breathing, and contemplation in it's exercises. The exercises in Tai Chi, or 'sets' consist of a sequence of movements in different directions and stances, and combine both fast and slow movements. While Tai Chi's roots are in Chinese martial arts, the focus of Tai Chi would not be considered martial, but rather as a meditative form of exercise for the body. One of the goals of Tai Chi is to promote the circulation of 'chi' within the body. 'Chi' is the energy in our bodies that gives us vitality and gives our bodies and spirits strength. The meditative aspect of Tai Chi helps foster a peaceful mind through focusing on executing the forms with precision. As with most forms of martial arts exercises, such as karate's kata, or Tae Kwon do's forms, Tai Chi's exercises help develop balance, control, a solid foundation, and a greater body mind awareness. Forms also help develop memory and pattern recognition. Some Tai Chi practitioners engage in a competitive form of Tai Chi called "Push Hands". In this application the two competitors engage hands and engage in a slow form of combat where each person tries to sense their opponent's 'chi' and are able to channel 'destructive' energy away from themselves, and try to push their opponent off balance and disrupt their 'chi'. Tai chi emphasizes redirecting attacks (kicks and punches) away from one's self in a direction which is no longer dangerous.Tracing the history of Tai Chi is very difficult because it is hard to distinguish fact from legend. With some certainty, however, we can trace Tai Chi's roots to about 4000 years ago to the practice of Yoga in ancient India. The martial art that traveled to China evolved and became known as Shaolin Chuan, or Shaolin boxing. In the 13th century, approximately 2700 years ago, a Chinese monk named Chang Sang Feng developed what later became known as Tai Chi. The different forms of Tai Chi are associated with different families in China. The Chen family developed the first tai chi style that all others were developed from. A man named Yang studied the Chen style of Tai Chi and later made modifications. His style became known as the Yang style of Tai Chi, and is currently the most common form of Tai Chi practiced today. Wepage, Backgrounds & Codes By Topaz/Sandy© This Page Is Not Shareware Or Linkware Please Do Not Copy Or Remove Any Part Designed Exclusively For A Jewel In The Crown