- About Tai Chi
- What Is Chen-style Tai Chi?
- Tai Chi Blog
- Further Reading
What Is Tai Chi?
Tai Chi is a fusion of martial arts, health-preserving and restoring exercises, and meditation. You can learn how to connect with your body at a very deep level, and how to coordinate your mind and body in a unique way. The result is a healthier and more relaxed body and mind, and newfound strength and fitness that doesn't depend on slaving away in a gym.
This website provides information on Chen-style Tai Chi practice in Scotland. See also the Links section for further online resources, and the Wikipedia articles, "Tai chi chaun" and "Chen style tai chi chaun".
What Can Tai Chi Do For Me?
There are many different and complementary aspects to Tai Chi practice. What are you looking for?
- Martial Arts Training
- Tai Chi helps you understand how your body works at a deep level. You balance will improve, and your ability to use all your body's power at the same time will increase. You will become more relaxed and better able to respond and blend with the movements of your opponents. In time, the practice leads into pushing hands training and weapons forms, which both build skill and strength in useful and healthy ways. In contrast to some styles, rather than having to give up eventually when you get older, your skill and understanding will only increase, making it a art that can be practised throughout your life.
- Gentle Exercise And Relaxation
- The exercises and form practice in Tai Chi can be as gentle or as vigorous as you please. The core muscles are worked whilst simultaneously promoting relaxation throughout the body, keeping you fit and fluid without getting tired out. Also, Tai Chi is sometimes called "moving meditation", meaning that just practising can have a deeply relaxing effect, helping to combat stress and anxiety. This is explored in further detail in the CTCS blog post, "Meditation In Tai Chi".
- Improved Posture, Reduced Joint And Back Pain
- In Tai Chi, you learn how to hold yourself in a natural fashion, which results in improved posture and in turn this relieves the stress on overworked joints and muscles. As you learn about your postural habits and tendencies, you gradually improve the way in which you hold yourself and the way you use your body. Ultimately, this results in a stronger, more fluid but more relaxed body, and a feeling of effortlessness.
- Relief From Chronic Health Conditions
- Some chronic or long-term health conditions may respond positively
to Tai Chi practice. For example, the British Heart Foundation has approved the practice of Tai Chi in patients recovering from heart
failure, while one study found that Tai Chi helped
"improve diabetes". See also the following;
- "The effect of Tai Chi on health outcomes in patients with chronic conditions: a systematic review" (abstract)
- "Tai Chi Exercise in Patients with Chronic Heart Failure" (see also the references at the end)








