Tai Chi for Health, Wellness and Longevity: An Ancient Mind-Body Practice
By Jill Basso
Desert Sage Tai Chi
Have you heard of Tai Chi? Lately, it has been spreading on social media, with Tai Chi walking and promises of many health benefits. While that is true, it doesn’t happen overnight. Nothing is that easy! Translated, Tai Chi is a slow-moving, meditative, mind-body practice that improves relaxation, balance, and inner and outer strength. In case you don’t want to sit and meditate, you can move and meditate. The slow, thoughtful moves of tai chi bring the body to a place of inner harmony. The classics say that with patience and perseverance, one can learn Tai Chi.
Tai Chi was created in approximately 960-1126 AD in China, primarily as a martial art, and has been a discipline taught by masters since this time. There are four major Tai Chi families: Chen, Wu, Yang, and Sung. One theory about this Asian art is that a sage observed the movements of a snake and a bird, and Tai Chi was born. Tai Chi has been practiced in China and other Asian countries for hundreds of years. Qi Gong, another slow-moving practice like Tai Chi, is thousands of years old. Both Tai Chi and Qi Gong deeply condition and vitalize the body, and more specifically develop tone and tenacious strength. Muscles, ligaments, joints, bones, and fascia all work cohesively to improve tone and smooth and efficient movement. It’s great for your back, brain health, organs, and breathing, too!
One day in 1995, in Brooklyn, a colleague invited me to a Tai Chi class. I had no idea what to expect. Class was vibrant and full of friendly faces. Classes took place in a martial arts dojo on the second floor in Sheepshead Bay, and there I met my teacher, Jimmy, and Bill, and others. That was Patience Tai Chi Association 30 years ago. I had no idea what I was doing, but I loved it. It felt good in my body. It was slow, unique, and interesting. I felt calmer and more grounded. A year or two later, I began teaching. The form I learned was the Yang Short Form, also known as Cheng Man Ching’s form. I have been teaching the Yang Short Form, the Yang Long Form, Qi Gong forms, and weapons to women.
Cheng Man Ching (“The Professor”) was the “Master of Five Excellences”, which were poetry, calligraphy, medicine, tai chi, and painting. Cheng came to NYC in the mid-sixties from mainland China, via Taiwan, and opened a Tai Chi school in the Bowery. Many people came to that school to study Tai Chi forms and swords with him. My teacher, Bill, was one of them. Cheng Man Ching wrote many books in his lifetime, sharing this once “secret art”. There are many teachers in the US who are teaching in this lineage.
When one embarks on learning Tai Chi, one might start in class with some preliminary exercises such as Tai Chi walking, being upright, maintaining an integrated body structure, slowing down, circling joint movements, Constant Bear, Looking Owl, and other moves to learn the feel of Tai Chi. What is that feeling? One learns to become aware of one’s body and how it moves (or doesn’t!). You will likely feel better. After a few classes with the right teacher, you will feel more comfortable, balanced, at ease, and relaxed, along with many other benefits. Over time, you will likely learn one of the many Tai Chi or Qi Gong forms. Google the Eight Brocades!
Tai Chi is based on the Eastern philosophy of health. Tai Chi was developed to improve longevity. It is part of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) system as an exercise. It is preventative medicine. It improves health and prevents disease. Let me explain. Your body learns to move with flow. Slow and flow. The flow activates a relaxation response in the body. Your body learns to move smoothly and continuously with Tai Chi. You can use Tai Chi to ground yourself and de-stress. You can practice Tai Chi anywhere. That is a big advantage. In the moment, you can stand up and practice a move or two anywhere. I travel a lot, so I can practice Tai Chi easily in the airport. I also love being outdoors and in nature. I can practice Tai Chi while walking, hiking, or with a friend. It goes where you go!
Tai Chi Chuan is more accurately translated as “Supreme Ultimate Martial Art”. Most people I meet or who come to my classes do not realize it is a martial art. It is an exceptional martial art and especially empowering for women! Why? Tai Chi teaches one to move slowly and efficiently. With time and practice, this trains the body to move more easily when moving quicker, as any sport requires, or when throwing a punch! Tai Chi is based on the movement of internal energy and does not require the use of any muscle power. How can that be so? Tai Chi is unique. One learns to move with energy (chi), internal power, and momentum. It is quite fascinating. No couch potatoes here!
This power extends further. Perhaps toward family, friends, and others. Tai Chi’s positive energy flow and movement can be translated as a metaphor for life. Do not counter power with power. Yield. Harmonize your body and mind. This can be applied in one’s everyday life and in relationships. It fosters inner calm. It fosters the mind’s inner discipline. It unites mind and body into one. Tai Chi is balancing. It is mindfulness and a somatic practice. Therein is a deep connection to self, which can positively contribute to inner healing and your relationships.
One student who joined my classes last year said that Tai Chi changed her life. Her mood improved. She smiled more broadly, her cheeks bright and pink. She started to walk and stand taller. She started to write poetry and began socializing. Her confidence strengthened. She is a school crossing guard and enjoys doing Tai Chi while waiting to safely cross her students. She does joint and hip circles each morning for 5 minutes. She wakes up each day with a feeling of joy. It has really given her purpose and meaning in her life.
Over the last 30 years, I have taught people ages 5-85. Children love Tai Chi. One student whom I taught in a summer camp a few years back had ADHD. He was very bright and active and took to Tai Chi immediately. He was 9. In a Tai Chi class, I had incorporated art into the practice. He chose to draw a crane, as in a popular Tai Chi posture, “White Crane Spreads Its Wings,” and, with that drawing, he added, “I love tai chi, it’s the slowest thing I’ve ever done!” For young adults, Tai Chi can help with all types of sports activities, as it improves fluid movement, balance, coordination, reaction time, and efficiency. For older adults, it reduces the risk of falls and frailty and improves conditions that may arise as we age, like arthritis, high blood pressure, and Parkinson’s.
In May, I attended the Science of Tai Chi and Qi Gong conference at Harvard Medical School in Boston. The conference was attended by over 400 people from around the world, both researching and practicing tai chi. It was mind-blowing! There were doctors, neurologists, and biologists from hospitals, physical therapy practices, and integrative health centers, alongside Master-Level Tai Chi and Qi Gong practitioners. There was collaboration amongst the medical community and teachers, with many presentations on how Tai Chi benefits and contributes to “Whole Person Health”. This was the conference’s foundational message. A small group of us presented on Tai Chi for Children.
Tai Chi is a mind-body practice for health, wellness, and longevity. It is a mind-body practice that can help de-stress, reduce pain, improve movement, deepen relaxation, and improve one’s life. Go out and try a class!
Here are some phrases from the classics to consider and inspire your current or future practice:
• Whoever practices Tai Chi correctly and regularly will gain the pliability of a child, the health of a lumberjack, and the peace of mind of a sage.
• “Relax, Relax, and then completely relax. You must be completely relaxed.” – Cheng Man-Ch’ing
• “The softest things in the world overcome the hardest things in the world.” – Lao Tzu
• “To maintain balance while constantly shifting body weight is an art few ever acquire.” – Bruce Lee
• In any action, the whole body should be light and agile, and all the body’s joints should be connected. Emphasizes fluidity and structural integrity.
Overall, Tai Chi is a dedicated discipline for Body, Mind, and Spirit.
For more information on Jill L. Basso, M.Ed., BCBA, LMT, SEP, her teachings and classes in Tai Chi in Santa Fe, NM, contact her by email at jillbasso@earthlink.net or visit her website Desert Sage Tai Chi at www.desertsagetaichi.com.
