There is an article in today's Star which wrote about the effectiveness of Tai Chi exercise during a chemo treatment. It helps to relieve the pain, fatigue and the side effects of a chemo treatment. I have been practising Tai Chi for 3 years now but lately, I have been focusing more on yoga for exercise to keep fit. Both exercise is actually complimenting each other. Yoga is to improve the flexibility of our muscles and our joints and relax our body to get the full benefits from a Tai Chi exercise. Lastly, one very important complimentary contribution from yoga to Tai Chi is that yoga opens up the air space in our lungs where the beautiful chi of Tai Chi can access and be absorbed by our body.
For youngsters, Tai Chi is too slow and it does not push them to the limit unlike iron pumping, aerobics, combat kungfu, kickboxing, etc. But, there is more in Tai Chi, then just slow movements and breathing. It is also described as a meditation in motion with awareness and a great philosophy in life. I have written an article on Tai Chi in my blog and I would not like to repeat the history of Tai Chi in this article. Basically, I would like to dwell on the benefits of the exercise.
The basic of Tai Chi is to be firm in the leg movements while upper body should be as flexible as possible like the branches of a tree which sway with the wind. When you are in motion of the exercise, you should be as relax as possible like you are swimming in the water. Every movement of the leg is in a pattern following the routine but more important is in the movement of the hand which controls the breathing of each breath. When the hand is moving towards the body, you should breath and be your hand movement is pushing away from your body, you should breath out. So, if you hand movement is slow, you breath also slow down and this provides a calm to the body and relax your mind.
Awareness is another important aspect of the exercise. During the movement of the hand and the breath, you should focus on the breath moving in and out of the body. You should be aware of the start of the breath, the slowness of the breath moving into the body and the turning point of the breath changing from breathing in and moving out of the breath from your body. So, your mind should be aware of the whole process and enjoy each beautiful breath moving in and out of the body. This is the reason why the exercise is called meditation in motion. To maximize the benefit, the movement and the motion of the hands, legs and breath should be slow but in a continuous motion without any interruptions.
Just like meditation, you can not just sit down and meditate and expect the benefits to be felt immediately. We have to be persistent and through repeated exercise, you will be able to experience the benefits coming in gradually. Some people are able to feel the benefits after a few exercise but for some it may take abit longer. Repeating the routine and proper guidance is the only way to get the maximum benefits from the exercise.
For some people, the routine is complicated and difficult to remember. There is no easy way to enjoy the benefits and joy from Tai Chi. You have to be patient and a good trainer will make it easier for you to learn the art. Once, you know the routine and you persist to practice the art, you will have no regrets and you will see the changes in your body , your mind and your life. You will be calmer, healthier and wiser , in addition to to relieve the pain from Chemo.
Namaste.
No comments:
Post a Comment