Tai Chi
What an amazing martial art form!
When I first watched the group perform the set (108 moves), I thought it very beautiful but could not imagine that it was much good as a form of excercise. I mean there were people in their 80's doing it so, really, how demanding could it be! Was I in for a surprise!
Beginner Tai Chi was a 14 week course were we learned some basic Tai Chi excercises and the 108 moves. There are several moves on one leg. I lost my balance a lot at first but after a while, our balance improves in general, not just during Tai Chi.
By the time you have completed the 108 moves - it takes about 15 minutes - you can really tell ou have done something good for yourself. It helps your stamina and strength as well as balance. It does all this without all the jumping about of an aerobics class or the boring running in place on a machine in a health club.
Our classes are 2 hours in length. The first 45 minutes is spent with the 'warm up' excercises. These are based on the Tai Chi moves and get the joints and muscles losened up. Then we break for tea for about 20 minutes or so. The next 30 minutes is spent learning something new about one of the moves or a group of moves. Did I mention that you there is always something new to learn? Even masters who have been practicing Tai chi for years still learn something new. The last part of the class is spent doing the set.
Remembering the order in which to perform the steps is still a challenge. There is one member who volunteers leads the set so there is always someone to follow.
One if the great things about Tai Chi is that it is adaptable. If you cannot do a move the way "it was meant to be done", there are adaptations that you can use. My knees are bad so the "snake" is nearly impossible for me. So instead of stretching way out and down to the ground, I just make it to about waist level and that's just fine.
Both my parents, Dad is 80 and Mom is 79, go to Seniors Tai Chi twice a week. They love it! It is the same set that we do, the moves are just modified slightly to avoid any deep bending and they perform the set a bit slower. Oh, by the way, Mom had her knee replaced about 10 years ago - not a problem. She does some of the move better the I do!
There is lots more to Tai Chi than just the physical part but if you are looking for a gentle but effective form of excercise, check out Tai Chi.
When I first watched the group perform the set (108 moves), I thought it very beautiful but could not imagine that it was much good as a form of excercise. I mean there were people in their 80's doing it so, really, how demanding could it be! Was I in for a surprise!
Beginner Tai Chi was a 14 week course were we learned some basic Tai Chi excercises and the 108 moves. There are several moves on one leg. I lost my balance a lot at first but after a while, our balance improves in general, not just during Tai Chi.
By the time you have completed the 108 moves - it takes about 15 minutes - you can really tell ou have done something good for yourself. It helps your stamina and strength as well as balance. It does all this without all the jumping about of an aerobics class or the boring running in place on a machine in a health club.
Our classes are 2 hours in length. The first 45 minutes is spent with the 'warm up' excercises. These are based on the Tai Chi moves and get the joints and muscles losened up. Then we break for tea for about 20 minutes or so. The next 30 minutes is spent learning something new about one of the moves or a group of moves. Did I mention that you there is always something new to learn? Even masters who have been practicing Tai chi for years still learn something new. The last part of the class is spent doing the set.
Remembering the order in which to perform the steps is still a challenge. There is one member who volunteers leads the set so there is always someone to follow.
One if the great things about Tai Chi is that it is adaptable. If you cannot do a move the way "it was meant to be done", there are adaptations that you can use. My knees are bad so the "snake" is nearly impossible for me. So instead of stretching way out and down to the ground, I just make it to about waist level and that's just fine.
Both my parents, Dad is 80 and Mom is 79, go to Seniors Tai Chi twice a week. They love it! It is the same set that we do, the moves are just modified slightly to avoid any deep bending and they perform the set a bit slower. Oh, by the way, Mom had her knee replaced about 10 years ago - not a problem. She does some of the move better the I do!
There is lots more to Tai Chi than just the physical part but if you are looking for a gentle but effective form of excercise, check out Tai Chi.
posted by Green Dolphin @ 5:56 PM
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