Oprah Winfrey once aired a two part show on the benefits of Tai Chi and there are many people who enjoy the benefits of the practice. Tai Chi is more than just exercise, it is also a way to find peace and mental stability.
The History of Tai Chi
Yang Tai Chi is a unique form of combined movement and meditation that promotes strength, balance and harmony. The ancient practice is best known as Tai Chi. Many people compare Tai Chi to yoga because of the slow and precise movements involved, but there are many differences between the two activities. The primary goal of Tai Chi is to reach a state of peace and tranquility while improving body balance and perfecting graceful movements. Yang Lu’chan developed an interpretive style of Tai Chi that is based on his martial arts education. The modern form of Tai Chi is currently practiced by people in many different countries.
Yang Lu'chan
Yang Tai Chi is an ancient practice that began in the 1800s when Yang Lu’chan began teaching his own spin on martial arts. Yang Lu’chan was born in 1799 and there are several different story versions regarding the history of his life. Many people are interested in finding out more about Yang Lu'chan's childhood years and adult life. One of the stories reveals that Yang Lu’chan was born into a farming family. Once his kind father realized that his son was interested in practicing martial arts, he encouraged him to begin lessons with a local martial arts teacher called Liu. After the teacher taught Yang everything that he knew, the boy desired to learn even more. He wanted to learn the secret practice of Tai Chi but the Chan San-feng family was not willing to share their knowledge of the martial art form with others.
Learning The Secret Martial Art Form
Young Yang Lu’chan was so determined to learn the secret martial art form that he began to work for one of the Chang San-feng descendants who practiced Tai Chi in the evening hours. While working for Chen Chiang-hsing, the boy learned the martial arts movements by spying on his employer. After Chian-hsing witnessed one of Yang’s impressive martial arts sessions, Chian-hsing made the decision to break tradition and teach his Tai Chi secrets to the boy. He taught the boy the ancient art of Tai Chi and Yang eventually became an expert in the art form. Yang's mentor encouraged him to become a martial arts teacher so he could share his knowledge with other eager students. While Yang was a teacher, he took the traditional moves he learned and taught them in his own unique way. He was a successful teacher and he taught his Tai Chi methods to the Imperial Guards in China.
How The Practice of Tai Chi Spread Around The World
Lu’chan’s unique perspective on the martial arts form made him a popular teacher and his students benefited from his teaching methods. His sons continued to teach their father’s form of Tai Chi long after his death and eventually created their own Tai Chi schools. Yang's teaching methods continued when some of his son's talented students went on to open their own martial arts schools. For many generations people practiced Yang Lu’chan’s form of martial arts and following the revolution, people from all around the world began to practice Yang's form of Tai Chi.
Modern Tai Chi
The practice of Yang Ta Chi includes a variety of hand movements that express thoughts of harmony and balance in the world. The form of martial arts is based on a combination of slow and vigorous movements. After Yang Lu’chan’s death, some of the vigorous movements were removed from the teachings of Tai Chi and the current teachings are based on the slow and meaningful movements. The application of ancient Yang Tai Chi in its original form, took several hours to accomplish.
Today’s teachers have shortened the length of the lessons so that the average person has time to practice the form of martial arts on a regular basis. The short form of Tai Chi has become popular among fitness enthusiasts and those interested in martial arts. People who practice Tai Chi experience many physical and spiritual benefits. Tai Chi classes have become popular in countries around the world because people love the positive physical and psychological results that the martial arts classes provide.
