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ORIENTAL EXERCISE
Dedicated to maintaining health and vitality through movement

Tai Chi (sometimes written as Tai Chi) is an exercise system from China that combines slow, graceful movement with calm, regular breathing. It has many styles and uses in the world today - becoming very popular as a means of maintaining good health and feelings of relaxation and calm. It has now become a truly international pursuit, enjoyed by people of all ages, all levels of fitness. The aim of tai ji is to cultivate and circulate the body's vital energy - or Qi. By so doing, we can gain all kinds of benefits not normally enjoyed by conventional exercise.

Tai Ji practice is based on a sequence of movements called 'a form.' If you think of a piece of choreography or dance, then the form has many similarities. It is composed of lots of separate movements which are strung together to form a set sequence. The movements within this sequence are always gone through in the same order, one after the other. The short tai ji form, the one featured on this website, takes around eight minutes to do, and should be done daily.

In tai ji the arms move in a relaxed, circular fashion. Steps are taken very slowly, or else the feet remain firmly rooted to the ground - the weight shifting gently from one side to the other as you go. The movements are natural - like a floating cloud or running stream, and the breath remains calm and rhythmic throughout, centred in the abdomen. All this results in a sense of calm and inner stability, which allows tai chi to be used as a method of stress management. Regular practice helps us to think more creatively and positively.

Follow the links below to discover more about this wonderful system of exercise, including the history of tai ji and an explanation of how it works in terms of health.

Tai Ji Illustrated History of Tai Ji