Contents:
- Medical Video: Tai Chi 5 Minutes a Day Module 01 - easy for beginners
- What is tai chi?
- Benefits of tai chi for health
- 1. Relieves stress, anxiety, and depression
- 2. Increase concentration
- 3. Strengthen muscles
- 4. Maintain heart health
- 5. Train the flexibility of the body
- Tai chi movement for beginners
- 1. Initial pose
- 2. Relaxing hands
- 3. Two full moon movements
- 4. Spreading wings
- 5. Splitting water
Medical Video: Tai Chi 5 Minutes a Day Module 01 - easy for beginners
If you are a sports fan who prioritizes mind and body harmony such as yoga or pilates, you should also try tai chi. Tai chi is a fitness exercise that has been known for centuries, especially in China. Because the benefits for the mind and body are very large, until now tai chi is still a popular sport. Besides that, the technique is quite simple, it doesn't really need special abilities like Pilates. So, anyone can try and prove the benefits of tai chi. Interested in practicing tai chi? Please refer to the following tai chi movement guide for beginners.
What is tai chi?
Tai chi is a combination of art and fitness sports that aims to train the balance of body and mind. The movements carried out resemble a calm flow of water. That is why people who practice tai chi will slowly enter a very relaxed condition like meditation. However, at the same time, your body continues to work to support you steadily.
The focus of tai chi training is to practice concentration, control breathing, and adjust the rhythm of the body like running water. By doing these three things, people who practice tai chi are expected to generate energy within you known as the term qi. This energy will help your mind and body to work with harmony and harmony.
Benefits of tai chi for health
Tai chi has a very large role in prevention and treatment of various health problems. Not only for the body, tai chi is also beneficial for maintaining mental health. Here are some of the benefits of practicing tai chi regularly.
1. Relieves stress, anxiety, and depression
A study published in the International Journal of Behavioral Medicine reveals that tai chi is able to calm the mind. Tai chi exercises will help you increase self-awareness, patience, self-control, and empathy. Moreover, if you practice tai chi in an open place that is close to nature such as parks or beaches. You will feel relaxed and more connected to everything around you. This is certainly very useful for mental health, especially if you are being hit by depression, anxiety, anger, grief, or feeling empty.
2. Increase concentration
Through movements that tend to be slow and circular, tai chi will help you focus and minimize the interference that originates both from the environment around you and from within your own mind. If you practice tai chi regularly, you will become well versed in sharpening your focus and clarifying your mind when working, studying, or thinking.
3. Strengthen muscles
The various tai chi movements that also originate from Asian martial arts require you to sustain various limbs with strength. Although this sport tends to be calm, you are required to hold certain poses without aids for a long time. It is able to work the muscles in the upper and lower body parts to make it stronger.
4. Maintain heart health
Because tai chi prioritizes breathing exercises and reduces stress, this exercise can reduce blood pressure. Tai chi movements that are more dynamic such as squatting, bending, or kicking also turn out to be equivalent to walking exercise. So, your heart and blood vessels will become stronger and healthier if you practice tai chi diligently.
5. Train the flexibility of the body
The positions in tai chi practice require coordination, strength, and flexibility. Thus, the body becomes more flexible and balanced. This will be very useful for those of you who have motor coordination problems, a body that feels stiff, or in elderly people who are prone to losing balance and falling. If done regularly, you can also reduce muscle and joint pain.
Tai chi movement for beginners
Tai chi for beginners basically focuses on positive thoughts and basic positions that are quite simple. Usually tai chi sessions for beginners run for 12 weeks with exercise about twice a week. You can practice with a tai chi instructor (master) or try it yourself by following these easy guidelines.
1. Initial pose
Stand straight with both feet open shoulder width apart. Place both hands on the hips. Gently turn the head clockwise and repeat twice. After that, turn the head in the opposite direction three times. Inhale deeply until your shoulders are raised and slowly release while lowering your shoulders.
2. Relaxing hands
Lift your hands up to your belly height. Make sure that your upper arm keeps your body tight and kibas the palms of your hands as if you are drying your hands from grains of water. Do this hand-stretching motion while pulling and exhaling three times.
Still with the same standing position, lift your hands with a motion like gently sweeping the wall in front of you. When raising your hand, aim your fingers so that they face down. When your hands are as high as your head, lower slowly with the position of your fingers straight up. Repeat six times while continuing to take deep breaths.
3. Two full moon movements
Lift your arms forward until they are perpendicular to the side of the body and lower back until the position of the hand returns to the side of your body and forms a perfect full circle. Repeat this movement six times. End with the position of the hands on each side of the body.
4. Spreading wings
Lift your arms to your chest height. With the palm of the hand lying parallel facing down, make sure that the ends of your palms touch each other almost. Then slowly move to open the arms as if spreading "wings" or your forearms to the side of the body. Let your arms stretch out straight and straight. Return to the starting position with your hands in front of your chest. Repeat this stretching hand up to six times. Don't forget to maintain deep breathing techniques as long as you practice this movement.
5. Splitting water
Point your arms straight forward about your chest height. The palms of your hands should face down. Then, make a move like you are swimming and splitting the water in front of you slowly. Swing each of your arms to the side of the body and return to its original position. Repeat six times while continuing to breathe relaxed. End with the position of both hands on the side of the body.
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