The elegant, gentle movements of Tai Chi bring many benefits including improved circulation, balance, strength, flexibility and freedom from pain, stress, and anxiety. 

Rather than cultivating a taut, stiff body, the fundamental difference between Tai Chi and most western exercise regimens is Tai Chi’s emphasis on aligning with gravity and gently letting go of the tension in your muscles, joints, and ligaments. Relaxing the muscles in combination with slow-motion movement gradually and safely restores flexibility, strength, and range of motion.  We have seen many chronic physical injuries finally heal through the practice of Tai Chi.

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As we relax our physical body, our mind clears. Stuck emotions and stress locked within tight places in our bodies release.

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Research  shows that people who practice Tai Chi regularly achieve similar levels of fitness as those who walk or do other forms of physical therapy. Part of that is due to Tai Chi’s soothing effects on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which tends to activate when a person is under stress. Tai chi seems to increase hormone and heart-rate measures linked with lower SNS activity.

“The best medicine keeps people well, so that they do not become sick.”

                                           - Cheng Man-Ch'ing

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It would be hard to overstate the health benefits of tai chi, even for those who are very ill. There is a mountain of research demonstrating the positive effects of a regular practice of tai chi and the related art of Qigong.

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Thousands of years ago the Chinese realized that the foundation of health is our vital energy, sometimes called “chi” or “qi”. It comes from the air we breathe, the food we eat, and the strength and vitality we inherited from our parents. The abundant, free flow of this energy throughout our body enables every organ, tissue, and gland to function optimally. If this energy is blocked, depleted, polluted, or agitated, the ability of the organs to function is compromised, opening the door to disease in the body, mind, and spirit.

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Tai Chi restores and cultivates an abundant, balanced flow of this energy. In our experience, nothing has a more enduring and deeply beneficial effect than the gentle, relaxed movements of tai chi.

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Tai Chi offers benefits for people living with acute and chronic illnesses. A study, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, suggests the exercise helps with pain and stiffness in arthritis. It can also help improve quality of life in the lung condition, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

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According to researchers from the University of British Colombia, Vancouver. it may also have physical benefits for people with breast cancer or heart failure.

Practicing Tai Chi promotes mental and emotional balance, increases focus and concentration, and generally supports an overall sense of psychological wellness.  The relaxed, deep breathing helps one enter the quiet mind of all-encompassing awareness that is present in the space between thoughts.

​Research suggests that practicing Tai Chi reduces stress, anxiety, depression, and mood disturbance, and increased self-esteem.  You will learn to feel and soften progressively more deeply inside your body. With practice, you develop an awareness of where your body (and mind) holds tension, stiffness and pain, and how to let it go.

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Almost everyone who practices Tai Chi recognizes its powerful effect on relaxation and concentration.

The physical movement will help you develop the element of mindfulness, something you can take with you throughout the day.

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In short, Tai Chi provides a soothing, dynamic practice to calm your mind, move your body, and bring some balance into your daily life.