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TAIJI AND HEALTH

By LIJUN WANG

 It's about  Health ,It's about  life, It's about your Mind & Body combine!

Covered with the heaven, supported by the earth, nurtured by tens of thousands other species, human beings are the most important beings. Humans are born of the essence of heaven and earth, and formed by the rules of the four seasons. Therefore life is the result of nature. However, with the change of seasons and weather, illnesses may invade human bodies, from the surface to the inside, and cause human health problems.

The traditional Chinese medicine with theories and experiences accumulated through thousands of years states that humans are the natural results of the essence of heaven and earth, that "external form and internal spirit can not be separated", and the unity of form and spirit is the basis of the human physical and mental activities. The spirit is the essence from water and food, Chi and blood is the basic building material of body forms, as well as the basic building material of spirit. The daily routine, eating, and working of human beings should be in harmony with the natural rules of the earth, in order to keep abundant Chi and blood, always full of energy.

Illness can be known and also can be prevented and treated. When the seasons change, when one has irregular life style, one may acquire health problems. The Chinese traditional medicine has discovered from the practice that if a person is fall of positive Chi, the illness or evil energy would not be able to affect this person. The Chinese traditional medicine puts emphasis on raising the level of positive Chi to improve one's immunity to illnesses, i.e., it emphasizes prevention. However, when large amount of evil energy gathers, it is difficult to completely avoid it, the positive Chi will weaken, and one may be ill. When one is ill, it is important to treat the problem early to prevent it from worsening. The earliest book on Chinese traditional medicine Huang Di Nei Jing already gave the advice on "eat with restraint, rest in regular hours, do not work too hard, therefore to keep the body and spirit in good shape, and have a long life." This book was mostly on preventing illnesses, maintain a healthy body, on "keeping full Chi so that the evil can not invade, keeping a healthy body so that illness can not occur".

The art of Taiji has the form of martial art, the basis of Chinese traditional medicine on prevention, and the method of cultivating Chi and blood, and strengthening the energy lines in one' body- It first aims at improving one's health, and furthermore may, with years of practice, give one a self-defense capability, and possibly even the kind of energy to suppress others several meters away.

The basic requirements of Taiji on the movements are: relaxation, stableness, slowness, and evenness.

           Relaxation: Relaxation refers to the relaxation in one's mind and consciousness. Imagine that you are relaxed from your head to your feet. After a long period of practice, this will help to improve the circulation of Chi and blood, and achieve a healthier and stronger body. San Guo Zhi: Hua Tuo Zhuan (another book of Chinese traditional medicine) pointed out that if one has good blood circulation, one is not likely to become ill. Su Wen — Tiao Jing Lun (another book of Chinese traditional medicine) also emphasized the point that illness comes about because when one's Chi and blood do not act in harmony.

             Stableness: Stableness shows one's balance. Taiji requires one's movement to be agile, and to have the upper body movement and lower body movement well coordinated. Loss of Stableness will cause chaos in one's mind, which in turn will cause one's spirit to drift. Mind is a leading component of human being, where spirit resides. Therefore, we should maintain the state of mind and spirit peaceful, balanced and stable, in the same time keep the Chi and blood circulation in a good condition, in order to maintain good health.

             Slowness: lowness refers to the feeling of being at ease. When one feels at ease, one has the peace of mind. When one has the peace of mind, the spirit will be in harmony. Where one's spirit is in harmony, one's Chi and blood circulation will be unobstructed and free. Together with the proper breathing method, we will be able to gradually cultivate the We Chi, Zong Chi and Yuan Chi in our body, therefore strengthen both the internal and external part of our body, and improve our ability to resists illness through our Chi.

              Evenness: When we practice, we need to combine movement, breathing and posture together, making the whole session continuous, unbroken, and experience the peace of mind and spirit, and harmony.

             The key to any kind of exercise is perseverance. With long term practice, your ability in Taiji will grow. If we practice Taiji, which achieves the unity of form and spirit and improves one's health, to cultivate our Chi, and if we also practice restrained eating, keep regular rest hours, and maintain a cheerful attitude, then the evil will not be able to invade us, and no illness can start in our body. If you do all this, you will have a healthy Long life