Health Benefits of Tai Chi
The Health Benefits Of Tai Chi
"Be grateful even for hardships, setbacks and bad people. Dealing with such obstacles is an essential part of your training."
Morihei oeshiba
Tai Chi's healing properties are based on the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine. In China it has long been believed that within our genetic make-up is an in-built program or "blueprint" for perfect health. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) believes that it is in the nature of all living things to continually return to a balanced, healthy state. This internal balancing "program" first controls our growth from a single cell into the perfect human beings we are today and then continually works as a self-repair program, fixing the damage inflicted daily on our bodies.
This theory makes sense if we take a moment to consider it. If we cut our finger, our body feels it and somehow subconsciously begins the necessary processes to begin repairing our wound. If we break a bone a similar process occurs and a human bone will actually grow back stronger around a break than the old bone surrounding it. When we are unwell it is our own immune system that fights off infections and disease. No doctor or medicine could heal us if we did not possess this innate ability to constantly regenerate and repair ourselves.
Most of us have heard now that stress is considered to be the cause of most, if not all of our ill health. Over millennia human beings have evolved a highly sophisticated stress response designed for getting us out of immediate danger. If for example we were to meet an angry bear, then our body automatically goes through several physical changes and best prepares itself for a "fight or flight reaction". Digesting your breakfast is obviously not as important as avoiding being something else's lunch. Adrenalin as well as other chemicals and hormones are released to suppress aches and pains ready for our next move. Our heart rate, blood pressure and breathing rate also increase. Less important bodily functions such as digestive and reproductive systems are put on hold.
Many people today remain in this constantly stressed, anxious state throughout their entire lives. For these people's bodies the "danger " never passes and the physical changes that occur remain fairly permanent. This is why digestive problems such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and stomach ulcers are brought on by stress and why many other health problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, impotence and many others are now recognised to be stress related.
Most importantly perhaps is that TCM believes that by remaining constantly stressed we make it difficult for our bodies to function correctly. We not only impede our immune systems from functioning correctly but also our self-repair programs are turned off while we are 'ready for danger'. Our hair for example does not turn grey because an internal ageing program tells it to. As our body ages our repair system begins to struggle, then fails to keep up with all of its tasks. It begins to ignore less important areas such as hair pigmentation and focuses on repairing more vital functions to keep us alive. TCM believes that we are all born equipped with everything we need to overcome any disease and that we only fall ill if the damage inflicted upon our bodies becomes too serious for our repair program to keep up with.
As valuable as Western Medicine continues to be for all of us, it does have its limitations. Western medicine will usually only look at and treat the symptoms of a condition rather than the true cause of the problem. For example, a cream prescribed for eczema, masks the symptoms on the surface for a while but does not deal with the underlying stress that causes these symptoms. This is why such medical problems will often return again and again. TCM looks at many other factors crucial to good health such as diet, emotional state, time of year and also natural areas of weakness and physical tension in our bodies. This gives a much clearer, more complete view of the true causes of ill health. The drugs and techniques used in Western medicine can also have unforeseen and sometimes even dangerous side effects. TCM uses no synthetic drugs. It seeks instead to strengthen the body's immune system so that we become more capable of fighting off all infections and diseases.
Perhaps though, the most important advantage of Traditional Chinese Medicine over Western Medicine is that it is based on the principle of preventative therapy. A western doctor will often not even see a "well" person for a check up. A doctor of Chinese medicine will not only be able to tell you what is wrong with you now but is also able to tell what kinds of disease your body will be most prone to in the future.
Tai Chi And The Physical Health
Any doctor will tell you that we need to stay active to remain healthy. "Use it or lose it is" is a common phrase. Most doctors also agree that more gentle forms of exercise such as walking or swimming are the best of all.
Harder, more extreme forms of exercise make us out of breath quickly, putting great strain on our lungs and heart. Did you know that Jim Fixx, author of the bestseller "The Complete Book of Running," which started the jogging craze of the 1970s died of a heart attack while jogging aged just 52.
The impact on your joints from harder forms of exercise can also lead to physical damage especially in the knees and can also lead to other painful medical conditions such as 'tennis' elbow.
Tai Chi is of course a slow, gentle form of exercise. Many of the physical health benefits gained from its practice are the same as for other forms of gentle exercise. Tai Chi however is also much more than just another slow exercise system and has many other additional benefits unique to its practice.
The Cardiovascular system
Approximately one third of the blood in your body at any one time is in your legs and because of this, gently shifting weight from one leg to the other is greatly beneficial to your health. This action gently increases blood flow around your body easing pressure on your heart, which usually has to work hard to pump blood during exercise. Increased blood flow is vital for nourishing your internal organs, your brain, muscles, soft tissues and your whole body. Blood is also responsible for carrying oxygen from your lungs to your whole body as well as for carrying vitamins, minerals and hormones to wherever they are needed. Blood is also responsible for fighting off infections and diseases, destroying old and damaged cells so that they can be replaced and also for carrying away carbon dioxide and other waste products. When blood flow to your brain increases, memory improves, and symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and insomnia are greatly reduced. Although blood flow is increased during practice, heart rate actually decreases and Tai Chi has now been proven to help lower your blood pressure.
The Respiratory System
The deep breathing techniques learnt in Tai Chi are known to increase your lung capacity and greatly increase the amount of oxygen brought into your body. Your diaphragm can be trained to move downwards as you breathe, increasing the space in your lungs and the amount of air you draw in. Oxygen is not only a vital ingredient to keeping you alive, but the quality and quantity of this oxygen will greatly affect both your health and your energy levels. Learning to breath deeper in this way also greatly improves your immune system. Bacteria and germs do not multiply as easily under aerobic conditions and it is now believed that even cancer cells do not multiply as easily, when there is increased oxygen in the body. Deeper breathing is also important for calming your mind, as well as for strengthening and soothing your central nervous system. It has long been understood that "taking a deep breath" is a useful tool for controlling emotional outbursts. Deeper breathing also expands your blood vessels, which aids both your heart and intestines. The rising and falling motion of your diaphragm not only helps your lungs to function properly but also gently massages other internal organs such as your stomach, spleen and pancreas as well as the large and small intestines. This massage greatly improves the function of all these organs leading to many health benefits and reducing the risk of many conditions such as gastric problems, constipation etc.
The Skeletal and Muscular Systems
Tai Chi also helps improve your posture. Just as a building that leans needs to be supported, a body that is not upright causes muscles to constantly take the strain. An upright posture is essential so that you can deeply relax all the muscles in your body. Relaxing your body also allows your nervous system to operate more easily and eases pressure on the skeletal system. Learning to be upright also greatly improves your balance and spatial awareness leading to less trips, falls and clumsy accidents.
Bending your knees and sinking your weight downwards increases the strength in your leg muscles and even increases bone density as well. The gentle movements involved increase the flow of natural lubricants and nutrients in your joints allowing for greater ease of movement. Tai Chi is now known to greatly help with the symptoms of arthritis as it gently tones all the major muscle groups and joints of your body whilst relaxing them at the same time.
Tai Chi exercises contain many rotational movements involving your whole body. Turning has many health benefits including massaging your lymph nodes and helping your body to eliminate toxins. It also aids your endocrine system helping to restore hormonal balance to your body. The turning of your torso also massages your internal organs and improves spinal flexibility leading to one of Tai Chi's most famous health benefits: easing chronic back problems. Your neck also moves from side to side and your limbs constantly rotate, increasing flexibility and range of movement throughout your whole body. At the same time your muscles, ligaments and tendons are being gently stretched and strengthened keeping your entire body mobile and healthy.
Tai Chi And Emotional/ Mental Health
Tai Chi not only positively affects your physical health but also changes your disposition too. As well as reducing stress levels, Tai Chi is known to build self-confidence, reduce anxiety and panic attacks and increase serotonin production which influences mood and behaviour.
By relaxing your body, your mind also relaxes. This relaxation gently changes a hot-tempered person into a calmer one. Instead of "flying off the handle" you can learn to remain relaxed in mind and body and become ever more patient. Through your training you will remember to gently smile, count your blessings and to slowly change your old patterns of behaviour.
One of Tai Chi's principles is to refrain from judging anything including how you feel. Emotions are of course a part of human life and to express them freely and openly is a powerful thing. Always allow yourself to feel however you wish, whenever you wish and to encourage and allow others around you to do the same. Tai Chi can often be extremely powerful, releasing layers of emotional tension stored in your body. I once burst into tears during a class whilst standing and relaxing some serious tension in my back.
Holding onto or "bottling up" your emotions serves no good purpose at all and is extremely bad for your health. It is now widely recognised that negative emotions such as fear, depression and anger, greatly affect your immune system and that positive emotions such as love and happiness are a vital part of maintaining good health.