Tai Chi Tigers
CalmX with Tai Chi Tigers. Summer outdoor classes and indoor classes around Halifax UK for your health and wellbeing of mind, body and spirit....Calm Mind : Strong Body. A world class exercise by the community, for the community...and the wellbeing of the community. Gentle exercise is great but we learn to become more aware of our own body and minds needs, and how to address them safely and successfully with T'ai Chi & Qigong exercises. Try a session with Tai Chi Tigers or a CalmX class for free, then make up your own mind!
CalmX classes introduce you to the basic principles of t’ai chi & qigong exercise, and teach you how to have a greater awareness of your body and the ways in which it works to keep you healthy and fit.
T’ai Chi and Qigong for everyone – ever heard of T’ai Chi and possibly Qigong (pronounced chee-gong)– but really, what are they? Well, they are ancient forms of Chinese exercise that have been practiced for centuries to enhance health and wellbeing., and continue as a fast-growing, worldwide form of exercise for mind, body, and spirit. Tai Chi Tigers practice Yang Style Long Form, Health Qigong, and many other T’ai Chi Forms and Qigong exercises.
Co-ordinated breathing with soft fluid movements give together so many benefits for both body and mind whilst practicing on your own, in a group, anytime, anywhere, and will, in time, improve balance, strength, flexibility, and reduce stress and emotional turmoil. You will feel an undeniable sense of calm, improved circulation, metabolic benefits, and individually so much more that YOUR body needs.
Often described as a moving meditation, T’ai Chi & Qigong can help to balance the opposing forces within the body (known as yin and yang) and encourage the flow of chi (energy) through the body to promote health.
Yang is the male, light, warm, extrovert, active aspect shown as the white portions. Yin is the female, dark, cold, introvert, passive side of life, indicated by the black portions. The Yin Yang symbol represents the natural interplay of the opposing forces of Yin and Yang in our universe.
T’ai Chi & Qigong is a gentle martial art, suitable for all ages and levels of skill and ability – an exercise you can begin at any age and continue to improve with age (unlike most exercises!). Research has proven that significant improvements can be made in balance, muscular strength, endurance, and flexibility and can continue to improve further as time goes on.
Literally translated from Chinese, T’ai Chi means ‘Supreme Ultimate’ and its theory and practice embrace many of the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). In the context of T’ai Chi, the human body is the universe and all its components are exercised in balance to enable harmony in the body’s function.
The benefits of practicing T’ai Chi can be increased by doing some Qigong exercises beforehand to stimulate the flow of energy. Qigong translated means “energy work /repetition”, so after warm-ups but before beginning your T’ai Chi practice, you can gain more from these simple, yet powerful, Qigong exercises.
Tai Chi Tigers practice the art of healthy breathing as a basic principle for all movements, but a word of warning! Do not force the depth and frequency of your natural breathing pattern. Instead, develop the art of listening (with your ears and body) to your breath. Your breathing will change naturally as you become aware of what you are doing – there is no need to control it. If you have any breathing difficulties, learning T’ai Chi breathing may help immensely but please check with your doctor first.
“I have COPD and sometimes need more oxygen. I practice my Tai Chi breathing daily and have found it so beneficial in my ability to do so much more in ordinary life – it’s amazing how much better I feel. My consultants are astounded at the improvements I’ve made in breathing.”
Stress relief – anyone with a hectic lifestyle will benefit from the perfect distraction of T’ai Chi breathing, movement, and mental focus needed to practice this exercise form.
Developing a more relaxed, natural way of moving and being, is part of the process of internal transformation – it’s ok to let go, RELAX. We have to be happy to accept disappointments and invest in loss in order to learn and grow. As you relax, your body moves in more coordinated ways, then you may find unusual events happening in everyday life such as effortlessly avoiding an accident.
After some time you may feel your T’ai Chi practice has fallen apart, that it seems worse than when you started! This is actually a sign of progress and that your understanding has deepened. Please, continue your practice and you will find yourself going towards higher levels.
A good posture and correct movements to protect and strengthen our joints are important for us all. Many exercise routines can subject the shoulders, knees, and back to ill-conceived, repetitive, and unnatural movements where a great many people develop joint and back problems.
And what about our internal organs? T’ai Chi’s fluid spiraling and bending movements, alongside breathing and meditation components, massage the internal organs and release them from damaging constrictions brought about by stress, poor posture, and difficult working conditions. T’ai Chi & Qigong also aid the exchange of gases in the lungs. These practices also help the digestive system to work more efficiently, and more effectively - just like an ‘internal massage’.