AM and PM Tai Chi
In my quest of finding things to improve health, I have discovered Tai Chi (tie chee), which is a form of Qigong (chee gong). You may have seen groups of people, mainly elderly Asian people, early in the morning in the park practicing Tai Chi. In Chinese, chi literally means air, breath, and energy. This chi flows through our body and if the chi becomes stagnant. we have tension, pain, and illness. Tai Chi is the practice of balancing the chi, harmonizing the internal organs, aligning the meridians (energy channels), and releasing toxins. In traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture releases stagnant chi through needles while in Tai Chi, you are moving the chi around your body yourself.
I have been working out faithfully at the gym, doing the treadmill, elliptical machine, and the rowing machine. But after my workouts, I always feel so exhausted enough that I need to take a nap. I thought exercise is supposed to energize you. I guess it depends on your body. My body needed something more gentle yet energizing.
Upon doing Tai Chi for the first time, I felt calm, relaxed, and a sense of energy flowing through my body. Tai Chi is a slow, gentle, meditative exercise almost like yoga, except that you don’t stress your body holding any particular pose. This fluid flowing exercise, that I used to see my grandma do every morning, works out the smaller muscles of the body and gently stretches the spine. It is a common misconception that Tai Chi is only for the elderly. I can tell you that I enjoy it and it can be beneficial for anyone at any age.
AM and PM Tai Chi offers a morning Tai Chi routine taught by David-Dorian Ross, who discovered Tai Chi while taking a class at SF State. The morning routine is only 20 minutes, yet long enough for you to feel the benefits of doing Tai Chi. Any beginner can jump in and learn the routine.
The PM routine is taught by CJ McPhee. This evening Tai Chi routine is a great way to wind down the day and relax. I slept better after doing the PM Tai Chi routine.
