Benefits of practicing Taijiquan

Every morning or evening in the park, I see old people practicing taijiquan with great concentration, and I wonder if I will be so healthy after this age. In fact, Taijiquan is a sport for both young and old, and this article will introduce the benefits of practicing Taijiquan.

Improve the nervous system

Taijiquan is the process of coordinating the excitation and inhibition of the human nervous system through intention and breathing in conjunction with movement. When practicing, it requires a "quiet mind", i.e. concentration, and good dominance and balance, all of which require the brain to be under tension, and indirectly, it also plays a training role for the central nervous system, thus increasing the tension of the central nervous system and strengthening the regulation of the brain. Therefore, the regular practice of taijiquan has a good preventive effect on neurasthenia, insomnia and other diseases.

Improve heart and lung function

The movements of taijiquan stretch, the whole body muscles relax, and consciously make the breathing match with the movements, so that the blood supply to the heart is sufficient and the heart rhythm does not accelerate, thus reducing the burden on the heart; taijiquan enhances gastrointestinal peristalsis and digestive and excretory functions through slow, slender and even abdominal breathing.

Prevent osteoporosis

Taijiquan is a medium-intensity aerobic exercise with gentle and slow movements. When practicing, the muscles will rhythmically contract, stretch and pull, which produces a good indirect stimulation to the bones, thus playing a role in improving bone metabolism, promoting the increase of bone mass and bone strength, and effectively preventing osteoporosis.

Improve flexibility, muscle strength and muscle endurance

Taijiquan mostly uses slow walking circles and arcs, with bent legs and half-squatting movements, plus alternating weight changes, and running movements such as straddling, arguing and twisting, so that the muscle strength and muscle endurance of each muscle can be improved; together with multi-directional and large activities such as the following posture and foot stirring, it can improve the flexibility of each joint.

Improve balance

The movements of Taijiquan are slow and gentle, with small to large movements, accompanied by the shift of the body's weight from one side to the other, the progressive extension of the knee joints and the rotation of the trunk, head and limbs, etc., which enhance the stability of the lower limbs and improve the body's balance.

Spiritual benefits of practicing Taijiquan

Eliminate stress

The practice of taijiquan requires "a quiet mind and no distracting thoughts" and a relaxed body, with the mind concentrating only on the "intention", plus taijiquan itself requires both rigidity and flexibility, and the breathing is harmonized, so that the oxygen intake of each organ is relatively increased. This undoubtedly has a positive effect on Hong Kong people who are all about efficiency, who live a stressful daily life and who are under heavy mental pressure.

Awareness of the moral concept of not using strength to bully the weak and not using it as a reason to offend

Taijiquan's theory of "surrendering oneself to others" highlights the unique martial arts spirit of "no offense to me, no offense to me". Taiji advocates the use of force to beat force, and the use of small force to beat large force. All the retaliatory attacks are purely in response to the opponent's incoming momentum, with dexterous movements and smaller force, so that the offender will lose and lose. Therefore, the real power of Taijiquan only comes into play when it is deliberately violated, and its ultimate goal is to "establish oneself as invincible", with no intention of harming the opponent!

Understanding the way to cultivate oneself and the world

Taijiquan practice is about "being neutral and comfortable, having a quiet mind and a relaxed body", and these eight words are the best motto for us to live by. Through the practice of Taijiquan, students can experience the disadvantages of being incorrect: working hard all day long without getting what you want. As long as one is "neutral" and does not take the wrong path, one can feel the feeling of "peace and comfort"; as long as one learns to be "quiet" and leaves behind the burden of life's stress, one can experience the feeling of "body relaxation"!