01, 2009.

Often, at the break of dawn, one will see a group of people at the parks practicing in unison dance-like hypnotic movements. It is the form of tai chi chuan (literally supreme ultimate fist), a soft style of martial art that originated in China. Tai chi today is known as an integral part of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). Traditional Chinese doctors prescribe the practice of tai chi together with acupressure, acupuncture, moxabustion (burning of mugwort herb), Chinese herbology, tuin na (massage) and chi kung (internal energy exercises) to regulate a person’s chi or life force in healing various diseases. “The first step is to look for a good teacher,” advises Samuel Chau, a practitioner of tai chi for the past 20 years on how to start learning the art. He learned the Yang style of tai chi from Sifu Cheng Chi Tsim, a master from Binondo, Chinatown. Chau, who now teaches the art on a private basis stresses that studying tai chi under an authentic master is essential not only for learning the genuine forms but for safety reasons as well. “Tai chi is basically all about the manipulation of chi or internal energy and if something has gone wrong in the way the student is doing it, the teacher must know how to correct it,” he relates. Chau adds that such errors left unchecked may lead to serious health problems. The veteran tai chi practitioner also caution on learning from instructional videos peddled in martial arts magazine. “You can use those videos as reference if you’re already practicing the art for many years and are already grounded in the basics but it’s no substitute for a genuine teacher if you’re just starting out,” Chau warns. He relates that beginning students must be patient in following the instructions and the drills particularly when studying under a traditional teacher. “Just like in most styles of Chinese martial arts, repetitive forms training is a staple in tai chi study,” describes Chau on what beginning students should expect from class. Looking back at his experience, he shares that it took him eight years to really appreciate the principles of the art. For advance practitioners of tai chi, Chau admonishes that they polish the following areas of training: forms, stance practice, weapons practice, push hands and application of techniques. Chau has a succinct answer on how tai chi practice is beneficial to health: “It definitely relieves stress, which is the cause of so many diseases.” Indeed, sans the esoteric trappings, tai chi’s health benefits can be attributed to two things: its ability to induce deep diaphragmatic breathing and relaxation. Scientific research has proven that deep belly breathing leads to proper oxygenation of the body down to the cellular level, a factor crucial in the maintenance of optimum health. Oxygen is the key factor in the production of adenosine triposphate or ATP, which is dubbed by scientists as the basic currency of life. Science has established that no mental or physical function can occur without utilizing ATP. Chau, however, adds that if a practitioner really wants to understand how chi affects health, then, he must be thoroughly grounded in the principles of TCM. The young tai chi instructor also touches on the issue of compatibility of one’s religious belief with the teachings of tai chi. “I attended a Protestant school as a youngster and I was confronted with that issue early on,” he narrates, adding, “But so far, I find every aspect of my practice scientifically quantifiable and logical. So, there’s no religious conflict at all.” For those interested on learning tai chi, Chau points out that there are many styles of the art, “The three most popular styles are the Yang style, the Wu style and the Chen style. Like in most parts of the world, the Yang style is the most popular here in the Philippines, though there’s also a handful that practices the Wu and the Chen styles,” he concludes.

 manilatimes.net