Hungry for Chinese food? You will never satisfy it with Tai Chi. It also has nothing to do with massage, even though the traditional Chinese symbols do translate into some kind of supreme fist which at its weakest could make for an enjoyable or beneficial deep tissue massage. Incidentally, closed fists kneading the muscles near to the backbone area of the body is the best part of this particular massage. “Show me the hand” was how Tai Chi Chuan came to be recognized by the Imperial Palace, which with the passing of the centuries adopted its nickname Tai Chi.
Without doubt to the outside world, Kung Fu or for that matter Karate is a more well known form of Chinese self defense platform than Tai Chi. Despite its relative unpopularity though, this discipline encompasses eight different schools which have been passed on from generation to generation from the late 16th century and onwards. It is also steeped in Chinese historical culture and lore. In reality, Confucianism, Taoism not to mention Buddhism have all contributed to its cultivation and development over the years.
While it has nothing to do with massage or acupuncture, at the core of most Tai Chi branches is the health-building piece of the art. Aside from a brilliant self-defense method, it is first and foremost a way of life that shows the steps to being healthy and living life to the fullest. It is one of the few ancient Chinese martial arts that respects the yin and yang principle, or the law of opposites which band together to attain harmony in the universe.
To illustrate, this was how Buddha was said to have attained Enlightenment. Furthermore, feng shui is also at the foundation of Tai Chi Chuan as the discipline pays homage to the natural principles of balance and energy. Just consider this particular demonstration. Unlike a Karate warrior, a Tai Chi fighter rarely meets force with force.
To the contrary, he attempts to deflect it, or better, use it to serve his or her purpose. To accomplish that, the expert will find a way to throw the attacker off balance, based on his or her in depth knowledge of equilibrium which is the fifth element of the discipline. Although there are a variety of differences between the eight different schools of Tai Chi Chuan, you can find wide agreement between them when it comes to going ahead and breaking the hollow block with a fist, or using its mass and weight to defeat the enemy.
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