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Tai chi

Also known as t’ai chi ch’uan (or taijiquan), tai chi is a Chinese martial art that can be traced back hundreds of years to Buddhism and Confucianism; it is very popular in Japan, too.
According to Chinese tradition, it was created by the Taoist master and martial arts practitioner Zhang Sanfeng, though it was Y ang L uchan who in the nineteenth century brought the form to the rest of the world.
Tai chi was originally a neijia, or internal martial art, meaning its goal was personal growth. Focused on self-defense, it teaches those who practice it to defeat their adversaries by using the least amount of force possible and by relying on agility.
Tai chi, which was also seen as a means of healing body and mind, would go on to be used more frequently to foster health and inner peace. To encourage its citizens to be more active, the Chinese government promoted it as an exercise, and it lost its original connection to martial arts, becoming instead a source of health and well-being accessible to all.

Styles of tai chi

There are different schools and styles of tai chi. The following are the best known:

Chen-style: alternates between slow movements and explosive ones
Yang-style: the most widespread of the forms; characterized by slow, fluid movements

Wu-style: utilizes small, slow, deliberate movements
Hao-style: centered on internal movements, with almost microscopic external movements; one of the least practiced forms of tai chi, even in China
Despite their differences, these styles all have the same objectives:

1. 
   To control movement through stillness
   
2. 
   To overcome force through finesse
   
3. 
   To move second and arrive first
   
4. 
   To know yourself and your opponent
   

The ten basic principles of tai chi

According to the master Y ang Chengfu, the correct practice of tai chi follows ten basic principles:

1. 
   Elevate the crown of your head, and focus all your energy there.
   
2. 
   Tighten your chest and expand your back to lighten your lower body.
   
3. 
   Relax your waist and let it guide your body.
   
4. 
   L earn to differentiate between heaviness and lightness, knowing how your weight is distributed.
   
5. 
   Relax the shoulders to allow free movement of the arms and promote the flow of energy.
   
6. 
   Value the agility of the mind over the strength of the body.
   
7. 
   Unify the upper and lower body so they act in concert.
   
8. 
   Unify the internal and the external to synchronize mind, body, and breath.
   
9. 
   Do not break the flow of your movement; maintain fluidity and harmony.
   
10. 
    L ook for stillness in movement. An active body leads to a calm mind.