Tai Chi has been practiced for thousands of years and originated in ancient China. Every year, more and more people join classes or practice this martial art dubbed “meditation in motion” at home. In fact, it’s not uncommon to pass by a park and see a group of people practicing this martial art together in unison.
With the new year quickly approaching, many people go to the gym expecting immediate results and quitting when things get too difficult. Let’s try to break this cycle. Join a Tai Chi class instead of going to a gym just to straighten your body. Not only will you gain physical health benefits, but you’ll also gain mental and spiritual health.
Those looking for a New Year’s resolution that they can keep Tai Chi have a significant amount of benefits for those who can be consistent, and today, we’ll be covering some of those benefits.
Stress Reducer
Often overlooked, stress can have an incredibly negative impact on your daily life. Stress is called “the silent killer” because there aren’t any obvious signs of the damage that stress is causing. Sure, you can notice a change in a person’s mood or behavior, though stress can lead to several serious conditions, including:
- Chronic Fatigue
- Sleep Disorders
- Anxiety
- Depression
- Loss of Appetite
- Physical Discomfort
Simply put, living with unmanaged stress can affect your mind and body in ways you may not understand. When not taken care of, stress can lead to many other changes, such as social withdrawal. This can lead to substance abuse and ultimately change your life for the worse. Practicing Tai Chi regularly can help maintain a lower stress level that can be better managed and improve your health holistically.
Improved Mental Health
Tai Chi is regularly referred to as “meditation in motion.” This is because Tai Chi uses slow and gentle movements, making the practitioner aware of their body and mind processes. When practicing Tai Chi, there is an emphasis on controlled deep breathing. Coordinating with the poses and movements helps to calm the mind. Which in turn reduces stress and increases oxygen flow through the body. This promotes relaxation.
The combination of gentle movements and the focus on deep breathing puts your mind and body in a meditative state, and with it comes the benefits of meditation. Meditation has been shown to help manage stress levels, which can reduce tension in the body. This can have the added benefit of reducing pain caused by muscle tension. Regular meditation has also been shown to help improve your focus, improve your memory, and gain clear-headedness.
Improve your Heart’s Health
It’s never too late or too early to start caring for your heart’s health. After all, you only get one. Tai Chi as an exercise is incredibly beneficial for your cardiovascular system. This is because Tai Chi, similarly to jogging, uses repetitive contractions of large muscle groups to get the heart beating more. Although with much less stress on your muscles, bones, and joints. By doing this consistently, you can strengthen your heart’s blood vessels. By doing Tai Chi regularly, you can improve oxygen flow throughout your body, which can help lower your blood pressure and cholesterol while increasing your stamina.
Tai Chi has also been recommended for people recovering from heart surgery. Because the movements aren’t seen as strenuous, practicing Tai Chi can help strengthen a patient’s heart without overworking it.
Take the Next Step In Improving Your Health by Contacting SOHMA Integrative Medicine
Our goal is to help you improve your health. You can contact us and ask about the Myers Cocktail, IV Therapy, Chiropractic care, or how our other health service lines can help you with your journey to improved health.
Located in Long Beach, CA, we help individuals from the surrounding cities.
We look forward to helping you take the next step in your journey to better health.
