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Tai chi, which originated in China as a martial art, is a mind-body practice in complementary and alternative medicineA group of diverse medical and health care systems, practices, and products that are not presently considered to be part of conventional medicine. Complementary medicine is used together with conventional medicine, and alternative medicine is used in place of conventional medicine. (CAM). Tai chi is sometimes referred to as "moving meditation"practitioners move their bodies slowly, gently, and with awareness, while breathing deeply. This Backgrounder provides a general overview of tai chi and suggests sources for additionalinformation.

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Tai chi developed in ancient China. It started as a martial art and a means of self-defense. Over time, people began to use it for health purposes aswell.

Accounts of the history of tai chi vary. A popular legend credits its origins to Chang San-Feng, a Taoist monk, who developed a set of 13 exercises that imitate the movements of animals. He also emphasized meditationA conscious mental process using certain techniquessuch as focusing attention or maintaining a specific postureto suspend the stream of thoughts and relax the body and mind. and the concept of internal force (in contrast to the external force emphasized in other martial arts, such as kung fu and tae kwondo).

The term "tai chi" (shortened from "tai chi chuan") has been translated in various ways, such as "internal martial art" and "supreme ultimate fist." It is sometimes called "taiji" or"taijiquan."

Tai chi incorporates the Chinese concepts of yin and yangThe concept of two opposing yet complementary forces described in traditional Chinese medicine. Yin represents cold, slow, or passive aspects of the person, while yang represents hot, excited, or active aspects. A major theory is that health is achieved through balancing yin and yang and disease is caused by an imbalance leading to a blockage in the flow of qi. (opposing forces within the body) and qiIn traditional Chinese medicine, the vital energy or life force proposed to regulate a person's spiritual, emotional, mental, and physical health and to be influenced by the opposing forces of yin and yang. (a vital energy or life force). Practicing tai chi is said to support a healthy balance of yin and yang, thereby aiding the flow ofqi.

People practice tai chi by themselves or in groups. In the Chinese community, people commonly practice tai chi in nearby parksoften in early morning before going to work. There are many different styles, but all involve slow, relaxed, graceful movements, each flowing into the next. The body is in constant motion, and posture is important. The names of some of the movements evoke nature (e.g., "Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain"). Individuals practicing tai chi must also concentrate, putting aside distracting thoughts; and they must breathe in a deep and relaxed, but focusedmanner.

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Tai Chi: An Introduction | NCCAM - National Institutes of Health

All styles of Tai Chi Chuan are good for keeping health and body shaping. But in accordance with everyone's specific conditions there are some arts to the choice. Here are some aspects for your reference.

The first, choose according to one's interests. Though each kind of Tai Chi Chuan is quite interlinked on basic theory and basic skills. There are obvious differences among them, especially on the styles. Before you begin to practice, I suggest you to have a look the skills and tricks of every kind of Tai Chi Chuan. When you are fond of a kind of style, you will be interested in it and practice it unremittingly. Tai Chi Chuan is not only a kind of physical sport but also a comprehensive course of pleasure, appreciation of the beauty and feel by oneself of his body.

The second, choose in accordance with your own physical conditions. Are you strong enough? To those who are weaker, they can choose the Yang style or the Wu style. To those who are strong , they can choose the Chen style.

The third, when you practice routines, you should choose the easy style first. To keep the pace of the development of the times, almost all Tai Chi Chuan styles have their own simplified routines.

To select a Tai Chi Style to practise for the balance of your body.

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Jacqui Donnelly

Jacqui Donnelly specializes in health, wellness and nutrition. As a freelance writer, her work has appeared in numerous publications and websites. Donnelly holds a Bachelor of Science in nutrition-dietetics from Montclair State University.

Thai Chi is a slow-moving martial art that is considered a stress-relieving activity by many people. It is known as a gentle exercise that combines stretching and physical exercise. Through a series of postures, Thai Chi is also a self-defense mechanism. There are many different ways you can begin to learn Thai Chi moves. All it takes is dedication, determination and some research or instruction.

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Thai Chi is a slow-moving martial art that is considered a stress-relieving activity by many people. It is known as a gentle......

Tai Chi is a great exercise for senior citizens because it reduces the risk of falls. Learn the beginning stance in Tai...

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How to Learn Thai Chi | eHow

Experience the gentle flowing, movements of Tai Chi and treat your whole body to a gentle and relaxing workout.

Say goodbye to sweating, puffing and panting.

Say hello to feeling cool, calm, refreshed and energised.

Just 15 minutes a day is your passport to better health, fitness, peace of mind and so much more, as your mind and body work in harmony for superb results.

Join us, try the Tai Chi and Qi Gong exercises, we like them, theyre fun and we think youll love them too. Or watch the MPEG videos and see how the experts do it.

If youre stressed, going to a meeting or just having a bad day, choose a relaxing Tai Chi exercise (well tell you which ones do what) and create and enjoy an oasis of calm before getting back to the real world.

Say goodbye to sweating, puffing and panting.

Say hello to feeling cool, calm, refreshed and energised.

Just 15 minutes a day is your passport to better health, fitness, peace of mind and so much more, as your mind and body work in harmony for superb results.

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Everyday Tai Chi - Tai Chi exercises for everyone, any time ...

Thirty plus visits, but who is counting?? The management seems to have gone over to their new sushi restaurant at Polaris. Our server, at least, has been at Chi Thai for some time and she is very good. The new lunch special has replaced the "bail out special". Our food was good. The restroom was out of TP in one stall and the other hadn't been flushed. A partial roll of paper towels was on the counter. I thought about mentioning it but every last service person was on a hand held device, texting, playing or talking. The "manager"?? out front looked up from his handheld phone briefly to say, "thanks", as we were leaving. The TV was playing a rescue dog program without sound. I do wonder who chose the music for the day? There were three tables of diners. All seated right next to each other. The man in the booth backing up to us had several phone conversations - perhaps that is why he was alone??????? With not a lot of effort, Chi Thai could be an awesome restaurant.

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Chi Thai - Gahanna - Columbus | Urbanspoon

2 Posted By scool on 25/09/2011

I visited Wafi Pyramids on 20th January 2011 and gave the car for valet parking. We then entered Thai Chi restaurant at exactly 9:32 PM. As we approached, we were greeted by the host and welcomed in the restaurant. The host name was Wajee and she was wearing a colorful Thai traditional dress. She checked her reservation list and found our reservation. She then escorted us to our table which had a Reserved sign placed. The table was inside the restaurant which gave us a nice view of the kitchen as well as the outdoors. She gave us open menus and wished us for a pleasant evening. The first thing which we noticed is that the lighting at our table was too dim for us to read the menu comfortably. The music was filling the ambience very nicely but the dim lighting was a bit of a disappointment. We were then approached by our server whose name was Ashish. He brought the complimentary starter of Prawn Crackers with Chili Sauce and asked us for our drinks order. At 9:42 PM, we ordered a pint of Heineken Beer which was priced at 34 AED and 2 Lychee Punch which costed 26 AED each. At 9:46 PM, Ashish served us the beverages. He then asked us about the starters which we would like to have and himself recommended that we should go for the Thai Chi Sharing Platter. We enquired him about the Gai Hor Bai Toey which was a chicken dish priced at 59 AED. He told us that it was a Boneless chicken dish wrapped in Pandan Leaves and served with different Sauces. We liked the idea and ordered the same at 9:52 PM. At 9:58 PM, Ashish brought our starter. He also explained us that the chicken were wrapped in the Pandan leaves and had to be removed before eating. The chicken was cooked to perfection and the addition of the mango sauce to the chicken resulted in a delicious experience. At 10:06 PM, we decided on the main course which was a mix of Chinese and Thai, and gave the order. We selected Pad Thai Hor Kai worth 75 AED, Sweet and Sour Chicken with Lychee and Pepper for 80 AED, and the Thai Chi Supreme Fried Rice worth 59 AED. We told Ashish to exclude the Duck and Tofu from our order as we were not very fond of those. He agreed and repeated the order and went towards the kitchen. Our Main Course arrived at 10:24 PM. The Portions looked very appropriate and were enough for 2-3 people. The Phad Thai was very tempting and Ashish told us that it was made of rice noodles and was a Thai Specialty. The taste was perfectly balance and was very delicious. It was not very spicy as we expected from a Thai Dish. But thats the way we like it. The Sweet and Sour chicken was a big hit with all of us. It was extremely tasty and was sweetened and flavored in the right proportions. It was crispy enough to make the taste lurk in the mouth even more. The Fried Rice was also very tasty and complimented the chicken very well. As we were having the main Course, we were approached by the manager of the Restaurant. She was a lady dressed in Dark Blue colored Suit and was very well groomed. She seemed to be of Asian ethnicity. She asked us about the dinner and we said that it was very good. I enquired that they were serving both that and Chinese from the same kitchen. Did they have different cooks? She replied that the kitchen was divided in to two sections. She also told me that the Thai kitchen was run by all the female cooks and the Chinese, by the men. I thanked her for her time and so did she and wished us a pleasant evening. At 10:41 PM, we were finished with the dinner and at 10:43 PM, Ashish removed the plates from our table with our permission. After a while he gave us toothpicks and handed a refreshing Hot Towel which was very nicely warmed and soaked in scented water. Ashish then asked us if we would like to have any desserts and we asked him about the ice cream. He recommended that we go for the Pandan Ice cream worth 36 AED as it was their specialty. We accepted. At 10:48 PM, we received the Pandan ice-cream which was put in a bowl with lychees. The ice cream tasted different as it was not so sweet but tasted very nice. The manager again approached us and told us that the ice cream was home made with the same pandan leaved which were used to wrap the chicken in our starter. We finished the dessert and asked for the bill at 11:07 PM and got the bill at 11:10 PM. We gave the credit card and Ashish came back with the receipt and a stamped valet card at 11:13 PM and address by the name in the card. We then asked the manager about the washroom and she escorted me in that direction. I noticed that the mens washroom was located near the Vintage Bar. The washroom was extremely clean and an attendant was cleaning the washroom as and when required. At exactly 11:16 PM, We left the restaurant after a satisfactory dinner. We handed over the valet card and waited for 4 minutes for the car to arrive as there were many people waiting for their cars. The valet attended apologized for the wait and thanked us. We thanked him and left.

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Thai Chi Restaurant: Special offer 20% discount on food and ...

T'ai chi ch'uan / Taijiquan () The lower dantian in taijiquan: yin and yang rotate, while the core reverts to stillness (wuji) Also known as Taijizhang;[1] t'ai chi; taiji Focus Hybrid Hardness Forms competition, Light contact (pushing hands, no strikes), Full contact (strikes, kicks, throws, etc.) Country of origin China Creator Said to be Zhang Sanfeng Famous practitioners Chen Wangting, Chen Changxing, Chen Fake, Yang Lu-ch'an, Yang Chengfu, Wu Ch'uan-yu, Wu Chien-ch'uan, Wu Yu-hsiang, Sun Lu-t'ang, Wang Pei-sheng Olympic sport Demonstration only

T'ai chi ch'uan or Taijiquan, often shortened to t'ai chi, taiji or tai chi in English usage, is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for both its defense training and its health benefits. It is also typically practiced for a variety of other personal reasons: its hard and soft martial art technique, demonstration competitions, and longevity. As a result, a multitude of training forms exist, both traditional and modern, which correspond to those aims. Some of t'ai chi ch'uan's training forms are especially known for being practiced at what most people categorize as slow movement.

Today, t'ai chi ch'uan has spread worldwide. Most modern styles of t'ai chi ch'uan trace their development to at least one of the five traditional schools: Chen, Yang, Wu (Hao), Wu, and Sun.

The term "t'ai chi ch'uan" translates as "supreme ultimate fist", "boundless fist", "supreme ultimate boxing" or "great extremes boxing". The chi in this instance is the Wade-Giles transliteration of the Pinyin j, and is distinct from q (ch'i, "life energy"). The concept of the taiji ("supreme ultimate"), in contrast with wuji ("without ultimate"), appears in both Taoist and Confucian Chinese philosophy, where it represents the fusion or mother[2] of Yin and Yang into a single ultimate, represented by the taijitu symbol . T'ai chi ch'uan theory and practice evolved in agreement with many Chinese philosophical principles, including those of Taoism and Confucianism.

T'ai chi ch'uan training involves five elements, taolu (solo hand and weapons routines/forms), neigong & qigong (breathing, movement and awareness exercises and meditation), tuishou (response drills) and sanshou (self defence techniques). While t'ai chi ch'uan is typified by some for its slow movements, many t'ai chi styles (including the three most popular Yang, Wu, and Chen) have secondary forms of a faster pace. Some traditional schools of t'ai chi teach partner exercises known as tuishou ("pushing hands"), and martial applications of the taolu's (forms') postures.

In China, t'ai chi ch'uan is categorized under the Wudang grouping of Chinese martial arts[3] that is, the arts applied with internal power.[4] Although the Wudang name falsely suggests these arts originated at the so-called Wudang Mountain, it is simply used to distinguish the skills, theories and applications of neijia ("internal arts") from those of the Shaolin grouping, waijia ("hard" or "external") martial art styles.[5]

Since the first widespread promotion of t'ai chi ch'uan's health benefits by Yang Shaohou, Yang Chengfu, Wu Chien-ch'uan, and Sun Lutang in the early 20th century,[6] it has developed a worldwide following among people with little or no interest in martial training, for its benefit to health and health maintenance.[7]Medical studies of t'ai chi support its effectiveness as an alternative exercise and a form of martial arts therapy.

It is purported that focusing the mind solely on the movements of the form helps to bring about a state of mental calm and clarity. Besides general health benefits and stress management attributed to t'ai chi ch'uan training, aspects of traditional Chinese medicine are taught to advanced t'ai chi ch'uan students in some traditional schools.[8]

Some other forms of martial arts require students to wear a uniform during practice. In general, t'ai chi ch'uan schools do not require a uniform, but both traditional and modern teachers often advocate loose, comfortable clothing and flat-soled shoes.[9][10]

The physical techniques of t'ai chi ch'uan are described in the "Tai chi classics", a set of writings by traditional masters, as being characterized by the use of leverage through the joints based on coordination and relaxation, rather than muscular tension, in order to neutralize, yield, or initiate attacks. The slow, repetitive work involved in the process of learning how that leverage is generated gently and measurably increases, opens the internal circulation (breath, body heat, blood, lymph, peristalsis, etc.).

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T'ai chi ch'uan - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia