I've been studying Yang and Peking styles of Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung since 1994. I used to be plagued with back problems and job stress. Tai Chi and Chi breathing have become a great stress reliever. The flexibility and renewed energy I gain from practicing Tai Chi Chuan is terrific. I have not had any serious back problems since I started practicing Tai Chi.
New England Teachers of Tai Chi Chuan
Books on Tai Chi Chuan and Chi Kung
Tai Chi Chuan is one of the Chinese Martial arts. In recent years the People's Republic has modified the Yang style to a general exercise for a diverse population with much of its Martial application removed or not taught with the form. Whether practiced for its Martial applications or for basic exercise, Tai Chi Chuan is composed of a series of movements or forms. These movements flex joints and muscles throughout the body, which in turn massage various acupuncture points (Chi channels) and organs within the body. This helps promotes the flow of Chi energy within the body.
As with most families, there are several branches or styles in Tai Chi Chuan that evolved from preceeding masters of Tai Chi. The earliest Tai Chi is believed to have formed from Wu Dang Kung Fu (The forerunner of modern Kung Fu).
The 24 form Peking form is the most common set of Tai Chi forms seen and practiced in downtown Beijing. Other styles include Yang, Chen, Wu, and Sun styles.
Chi Kung (or Qigong) is a meditative breathing method used by practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan. In fact, there are over a thousand different types of Chi Kung practiced around the globe. Some of these breathing techniques are similar to yoga pratayama breath work to increase prana or Chi. Like pratayama you can change your respiration to reduce stress and calm down or to increase internal energy. Unlike Eastern meditation breathing, Some types of Chi Kung breathing is done by contracting the abdomen during inhalation and relaxing the abdomen during exhalation. This is common with several martial arts energy practices. Instead of focusing on the third eye as in Eastern meditation, Chi Kung meditation is focused at the Dan Tian (also know as the Hara point in Yoga), a point about two finger widths down from the navel and centered in the body between the spine and the front midline. This focal point is known as the Pearl of Chi and is one of the internal power generating points of the body.
What is Chi Energy
Chi energy is considered to be the body's own internal electrical fields generated by the nervous system. Although there has been some scientific research done on Chi energy and Tai Chi Chuan, the mechanisms are still not fully understood by Western science. Chi Kung and the various styles of Tai Chi Chuan help to increase the level of Chi energy its circulation within the body.