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Tai Chi Chuan
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Tai Chi Chuan is a unique system of health and self-defense that originated in China nearly 1,000 years ago. It has always been valued as one of the treasures of Chinese culture. Derived from the philosophy of Taoism, the exercises were designed to develop the optimum degree of harmony between body and mind, and between the individual and the Tao (the Natural Order of the Universe). Originally the art was taught only to family members. Today it is practiced by both young and old in China and throughout the world.
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The Tai Chi Chuan movements are all based upon various self defense techniques practiced in China. Even though they are done very slowly, they are still based on martial arts techniques. Eventually, after the student has practiced the initial solo form, they will then begin to learn the "pushing hands" exercise. This will help to deepen the understanding of the self defense techniques and applications of the Tai Chi Chuan movements.
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The origins of Tai Chi Chuan go back to around the Sung Dynasty (960-1279) in China. As the story goes, Chang San-feng (), a Taoist priest, was meditating on Wu-Tang Mountain, in Hupei province. One day he heard a noise outside and found that a bird was attacking a snake. Chang watched as the bird attacked the snake's head and the snake yielded at his head and struck with his tail. Then the bird attacked the snake's tail and the snake yielded at his tail and attacked with his head. When the bird attacked the snake's belly the snake yielded at the belly and attacked with both his head and his tail.
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To practice Tai Chi Chuan you need no equipment; not even a lot of space, or time; the sixty posture form takes about ten minutes to perform. As your practice evolves, the interaction of breathing, shifting weight, and mentalfocus interact to develop new insight. The result is that practice continually evolves through life, and bestows its benefits through life's changes. In the West today, Tai Chi Chuan's benefits are being documented: increased balance, mobility, reaction time and alertness, as well as improved immunity to some diseases, reduced stress levels, alleviation of hypertension and other ailments.
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The Tai Chi Chuan form has been handed down for generations through different families, since its creation by the legendary Taoist master Chang San-Feng during the Sung Dynasty (960-1279 C.E.). There are many different accounts of the origin of the form.
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The Chinese characters for Tai Chi Chuan can be translated as the “Supreme Ultimate Force”. The notion of “supreme ultimate” is often associated with the Chinese concept of Yin-Yang, the notion that one can see a dynamic duality (male/female, active/passive, dark/light, forceful/yielding, etc.) in all things. “Force” (or, more literally, “fist”) can be thought of here as the means or way of achieving this Yin-Yang, or “supreme-ultimate” discipline.
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