The History
The system was originally taught by the Chen family to the Yang family starting in 1820. It is often promoted and practised as a martial arts therapy for the purposes of health and longevity; some recent medical studies support its effectiveness. T’ai Chi Ch’uan is considered as soft-style martial art, an art applied with as much deep relaxation or softness in the musculature as possible, to distinguish its theory and application from that of the hard martial styles which use a degree of tension in the muscles.
Variations of the system are well-known as the slow motion routines that groups of people practise every morning in parks across China and other parts of the world. The exercise system intends to teach awareness of one’s own balance and what affects it, awareness of the same in others, and appreciation of the practical value in one’s ability to moderate extremes of behaviour and attitude at both mental and physical levels, and how this applies to effective self-defence principles.
The study of T’ai Chi Ch’uan involves three primary subjects:
* Health – T’ai Chi training concentrates more on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind.
* Meditation – the focus meditation and subsequent calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of the system is seen as necessary to maintain optimum health and in order to use it as a soft-style martial art.
* Martial art – the ability to competently use the system as a martial art is said to be proof that the health and meditation aspects are working according to the dictates of the theory of T’ai Chi Ch’uan.

Modern T’ai Chi
T’ai Chi has become very popular in the last twenty years or so, as its reputation for ameliorating the effects of aging becomes more well-known. Hospitals, clinics, community and senior centres are all hosting T’ai Chi classes in communities around the world. Along with Yoga, it is one of the fastest growing fitness and health maintenance activities, in terms of numbers of students enrolling in classes around the globe. Researchers have found that long-term T’ai Chi practice had favourable effects on the promotion of balance control, flexibility and cardiovascular fitness and reduced the risk of falls in elders. The studies also reported reduced pain, stress and anxiety in healthy subjects. Other studies have indicated improved cardiovascular and respiratory function in healthy subjects as well as those who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery. Patients who suffered from heart failure, high blood pressure, heart attacks, arthritis and multiple sclerosis also benefited from T’ai Chi.
T’ai Chi has also been shown to reduce the symptoms of young attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) sufferers. Its gentle, low impact movements surprisingly burn more calories than surfing and nearly as many as downhill skiing.
Everybody can benefit from the exercise system. There are no physical impediments excluding people from practising T’ai Chi. The many physical and spiritual benefits can be appreciated by people of both sexes, all sizes and all ages including the elderly, pregnant women and young children.