Tai Chi

Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art. Its full name is Tai Chi Chuan, a Chinese phrase which can be translated as approximately meaning supreme ultimate fist. Tai Chi is a relatively new martial art, with its concrete origins sometime around 1820, although it likely existed for some time before that. It is what is known as a soft style of martial combat, putting an emphasis on relaxed muscle positions and the use of an opponent’s momentum, as contrasted with the hard styles, which emphasize muscles in a high-state of readiness, and meeting an opponent’s force with one’s own force. In addition to the martial aspects of Tai Chi, there is a great deal of stress placed on the concepts of meditative calm, and overall physical health. Indeed, for many people living in the modern world, Tai Chi is not thought of as a martial art, but rather as a system of movement and breathing meant to be therapeutic. In much the same way that yoga in the West has become divorced from its original intent, so too has Tai Chi become something quite different. In many ways, Tai Chi is a very Taoist tradition. It teaches such things as learning to move with the world – both in a literal, physical sense in terms of martial self-defense, and in a more abstract, meditative sense. Indeed, the core of Tai Chi could be described as simply learning to react appropriately to whatever is offered.