Tai Chi - Understanding the Ancient Form

I remember wandering around Flushing onethemselves, knocking down opponents with one
morning, which is a predominantly Asianfinger and other amazing feats.
neighborhood in the borough of Queens, NewSince we all hold the energy of chi within us, it is
York, and seeing a group of people performingpossible for anyone to learn how to harness it
something that looked like dance in slow motion. Iwith practice. My belief is that in order to
have seen the same type of ritual in Central Park,accomplish anything great in life it has to be
and even on my trips to Sweden, and Japan. Ipracticed over and over until it becomes like
later learned that this dance was called Tai Chi andsecond nature to us. It is at that time where we
is a very powerful technique of harnessing yourcan actually begin to understand it and do
Chi.something amazing with it. This technique can be
It would be wise for me to explain a bit moreused to transform the lives of others as well as
about Tai Chi for those that are not very familiaryour own, and is very powerful. Shaolin monks
with it yet. It is a way to connect with andfound that by combining the postures with
control the supreme power that we all hold withinmeditation, anyone an connect with the
us. In the phrase Tai Chi,Tai translates toknowledge of nature and the divine power.
supreme ultimate, and Chi to energy (power). ThisThe important thing to understand is that all
concept of invisible life force and energy is notenergy is magnetic. When we pass away it was
new, and has different name all throughout theproven that a small amount of energy escapes
world.from our bodies and we do in fact lose a small
Many centuries ago, shaolin monks created aamount of weight upon that exit. Realize that you
series of movements deliberately to build andbody has energy flowing through it and visualize
channel this energy. The postures themselvesyour center as a magnet. The magnet is drawing
were adapted from animal movements, and whenenergy to you, and with practice you will start to
performed in a slow dance, kept the practitionerssummon more energy and eventually even
healthy and elevated their spiritual and mentalcontrol it. Remember this skill, as it should become
powers. There are numerous legends of thea part of your life, and you will be doing a lot
monks turning large stone columns into powdermore with it.
with their bare hands, jumping up on trees, healing