Tai Chi for health & wellbeing
Raise your arms up and out in front of your body until they are parallel to the ground. Now lower your arms to the sides of your body.
Repeat this eight times.
As you slowly move your arms up and down think of the phrase ‘hardly moving’ – this will help slow your movements.
Remember the slower you go the more you will feel the Chi flow.
Tai Chi Chuan is a health and self defence system.
There are various styles of Tai Chi and the major styles are Yang, Wu, Chen, Sun, Wu Hao, and all the styles comprise of five sections: The Hand Form – Push Hands – Chi Kung/Nei Kung – Self Defence – Weapons (sword, sabre, spear).
In this five part series I’ve selected one clip from each of the sections of Tai Chi to give you an appreciation of what they look like.
Part One – The Hand Forms selections are random, as there are a huge variety of Tai Chi examples on YouTube and they vary in techniques. I’ve selected samples of five of the major styles of Tai Chi
I always encourage participants in my aged care and sports chi workshops to train at least three times a week so they can maintain a certain skill level they have learned. I always encourage participants in my aged care and sports chi workshops to train at least three times a week so they can maintain a certain skill level they have learned.
It’s something I preach and practice in my own Tai Chi training. And there is no better example than stance training to underline the importance of practicing three times a week to maintain a skill level. This is a skill where you stay stationary in a posture for a certain amount of time. The standing postures vary between high, mid and low stances.
For example, the high stance I practice, Embrace the Tree, is demanding – especially when you hold this posture for one hour, which I do three times a week. I started practiciiiiing this posture a few years ago holding it for 30 seconds at a time, three times a week. Then I added a few seconds each week until I can now maintain a one hour stance with ease.
So when you teach your residents an/or sports players, remember to emphasise practicing at least three times a week to maintain skill levels.
If I practice less than three times a week I know the skill will wither away and I won’t be able to hold the stance as long as I can now.
Frank sat there staring at me, without moving, during our one hour Chair Chi session. He didn’t participate. Just stared at me.
Frank sat there staring at me, without moving, during our one hour Chair Chi session. He didn’t participate. Just stared at me.
And that happens occasionally when I work with a group of residents. If it does, I simply continue on, hoping the person will join in eventually.
Well … after I finished this session and was about to leave, a lifestyle staff member came up to me and said, ‘That was terrific, Frank never stays for activities’.
After thanking her for the compliment, I walked towards the corridor where two of Frank’s relatives introduced themselves. They also thanked me saying, ‘Frank watched you the whole time and listened to everything you said.’
From what I gathered that’s something Frank rarely does during activities.
It certainly feels good being complimented about the work I do in aged care. And the feedback I received for this session reinforced my belief that even if a resident is not physically participating, I can still be making a connection!
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