The History Of Tai Chi – Tai Cheng Review
It shouldn’t come as a surprise that regular exercise can help you get in shape, lose weight, and even reduce your risk of developing a serious chronic disease.
The problem is that not all individuals can do just any type of exercise. In fact, it may severely limit those who suffer from conditions such as arthritis, or chronic back pain.
Dr. Mark Cheng has developed a revolutionary training programs that accommodates people who aren’t capable of following most exercises programs. Dr. Cheng holds a Ph.D. in Chinese medicine and acupuncture. He is also a master of Tai Chi and has over 20 years of experience in the art, making him a leading expert in the field.
He developed a new form of exercise that combines the basics of Tai Chi, with the ancient practice of Qigong, to create an easy and effective solution for strengthening the body and promoting a person’s overall health and well-being.
So, to teach you a little more about this Tai Chi-based exercise program, this Tai Cheng review will give you a quick lesson on the history of Tai Chi and Qigong.
What is Tai Chi and Qigong?
Tai Chi, also known as Tai Chi Chuan comes from China and was developed under many Chinese philosophical principles such as Confucianism and Taoism. Essentially, the practice represents the fusion of a person’s yin and yang energies into a single ultimate healing energy known as chi.
Tai Chi is an ancient internal martial art with origins that can be traced back at far as 1500 years. It was originally meant to be an artistic fighting form and although there are no clear records of exactly when the practice was created, many attributed its creation to a Taoist Monk known as Zhang San Feng in the 12th century AD.
Tai Chi is a form Qigong, which means breath or energy skill in Chinese. The reason that Tai Chi and Qigong go together is because to practice Tai Chi properly, one must do so while using very specific Qigong (or breathing) techniques.
Read more about Qigong here.
Although Tai Chi was originally created as a martial art, today, it is practiced for both defensive and health reasons. And as a result of this, there are many training forms of Tai Chi that have come to be, which each correspond to either traditional or modern forms of the practice.
Regardless, most training forms of Tai Chi are known for being practiced while breathing mindfully and using slow, controlled movements.
The History of Tai Chi
When looking at the history of Tai Chi, there has been little written history and most of what is known about its origins have been passed on orally through legendary tales.
Regardless, most schools of thought believe that Tai Chi has a practical connection to the theories found in Song dynasty Neo-Confucianism, which is a combination of Buddhist, Taoist and Confucian teachings. It is these traditional schools of thought that believe Zhang San Feng to be the creator of the practice in the 12th century.
However, there has been a lot of controversy over the exact origins of Tai Chi.
In fact, there is a 17th century work written by Huang Zongxi, which is known as the earliest reference of any connection between Zhang San Feng and martial arts. Zongxi’s writings claim that the connection between San Feng and martial arts was only meant as a political metaphor and should not be taken literally.
On the other hand, what is factually known about Tai Chi is that its modern appellation only appeared somewhere around the middle of the 19th century, when a Chinese scholar to the Imperial Court, named Ong Tong, witnessed a martial arts demonstration by a man known as Yang Luchan.
Before this time, it’s presumed that Tai Chi still existed, however, it likely existed under a number of different names and was most often referred as touch boxing (zhan quan) or soft boxing (mian quan).
Read more about the history of Tai Chi here: http://www.seas.ucla.edu/spapl/qifeng/history.html
