- Scientific breathing method
Tai Chi emphasizes abdominal breathing, whether it is natural breathing or fist breathing. Breathing is also coordinated with the mind, that is, when inhaling, the internal qi goes up along the spine’s Du channel, and when exhaling, the internal qi sinks along the front chest’s Ren channel, and the lower abdomen is concave when inhaling and convex when exhaling. This kind of breathing exercise expands lung capacity. Scientific experiments have shown that the size of lung capacity is proportional to the size of strength and the length of life. For example, when the human body is in a sleeping state, the person must be strong. And those who breathe short, weak, or long, short and uneven are either sick or weak. The length and thickness of the breathing wave are the strength of a person’s physique. Therefore, Tai Chi fitness pays great attention to breathing.
- The smooth circulation of qi and blood promotes blood circulation
Taichi exercise requires qi to reach the extremities. From the external limbs and joints, tendons, bones and skin to the internal internal organs, spirit, energy and spirit, the human body cannot do without the nourishment and moisture of blood. Good blood circulation and adequate blood supply are not only the basic guarantee for the normal functioning of various parts of the human body, but also the fundamental condition for determining the length of human life.
When practicing Tai Chi, the body is straightened and the head is straightened, the head is empty, and the qi sinks into the Dantian. The mind guides the qi and the body is moved by the qi. The internal qi goes up to Baihui, down to Yongquan, and reaches the four ends, which promotes blood circulation, dredges the meridians, and speeds up the circulation frequency. The arteries are unobstructed, the capillaries are long-lasting, and the skin of the limbs and bones delays aging. Long-term Tai Chi exercise will make the qi and blood full. Healthy and long-lived.
- Unobstructed sweat glands ensure metabolism
In addition to excretion through the eyes, ears, nose, mouth and the seven orifices and the valley, the waste produced by human metabolism is mainly excreted by sweat glands. In addition, sweat hair and sweat pores have the natural regulating function of heat preservation and heat dissipation. Therefore, Chinese medicine has a saying that “sweat glands are unobstructed, and all diseases are not invaded. Sweat glands are blocked, and diseases are afflicted.” In modern society, people’s material living conditions are constantly improving and improving. In winter, there are central heating, and in summer, there are air conditioners and electric fans. While people are free from the suffering of cold and heat, they also lead to a decline in the warmth and heat dissipation functions of human skin.
Due to the laziness of sweat hair, the blockage of sweat pores, and the weakening of skin permeability, the secretions, sediments, and harmful substances such as viruses in the human body cannot be excreted in time, the metabolism is disordered, and the yin and yang are unbalanced. All kinds of diseases will arise. As an internal martial art, Tai Chi has its own unique features in the training of skin. Practicing Tai Chi is not divided into spring, summer, autumn and winter. It always guides the expansion and contraction of the skin and the opening and closing of pores in the opening and closing of the body. People who practice Tai Chi better maintain the purity and permeability of their skin than those who do not practice Tai Chi. The endocrine channels are unobstructed, and the virus garbage is not easy to be retained, so minor diseases do not occur and major diseases do not grow.
- Symmetrical movement makes up for the acquired deficiencies of human functions
People have formed many habitual stereotypes intentionally or unintentionally in their daily life and work. On the one hand, these habitual patterns improve the efficiency of movements, but on the other hand, they also cause defects in human movement. In other words, all habitual movements are mostly one-way biased movements. For example, in daily life, the upper limbs’ one-handed movements such as holding, grasping, lifting, pinching, and grabbing are generally performed with the right hand; the lower limbs’ bouncing, jumping, jumping, and kicking are mostly performed with the right foot, and the upper body’s carrying, lifting, and lifting are mostly performed with the right shoulder. Left-handed people are the opposite.
Whether it is left or right, it is a one-way movement. This kind of one-way movement in appearance weakens the reverse regulation function of the central nervous system of the brain over a long period of time, which is bound to lead to an imbalance between the left and right functions of the human body. If the right is strong, the left is weak; if the left is strong, the right is weak. The strong are easy to lose weight, and the weak are easy to get sick. Therefore, there is a saying in terms of disease onset that “men are left and women are right”.
Although this statement may not be scientific, it is common for human diseases to be concentrated on one side. The shape and structure of Tai Chi is exactly “where there is an upper part, there is a lower part”. The moves are interchangeable left and right, and the body shapes complement each other up and down, forming a symmetrical movement that is consistent inside and outside. When changing moves, it is emphasized that if you want to go left, you should go right first, and if you want to go up, you should go down first; when exerting force, it is important to push forward and then push back, and the whole body is in unity of opposites. Thus, it effectively strengthens the reverse regulation function of the brain, maintains the overall coordination and balanced development of human movement, and overcomes the defect of unidirectional movement causing disease.
- Use intention without force to improve the sensitivity of the nervous system
Human aging first occurs in the atrophy and exhaustion of the nervous system. For example, sagging and wrinkling of facial skin and hair loss on the forehead are caused by the decline of the function of cell regeneration nerves; deafness and blurred vision are caused by the aging of auditory and visual nerves; slow reaction and memory decline are caused by the aging of the discrimination and retrieval nerves; poor legs and feet are caused by the aging of the central control nerves. All these, all functions of the human body are caused by the action of more than 100,000 nerves. The atrophy of any nerve will directly lead to the decline of the function of a certain organ of the human body.
The biggest difference between Tai Chi and other types of boxing is that it is a movement that uses intention without force, emphasizes intention rather than form, and controls the body with the mind. When practicing Tai Chi, one must concentrate and use the mind to guide the Qi. All the changes in appearance, every move and posture requires the mind to be ahead of the body. If the mind does not move, the body does not move. If the mind moves, the body follows. When the mind is still, the body stops. The so-called mind is the various instructions and signals sent by the central nervous system of the brain. Every time Tai Chi is practiced, the mind moves first and then the body moves, which is what people often say is the combination of form and spirit.
On the contrary, if the mind is not calm and the mind is not focused, the body is scattered and the mind is chaotic, and the internal and external are out of balance, then the movement essence of Tai Chi is lost. It is precisely because of this characteristic of Tai Chi that old boxers with deep skills and high skills are not deaf, blurred, and their feet are not heavy even in their old age. The sensitivity of their skin is still different from that of ordinary people. The saying in boxing theory that “a feather cannot be added, and flies and insects cannot fall” is to describe the meaning of not being able to top up, and it also refers to the sensitivity of the boxer’s skin. All of these are due to the delay of nerve aging by practicing boxing with intention.
- Moderate exercise maintains a neutral state of human energy
As for the relationship between exercise and life, there have been different opinions throughout history. It is generally believed that life lies in movement. The principle is derived from the fact that running water does not rot and door hinges do not become stupid. Some people also believe that life lies in more stillness to reduce the wear and tear of the body and the consumption of functions. Those who hold this view often compare it to the longevity of turtles and cranes. In fact, both views are reasonable. The key is that movement and stillness cannot be neglected. It is true that life lies in movement, but excessive and intense exercise will undoubtedly make the body tired and premature; and those who are more still and less active often have indigestion, loss of appetite, weakness in the limbs, mental depression and easy invasion of disease. Therefore, they often take medicine all year round. Therefore, over-emphasizing movement or over-advocating stillness are both detrimental to human health. Only moderate exercise and alternating movement and stillness are beneficial to health.
Tai Chi boxing moves forward and backward, but it is intentional and does not use clumsy force, so the consumption is not large: in terms of state of mind. Relaxation and stillness are emphasized in the exercise and walking. The “quiet” mentioned here means that when walking or pushing hands, one must abandon distracting thoughts, seek quietness in movement, and concentrate on one thought instead of all thoughts. Therefore, although the appearance is moving, the mind is still quiet. This unique way of movement of Tai Chi has a good effect on maintaining the neutral balance of human functions, so long-term practice can prolong one’s life.
- Long Qi leads to softness, preventing the aging of bones, joints, and ligaments
Whether from the perspective of animals and plants in nature or from the ecological development process of human beings themselves, all those with vigorous vitality have good flexibility in their limbs or limbs: all organisms that are about to die will become stiff and withered. As far as the human body is concerned, osteoporosis and brittleness in the elderly, poor rotation of joints, loose ligaments, and shriveled blood vessels are all the result of losing flexibility.
In order to keep the human body healthy and strong, it is necessary to keep the muscles, bones, and skin of the whole body in good elasticity. Tai Chi exercises and walking. Rotate fingers, wrists, shoulders, and waist, stretch the crotch to open the hips, pull the tendons and bones, and twist and turn all the moves. All of them are completed in the process of drawing arcs and walking circles. The connotation of this spiral movement is actually to strengthen the elasticity of the muscles, bones, skin and internal organs of the whole body, that is, flexibility. Therefore, Tai Chi boxers with deep skills and high skills usually have large lung capacity, large bladder and skin expansion and contraction difference, long tendons and strong bones, soft skin, deep and fine breathing, and large forward and reverse rotation angles of joints. These are all manifestations of good body flexibility. The extension of flexibility itself is longevity. On the contrary, if any organ in the human body loses its elasticity, it means the end of life.
- Relaxation, tranquility, emptiness, and spirituality. Cultivate a transcendent and unworldly state of mind
It is well known that people with a pure heart and few desires often live longer. Those who do the opposite often die early. The reason is that people with many desires will ask for more, and people who ask for more will be greedy for drinking, eating, worrying, worrying, thinking, annoyed, frightened, and fearful. If there are too many desires, they will be hurt. Traditional Chinese medicine believes that sadness hurts the mind, anger hurts the liver, worry hurts the lungs, thinking hurts the spleen, worry hurts the heart, fear hurts the kidneys, eating too much hurts the stomach, and having sex too much hurts the essence and qi. The process of Tai Chi training is the process of regulating the mind. When practicing Tai Chi, the body and mind should be relaxed, quiet, empty, and spiritual. The key to every move and body shape is to follow the natural flow. Therefore, the movement is like flowing clouds and water. Both the body and mind are good.