Tai Chi club. Wha Duc Lung

At last we are feeling the sunny evenings and no need for first one in to get the heating on!

Well after the Christmas and New Year break we start up again on Wednesday 8th Jan. Time to brush up the forms, get the balance back and improve, improve, improve. 😉

Last night, Wednesday 18th December was our last session before the Christmas break.
We hope everyone has a great Christmas and new year and we will be back again at Hartshill at 19:30, 8th January 2025.

Our third form is the 16 form. This Form was developed by Yang Family Grandmasters. It is an unusual Form in that postures do not repeat. It is also a compact Form, requiring very little space so like the 10 form it can often be practiced indoors on the cold winter mornings.

The second tai chi form we practice is the 10 Form. This as the name suggests is another short form. It consists of equal movements to both the left and right sides and also introduces the first kicks.

New starters to our club start on the 8 form. Although this is the shortest of the 6 forms we practice, it contains many of the movements of tai chi that are utilised over again in all the subsequent standard forms. Being a shorter form it can be learned rapidly from beginning to end to give a great sense of achievement.

At our club we practice 6 different forms. One of these is the 24-form which is the most practiced in the world.

The 24-posture Simplified Form of tai chi, (Chinese: 太极拳; pinyin: Tàijíquán) sometimes called the Beijing or Peking form for its place of origin, is a short version of tai chi composed of twenty-four unique movements.

The form was the result of an effort by the Chinese Sports Committee, which, in 1956, brought together four tai chi teachers—Chu Guiting, Cai Longyun, Fu Zhongwen, and Zhang Yu—to create a simplified form of tai chi as exercise for the masses. Some sources suggests that the form was structured in 1956 by master Li Tianji (李天骥).[1] [2] The creators truncated the traditional family style tai chi forms to 24 postures; taking about six minutes to perform and to give the beginner an introduction to the essential elements of tai chi, yet retain the traditional flavor of traditional longer hand forms.

Medicine in motion: How Tai Chi heals body and mind | CNN There is evidence that an ancient Chinese form of martial arts improves your mind and body, and may even contribute to a longer life.

Health benefits of tai chi

Learn about the health benefits of tai chi for relaxation, posture & fitness Read research about tai chi & qi gong benefits, improving sleep quality, poor circulation, back trouble, depression, arthritis, migraine & high blood pressure.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/18gmYMx2ntW6Sdyl3fTH0Gw/the-surprising-health-benefits-of-tai-chi

Sometimes it is good to get an external and independent view on Tai Chi. Here Michael Mosley of the BBC gives a 2 min read, or longer podcast explaining some of the major benefits of Tai Chi.

BBC Radio 4 - Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley - The surprising health benefits of Tai Chi Dr Michael Mosley explains how the ancient Chinese martial art can improve your health.

Next Tai Chi class at 7:30pm Wednesday (tonight)

Looking forward to another Tai Chi class, Wednesday 7:30pm at Hartshill Community Centre. All are welcome.

Tai chi is an internal Chinese martial art practiced for self-defense and health. Known for its slow, intentional movements, tai chi has practitioners worldwide and is particularly popular as a form of gentle exercise and moving meditation, with benefits to mental and physical health.