Tai Chi The answer to this question lies in another question, ?What are you looking for?? If you are not happy with any area of your life today, then Tai Chi can help you. I have been studying and teaching the tai chi Health Arts for over twenty years. During this time I have learnt that the answer to all questions lies within each of us. The above may sound like a bold statement, yet it is based on facts handed down over the centuries. Because of the vast variety of benefits available to everyone who practises tai chi , many articles have been written on the subject. The majority of the articles shroud the understanding of the art of Tai Chi in mystery. Today, Western Medicine is acknowledging that Tai Chi can help many ailments and recently an article appeared in the national newspapers claiming that doctors agreed that Tai Chi worked but they couldn't explain how. I would like to share with you my own understanding of Tai Chi which is taught purely for health and is based on the principles of Chinese Medicine. Your own body's internal energy (Chi energy), plays a vital role in the quality of your health. Chi energy is with you from the day you are born until the day you die. A person with a highly developed Chi energy through practicing Tai Chi experiences very few illnesses. That is what we are all working towards. Most of us understand how our blood flows through our body and have a basic understanding of how our organs work. Did you know that a person with highly volatile emotions, often has stagnation in the liver and gallbladder? The stagnation I am talking about is the stagnation of your Chi energy. This is because the flow of your body's internal energy is not moving freely around your body and nourishing your organs properly. My late master used to say ?If you lose your temper or raise your voice you are ill.' The movements of the Tai Chi Form start to work on the development of your internal energy (Chi) from your very first lesson. Our movements are simple to perform and once learnt and practised regularly, the health benefits will last you a lifetime. Our Tai Chi Chuan Form provides the foundations upon which all the other aspects of our arts are based. It is the starting point of training, for all those wishing to improve the quality of their health. To progress in any area of your life, your mind needs to be calm. If you are tense ideas will not flow freely and you will find the act of daily living a strain. Because we teach these traditional movements in a modern way, you will find that your mind becomes calm, as you learn the mechanics, your balance and co-ordination will also improve. This is because your mind is pleasantly occupied with the constant repetition of trying to perfect the simple movements Another vital aspect of our Arts is correct breathing, yet most of us go through our lives without even giving it a second thought. When I was at school I was taught to breathe in and pull everything in. If we analyse what is actually happening to the lungs when you use this type of breathing you will find that only the upper part of the lungs are being used. This allows toxins to form and build up in the lower part of the lungs. If you watch a baby breathing you will notice that there stomach appears to expand as they breathe in and contract as they breathe out, this type of breathing allows the whole of the lungs to be used correctly. When your lungs are working correctly, this helps the rest of your body to work efficiently, your blood will flow freely and your body's natural energy (Chi) will move around your body; taking care of your inner well being. You will also find that your mind is more alert and ideas flow easily to you, providing solutions to areas of your life which may be causing you strain. People who suffer from breath related ailments such as asthma have found great benefit from practising Tai Chi . Because the movements of Tai Chi Chuan are gentle and practised without strain they are suitable for everyone. We encourage people to progress at their own pace. Remember if you are feeling under pressure in any area of your life today, your mind, body and spirit are not in complete harmony. The movements we teach work, they have helped many people suffering from ailments such as arthritis, asthma, back pain, cancer... balance, circulation, knee problems, low fertility, heart problems, hip problems, high blood pressure, low blood pressure, insomnia, neck problems, M.E. M.S. shoulder problems, thyroid, stress and many more. These ailments will be covered in greater depth in future articles. The subject of the Tai Chi is vast and the knowledge and information I have to share with you has already helped many people. I have many written testimonials from people who have already reaped the benefits of practising Tai Chi. For more information go to our website address is www.lfataichi.com