Summary: Tai Chi clothing and how it helps you Tai Chi sessions.
Tai Chi is one of those arts that require fundamental meditation skills to execute properly. So, environment, ambiance, and disruption factor are issues to consider for Tai Chi sessions; all these and your Tai Chi clothing.
Some Tai Chi experts argue that clothing properly in Tai Chi sessions are every bit as essential as the mental preparation before Tai Chi sessions. They rationalize that the spiritual energy Qi flows on every pore of the body, tight and inhibitive clothing can severely diminish the flows of energy in your body. This is especially important to those who are still starting to learn the skill, since starters tend to have more difficulty in detecting and managing Qi.
Also, since Tai Chi is a moving meditation, tough heavy clothing like jeans and jackets are so rigid and not as flexible that it will hinder body movement and encumber the practitioner. Also, these clothing tend to be uncomfortable especially in the middle of a meditation.
Properties of Tai Chi Clothing
Tai Chi clothing is soft, light, and supple. They should be soft as not to distract Tai Chi practitioners, light as not to inhibit movement, and supple enough to accommodate the postures. The make are mostly cotton, linen, and silk. Linen pants are a favorite choice since linen is thermo-regulating, unlike silk, strong, durable and more resistant to wear and abrasion. On the other hand, traditional Chinese Tai Chi masters uses silk since, well silk is plentiful in old days china. Cotton is also an alternative if silk and linen is not a fair option. Cotton is cool and is also cheaper.
The most common color of Tai Chi clothing is black and white, but there’s no restriction of color though. But other schools chose to have a specific color.
There are other Tai Chi schools that don’t require Tai Chi uniforms. Instead, they use a printed Tai Chi shirt as the school uniform. Usually, the shirt is white and the school’s logo or Tai Chi symbols are printed. Trousers are the student’s responsibility.
But in any case, Tai Chi clothing doesn’t define skill in Tai Chi. An adept of the art can do Tai Chi meditation in the middle of Sahara wearing only smallclothes. Tai Chi clothing only serves to make you comfortable practicing your Tai Chi, so getting uncomfortable clothes defeats the purpose. But then again, you may find out that doing Tai Chi in a parka inside a warm living room can get you good results.
Tai Chi Chuan
Summary: Tai Chi is an ancient traditional Chinese fighting system that many had adopted as an exercise regimen for its health and longetivity benefits.
T'ai Chi Chuan or referred simply as Tai Chi is an ancient traditional chinese fighting system that many had adopted as an exercise regimen for its health and longetivity benefits. It is quite obvious that this system evolve from a fighting system to an exercise regimen since the chinese characters of the name Tai Chi Chuan can be translated to as “Supreme Ultimate Fist”(some arguments on this though). Even traditional teachers of Tai Chi teach it both as self defense and as an exercise/meditation regimen. This system first evolved from the teachings of the Chen to the Yang families in 1820 China. Now, Tai Chi is being practiced worldwide today, its set of smooth, flowing often graceful exercises is used for relaxation and meditation, and to keep the ‘Qi’ flowing.
The system focuses on harnessing ‘Qi’(Chi, Ki), an inner force that purportedly provides the bodies with spiritual energies, allowing great strength and stamina. It is soul energy, prana energy, orgone energy, or life-force energy that radiates from every living organism. But according to some, Qi originates from all things, and all things has Qi. It is up to humans to cultivate Qi around them and integrate the Qi of their bodies to the environment, manipulating it in order to enchance their health and adjust many things.
The Tai Chi Chuan of Today
Presently, the fad of taking up classes in Tai Chi is mostly on for health benefits. While a handful still study Tai Chi for martial arts purposes, many practicioners are doing Tai Chi as a meditative exercise, a sort of yoga but its mobile alternative. Especially in the West, since most people, after being bombared with images of near perfect bodies have become fitness afficionados themselves.
But in the East, Tai Chi students take it as a martial art, probably since most Asian visiting the West are bound to be ‘band-wagoned’ as some martial artist, and are often ask, forcibly on some occasions, to do some demo.
Tai Chi Chuan has gained a considerable number of followers these past twenty years. While others flock to schools and instructors after watching Jackie Chan and other martial art films, others sign up for its aesthetic appeal, while yet others sign up for its benefits on health, mental and physical. Hospitals, clinics, government centers and even private individuals are now hosting Tai Chi Chuan classes.
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