Introduction to Tai Chi Ch'uan

Catalog description

KINES 76 is designed to introduce students to Tai Chi Ch'uan, a traditional Chinese system of personal cultivation and self-defense. Students explore Tai Chi Ch'uan as a health and martial arts system which is based on more than five thousand years of observation and practice culled from the major Chinese Schools of philosophy and Chinese medical practice. Tai Chi Ch'uan is considered a physical embodiment of the supreme Taoist principles. Tai chi Ch'uan has been the focus of research in China and the west and has been found extremely beneficial for balance, arthritis, Parkinson Disease and for general health and well-being. Tai Chi Ch'uan has gained popularity throughout the world as a means for attaining physical health and vitality and as a formidable defensive martial art. Students are introduced to the principles of Tai Chi Ch'uan by learning Tai Chi relaxation techniques and warm ups to relax the joints, right body alignment and Qi Gong exercises to promote the flow of chi, or life energy, through the body and the internal organs. Students become proficient in the performance of the first part of the Tai Chi Yang form, which is the heart of the practice. Students also explore the martial art aspects of Tai Chi Ch'uan through the practice of push hands, a two person play, and through the demonstration and introduction to the Tai Chi Sword. The martial art aspects enrich the student's experience and demonstrate the interaction of the student's chi with their environment. Students are encouraged to practice daily outside of class to progress to perform movement and related exercises on their own to create beneficial exercise for mind and body over the lifespan.