Balance

Falls are a real threat to our elders, especially when their motor functions start to wane. Tai Chi (also spelled taiji) practice helps to prevent falls, provides a source for regular meditation, and can generally improve the function and vitality of elderly people.

The benefits of a taiji practice stem from two sources and the combination of these leads to the great benefits for all people, especially the elderly.

First, taiji is exercise. As a form of exercise, taiji is very adaptable to both time and space requirements as well as skill level. Regular movement helps the body in a myriad of ways and is vital to moving the lymph and body fluids, assisting the cardiovascular system, maintaining immunity and neurological functions, and reducing physical degeneration. Taiji is an extremely low impact activity (next to swimming) and still challenges the muscles enough to build strength.

Second, taiji is a meditative practice. Regular meditation has been shown to benefit immunity, reduce stress, and improve the outcome of most medical conditions. Meditation serves the body in many ways: "grounding" the nervous system, relieving stress, quieting the mind, resting the organs, and lowering the metabolism. Meditation generally improves the effects of aging by balancing the endocrine, immune, and nervous systems, allowing them to rest and rejuvenate.

The combination of these two sources makes taiji an outstanding form of exercise that can greatly reduce the complications of aging. the movements are simple but allow for as much skill as even masters of martial arts possess, they are challenging to all without being impossible to any.

Even disabled people can benefit from taiji, although specialized instruction is required.

There are few other practices that are so profoundly beneficial to aging and yet so easily attainable as taij.

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