Tai Chi Chuan: An Art With Many Benefits

Tai Chi Chuan has become a popular activity these days, but in many ways remains a mystery even to those who study it. Though it is known for its relaxation and health qualities Tai Chi Chuan, translated as "Grand Ultimate Boxing", is first and foremost a martial art.
The origin of Tai Chi Chuan is partly accredited to Buddhist priest Da Mo. Da Mo came to China's Shaolin Temple. He created a series of exercises to help the Shaolin monks regain muscle strength lost to long periods of meditation. The exercises utilized breathing and stationary body movements. In time, the system Da Mo created was developed into the original forms of Shaolin martial arts known today as Shaolin Kung Fu.
Chang Sang Fang, a Shaolin monk, decided to retreat into the mountains to study the philosophy of Taoism; A philosophy which focuses on the elemental mysteries and ambiguities of nature. Chang Sang Fang took his knowledge of the Shaolin arts and combined it with Taoist principles. By slowing the movements of Kung Fu, Chang Sang Fang formed the basic system of moving exercises known to the world today as Tai Chi Chuan.
Today, there are many styles of Tai Chi Chuan. The five most-widely known are named Chen, Yang, Wuu, Wu, and Sun after the families who inherited and modified the original form. The most popular of the five family styles is Yang. With its large open movements and medium frame stance it is the most user-friendly for beginners and individuals looking for the art's health benefits.
All the styles are slow-moving and develop internal energy, or Chi, which leads to gaining the health benefits and martial strength.
There are so many claims of health improvement by practitioners of Tai Chi Chuan the World Health Organization and other institutions like The Arthritis Foundation have begun scientific studies of it.
Some of the conditions the study of Tai Chi Chuan has been known to positively affect are: arthritis, bursitis, epilepsy, circulatory disorders, rheumatism, osteoporosis, tuberculosis, hypertension, respiratory disorders, and calcification of bones.
If an instructor is not teaching Tai Chi Chuan's martial principles be weary. To extract the health benefit properly Tai Chi Chuan must first and foremost be taught as a martial art since, like a tree, the art is rooted in that tradition. Tai Chi Chuan should be like a juicy apple, not a piece of waxed fruit. There are some instructors teaching very beautiful postures, but the students wind up doing calisthenics rather than developing the internal energy for which the art is known.
Performing Tai Chi Chuan-like exercises may help a student feel better and develop muscle strength, but without the martial elements the exercise lacks the dynamics and integrity from which lasting results are possible.