Inside the Ancient Practice of Tai Chi

By Chris Radnedge

Tai ChiI have previously written about Standing Meditation and the numerous physical, mental and emotional benefits. Last year I had the opportunity to write an article for Leiden Magazine on Tai Chi which was featured on their website.

Tai chi is an ancient exercise art of health building, power development and inward advancement. A holistic art, tai chi has centuries of evidence showing that it can meld the mind, body and spirit into one. The goals of tai chi are multidimensional with a strong emphasis on how to keep your body as young as possible as you go through each phase of your life.

A class in tai chi is geared towards boosting your level of health. This is achieved through deliberate, slowed down movements which strongly affect the nervous system and tendons. Tai chi movements are designed to decompress your spine and create space inside your torso and joints. For a western culture that does almost everything in a sitting position (eating, driving, computing, socialising, watching TV), learning how to do this is vital for reversing the effects of gravity on posture.

This is only a small snippet of the article I wrote for Leiden Magazine. If you would like to read the full article go to http://leidenmagazine.com.au/2017/08/06/ancient-practice-tai-chi/

Posted in Mental Health

About Chris Radnedge

Chris has a degree in human biology from the University of Canberra in addition to an Advanced Diploma of Soft Tissue Therapy from the Canberra Institute of Technology. Chris has been working as a remedial massage therapist and soft tissue therapist since year 2000. He has a special interest in musculoskeletal conditions, such as neck and low back pain, hip pain, whiplash, headaches, and nerve injuries. He uses kinesiotaping as an effective adjunct to his massage skills. Chris also uses structural bodywork techniques for scoliosis (curvature of the spine), spinal joint dysfunctions and for minimising whole body compensation strategies. He has worked with elite athletes from the AIS and enjoys working in conjunction with our physio and podiatry team members to get the best outcome for our clients. When Chris is not providing great massages, he can be seen practicing and teaching Kung Fu. He also enjoys relaxing in coffee shops, lifting weights, practicing yoga or watching cat videos on YouTube.

2 Comments

  1. Douwe Geluk on February 27, 2018 at 10:31 am

    My name is Douwe Geluk and i am a Tai Chi teacher at Tai Chi Apeldoorn in the Netherlands.

    This is a very good article and nicely done it gives true insight on the health effects of Tai Chi & Chi Kung.

    Thanx

    Douwe Geluk
    Tai Chi Apeldoorn



    • Chris Radnedge on March 8, 2018 at 4:14 am

      Hi Douwe,
      Thank you so much for your feedback and appreciation of my article.

      I’m very happy it resonated with you and you have had similar effects of Tai Chi practise.

      Which style of Tai Chi do you practise? I teach all of the ten aspects of Grand Master Feng Zhiqiang’s Hun Yuan tai chi, as well as Yang Style tai chi and Xing Yi Quan.

      I hope you are well
      Chris