The word ‘martial art' always reminds us of violence. We are either supposed use it to attack others or to defend ourselves from attacks. What we do not realise is that they have one more aspect – healing.

One martial art that lays equal emphasis on healing and defence is Tai Chi. A first look at a Tai Chi class could be misleading. The movements are deceptively slow, and they make one wonder whether it is a martial art at all.

This is what makes Tai Chi Qigong and Tai Chi Chuan suitable for all people – especially those leading a sedentary lifestyle – irrespective of age. If you have no intention of bashing up your countless enemies or defending yourself from their attacks, you can restrict yourself by learning just those bits that will help you keep a healthy life.

This is possible because Tai Chi uses both the mind and the body, and also involves breathing control and several other aspects of meditation. “Tai Chi works on your immune system, which means it can prevent and cure several diseases, including emotional stress,” says Sifu Ranga Rao, one of the leading Tai Chi masters in Chennai. The base of Tai Chi comes from Kung Fu, he says, but unlike other martial arts, the mind fully controls the movements. In other martial arts, the body moves faster and the mind's control of the body is less. “In Tai Chi, you are consciously making every move. You know what the next step is going to be,” Ranga Rao says.

Tai Chi is more suited to the sedentary lifestyle most of us have, says Ranga Rao. Monks like Bodhidharma, who introduced several martial techniques, including Tai Chi in China, had a sedentary lifestyle and used Tai Chi to keep themselves fit. So, Tai Chi is almost tailor-made for us now.

Corporate workshops

Ranga Rao also conducts corporate workshops. “There are exercises that can be done sitting in the chair,” he says. “When we sit for a long time without moving our body, it creates muscle problems. A combination of exercises using Tai Chi Chuan and Qigong can help reduce physical and mental stress that are part of corporate life,” says Ranga Rao.

Children with ADHC disorders can also benefit by doing Tai Chi, he says. Ranga Rao also helps children learning dance by using Tai Chi to prevent the physical problems that usually occur while dancing.

Though the very word “Tai Chi” indicates that it is a Chinese martial art, the roots are from India, and it required a Tamil film Ezhaam Arivu to remind us of that. Ranga Rao says the roots have been taken from Shiva Thandavam.

Even if a mugger surprises you, Tai Chi will enable you to use his force to overcome him, which means, you need not have a 6-pack body to learn the art.

Sifu Ranga Rao can be contacted at: 9840458191. His email address is: ranga.taichi@gmail.com

> dinakaran@thehindu.co.in

Photos : >http://bit.ly/TaiChiPics

Videos : >http://bit.ly/taichiclips

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