Health

Defensive fitness

22/06/2011 Office of Road Safety

0

Tai Chi, a mind and body discipline cited with offering a myriad of health benefits can be a great way to help you slow down and enjoy the ride.

Sam Sujatna, Tai Chi instructor at The West Australian Chin Woo Athletic Association, says viewing Tai Chi as a fitness option primarily for the elderly is a common misconception.

"The way it works is that if you take Tai Chi up from a young age, you can progress and use it all the way up to your elderly age, as opposed to other more physically demanding sports, like football or basketball, where your body can only take so much punishment and you have to stop or retire by a certain age,” he says. “That's the beauty of Tai Chi; you can start at any age, whether young or old, and you can still take it right up to your last living days."

If you can walk, you have the required fitness level to take up Tai Chi, Sam says. He says Tai Chi is often taken up as a stress management option and as a physical exercise choice for assistance in weight maintenance or reduction.

"While most people do prefer to do Tai Chi in the morning, it can be done any time,” he says. “Some people even do it just before they go to bed, because it helps them calm down and feel relaxed before they go to sleep."

According to Sam, Tai Chi was created centuries ago, originating as a self-defence martial art (still taught by a few teachers, including Sam) that has evolved over the centuries, progressing to its current modern day stance as more of a fitness/health/lifestyle exercise.

Sam says if you are open minded Tai Chi can help you release your ego without losing self confidence. "The way I like to teach Tai Chi is mainly to help people improve their quality of life through the philosophy of Tai Chi," explains Sam.

"Basically, learning the movements through Tai Chi essentially teaches you more about developing self-awareness. When you learn more self-awareness, you get to have a greater understanding of yourself and how you can relate, not only to the other people around you, but your whole surrounding in any situation. That's how Tai Chi can help."

What kind of fitness do you do to help you enjoy the ride?