Tai Chi for Stress Relief

In the present day and age, stress has emerged as a major killer. It emanates from many sources, and this is a worrying aspect. Be it the public life or the private life it brings a burden along with it. So, it comes as no surprise that one of the most common outcomes is feeling overwhelmed. If you have a never-ending to-do list, what else can you expect out of it? After all, the human body cannot keep on functioning for 24 hours constantly?

This is especially true if you are trying to balance a heavy workload. In fact, doctors have tried every trick in their trade to cut down on the stress levels, but still, some cases get out of hand. Be it medicines or exercise, they have prescribed everything. But why? Why all this hullaballoo around stress? Not only does stress result in strokes and hordes of cardiac problems, but it is also considered to be a major contributing factor to various forms of Cancers as well. And mind it, the most aggressive form of cancers.

So, it is something that should grab your attention, because your life depends entirely on it. But when you maintain a household or tend to your family and simultaneously manage your finances, what else can you do?

Tai Chi Is The Answer

For leading a healthy and productive life, it is extremely important that you should indulge in some physical activity. Some form of exercise that is able to relieve you at the same time is wonderful, both for the mind and the body. Now, if you are young, you will need some intense sport. We can’t blame you, it’s all in the hormones. But if you are on the wrong side of 30, then you need to be careful.

Extra strenuous activity can burn a lot of time, but not without damaging your body. So you need to deal with your body as cautiously as possible. Please don’t follow what you see on your friend’s or influencer’s Instagram. At the end of the day, you need to do whatever suits your body. If you follow what the crowd is doing, then there is a big chance that your ultimate purpose will get defeated.

How Tai Chi Helps In Relaxation

Tai Chi is just like Yoga, it depends a lot on the movement of the body. What comes across as graceful pose or stance, is actually a compound movement that involves moving each and every living cell in the body. It is more like a devoting your body to a worthwhile cause. You just realize your body, become aware of it. How it works and moves requires a lot of attention, observation, and calm.

Tai chi provides a better platform. As you become aware of the body, you become aware of the stress that has accumulated in the body. So you choose those movements that release the stress, not alleviate it. If you suffer from ailments of nerves you will be able to reduce it through Tai Chi. It helps to soothe down your nervous impairments and gives a deeper relief than a massage or a medicine. This is the physical aspect of Tai Chi.

Psychological Stress Relief

Tai Chi can also help relieve emotional stress at different levels. Stress is intimately related to the state of the mind. If your mind is under a burden, then your body will most certainly feel it. Left alone to dwell, there are bound to be negative feelings. Once this negativity is embedded in your physical persona, your life becomes like a monotonous drone.

This negativity results in inflow of some harmful toxins in the body which in turn, aggravates tension in your muscles and joints. If you allow some of that negative energy to seep through, then you know what will happen. Allow this nervous tension to escape through an outlet. And remember, act on it fast, otherwise there could be bigger damage to the body.

This is where Tai Chi comes in. In Tai Chi, you have to move your body minus the vigour. Focus your mind and slowly, you will feel that there is some sort of improvement. Anyway, in Tai Chi, you need to empty your mind and focus on the movements. When you do that, your wandering mind is engulfed in some sort of action. Slowly, all the fidgety and nervous thoughts start to go out of your mind taking away all the stress with it.

So when you practice the movements in solace, you become more aware of the environment or the nature that surrounds you. This has a calming effect on the mind. As you become more proficient, you will be able to knock out the stress with zero effort.

The Science Behind Tai Chi

Now that you have understood the first level or the physical and mental aspect of Tai Chi, let’s dig deeper into the science behind it. Tai Chi is just like meditation. The only difference is that you have to move your body with your mind. But does all this depend on ancient Chinese wisdom or is there any substantial proof behind it?

Dr. Wei Li from the University of Southern California has studied Tai Chi at many levels. Not only is he an expert practitioner, but he is also a scientist who studies the science behind biotic movement. In other words, he studies the movement of all living beings. His work at biomechanics lab at Stanford is groundbreaking.

According to Doctor Li, “Tai Chi movements have a substantial power packed in them. However, by regulating the velocity of the movements, the associated muscles and the tissues are experiencing complete motion, both in the linear and rotational axis. This helps in the well being and replenishing of various muscle cells. Also, it helps in the secretion of many essential hormones. A particularly interesting case is the enhanced functioning of the pituitary gland.”

How You Should Practice Tai Chi

An easy way to incorporate Tai Chi is to choose a group and prepare for an all-out battle. No, we are not referring to real combat. Start with the basics and work up the ranks alleviating yourself to a higher level, just for the sake of the next experience. Do not take any sort of tension. Welcome everything with a broad smile. Initially, your body will face some adverse effects like pain in the muscles, but slowly your body will get accustomed to it.

As you keep on practicing and advance further, within a moment or two of starting your workout, you should begin to experience a shift in your mood.

Enjoy the cheerfulness while working on the perfection of your Tai Chi. In this way, you release the stress from your body without actually hurting your physique. Also, this controlled movement helps you in weight loss, but you will not experience any fatigue.

As you practice, on a much greater scale, you will reap bigger benefits and longer-lasting results. It channels the sources of strain while controlling the emotions. Much like an athlete who needs to warm up both physically and mentally before a challenge, you work out on emptying your mind on a daily basis and focus on your objective.