Blog 3: The Art of Moving Meditation

Welcome back everyone! Last week, I touched upon the effects of stress on the physical and mental health of the body. As you know, stress can have detrimental effects on the body such as coronary heart disease, weakened immune system, fatigue, increased risk of obesity, and many more symptoms if not counteracted with mental and physical exercises for the individual. However, today I will be discussing one of the many techniques to combat stress and it is called Tai Chi or can be known as moving meditation. Tai Chi is a form of ancient Chinese martial arts and healing that allows the individual to control their breathing, while doing gentle stretching and physical exercise (Tong, Chai, Lei, Liu, & Yang, 2018, p. 1). According to Tong, Chai, Lei, Liu, & Yang, Tai Chi, “. . . improves balance, aerobic capacity, muscular strength, and flexibility and can relieve psychological problems such as depression, anxiety, stress, and mood disturbance (Tong, Chai, Lei, Liu, & Yang, 2018, p. 1). Tai Chi can positively impact and maintain the dual relationship of physical and mental health of an individual’s well-being. In addition, it can be practiced by individuals of all ages and of all body types. Of course, we will start at the beginner level of learning the basics of Tai Chi movement through the video, Tai Chi 5 minutes a day module 01 – Easy for beginners (Cohen, 2017). In this video, Leia Cohen, a health coach states, according to the Daoist philosophy, “. . . it takes 100 days to create a foundation, you plant the seed, you cultivate it for 100 days, and then at the end you harvest” (Cohen, 2017). Cohen is referring to the amount of time it takes to officially form a habit as it takes practice to understand the gentle movements and technique of Tai Chi. With anything that you begin to start, it requires practice and training before understanding and improvement is achieved. Therefore, I encourage Tai Chi as a form of physical and mental exercise that can greatly improve your well-being, but also make you feel refreshed after a long day of work. Refer to the video by Leia Cohen in regards to specific instruction on how to execute Tai Chi. Please enjoy and let me know what you guys think! Stay tuned and stay healthy!

Ego – AlterEgo (n.d.).

Youtube video of Tai Chi 5 minutes a day module 01-Easy for beginners (Cohen, 2017).

#soothethemind#theartofmovingmeditation

Please reach out or comment below on any personal experiences that you feel comfortable sharing!

References:

Cohen, L. [Taiflow]. (2017). Tai Chi 5 minutes a day module 01 – Easy for beginners [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEOS2zoyQw4

Ego – AlterEgo [@ego-alterego]. (n.d.). Joao MT: Mixed media and acrylic paintings – Ego – Alterego [Photograph]. Pinterest. Retrieved April 25, 2020, from https://www.pinterest.com/pin/472174342166710717/

Tong, Y., Chai, L., Lei, S., Liu, M., & Yang, L. (2018). Effects of Tai Chi on self-efficacy: A systematic review. Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 1-21. http://downloads.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2018/1701372.pdf