Tai Chi - How to Relax and Relieve Stress How often do you feel stressed? If you’re like most of us, it’s several times a day. What do you think this is doing to your body? Are you noticing signs of excessive stress in your body or hoping they don’t start appearing? Well most of us are not in a position to simply get rid of the stresses we’re under. So how can we deal them so our health is not negatively affected, or how do we help our bodies heal so we can deal with the many stresses we face every day? The answer for me was tai chi chuan (taijiquan). I started studying 7 years ago and I feel better today than I did 20 years ago. I’ve learned that just a little regular practice can go a long way toward helping me deal with life’s stressful situations and toward making me feel good. According to several medical research studies, tai chi is a true aerobic exercise. Practicing it will oxygenate your blood and it’s one of the many ways tai chi helps your body heal itself. A few examples from the enormous body of medical research available can be found at www.beginningtaichi.net/healthstories.html. The focus you’ll use while practicing this gentle form of exercise and energy movement also has an incredible impact on lowering your stress level, making you physically and emotionally able to better deal with stress. In effect it raises your resistance to many of the negative affects of stress. Image yourself in a stressful situation you recently faced. How do you feel? Is your blood pressure elevated? How are you dealing with this stress right now? Remember you’re not actually facing it, you’re only remembering it. Now imagine yourself calmly moving in a rhythmic fashion as you relax your body and breathe deeply. Relax, take a moment and imagine this, and then notice how you’re feeling. Is your blood pressure down? Are you feeling better? Image how you’d feel if you were actually doing tai chi. Tai chi has helped me, many people I know, and is more available now than ever before. Take a look around and see if there is a good tai chi school nearby. You can also get more information about tai chi from www.beginningtaichi.net. posted by John Crewdson - www.beginningtaichi.net Experience Bursts of Tai Chi(TM) click here - http://tinyurl.com/3n9zj8 John is a formally accepted protege (disciple) of the 5th generation Yang Master, Cui Zhongsan of Beijing, China. John trains and teaches at The Mei Zhong Yang Style Taijiquan Association, USA in Decatur, Georgia, as well as teaching via the internet. He trains with his master whenever he travels to Beijing and whenever Master Cui visits the United States. In keeping with tradition, and just plain old good form, John also likes to acknowledge Miriam Holland who is the founder of Mei Zhong, John's senior training sister, and a fellow disciple of Master Cui (visit www.mz108.com). Anyone may copy this article and use it however they see fit, as long as it is copied in its entirety with all links, the author’s information, and this statement. You may also email me at John@beginningtaich.net.