Tai Chi Chuan is considered one of the national treasures of China. Throughout that vast nation one may, on any given day, find a park or other open area filled with people performing this ancient art. The slow, graceful motion, the fluidity of form and the serenity of the practitioners convey the sense that Tai Chi Chuan is more than a form of exercise. Indeed, Tai Chi is far more than it's motion reveals. Tai Chi Chuan is meditation, martial art and health regime all rolled into one.

The origins of Tai Chi are as ancient as China itself. Although speculation abounds about exactly where and when the art began, one thing is clear; Tai Chi originated as a martial art. Although the movements do not indicate it, Tai Chi is a very potent means of self defense. Known as a "soft" or "fluid" form, Tai Chi attempts to use an aggressor's momentum against him. By staying "rooted" and centered, a Tai Chi practitioner allows an opponent to over extend himself which throws him off balance. Blows are not blocked or deflected so much as redirected or avoided. Yet as the centuries passed, Tai Chi evolved into a meditative art and its practitioners began to understand the health benefits.

To understand the health benefits of Tai Chi Chuan, one must have a basic knowledge of what the Chinese refer to as Chi. Chi is the essential life force or energy that is a part of every living thing. Chi, like any form of energy, can be potential or kinetic, that is static or moving. Chi is stored in an area of the body the Chinese call the tan tien; an organ or structure that lies about three inches below the navel and two thirds of the way back toward the spine. When the body is at rest, the Chi is at rest; when the body begins to move so does the chi. Practitioners of Tai Chi express the feeling of moving Chi as a warming or tingling of the hands, feet and/or head. So how does one begin participating in this ancient art?

In China Tai Chi is done in public, in groups and with no direct instruction. One learns by observing and following along. In the United States (or other western countries) this method is usually less than productive. Fortunately there are a number of resources that are available.

Books - books, while excellent for learning many concepts that require thought or memorization, are less well suited to learning a physical activity such as Tai Chi. First, it is difficult to translate the complex motions of Tai Chi into simple words. Second,

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