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Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art practiced with as much softness in the musculature as possible. It is a slow-motion, moving meditative exercise for relaxation, health and self-defense. Originally from China, Tai Chi has gained enormous popularity in America and throughout the rest of the world for its health benefits. People play Tai Chi Chuan to improve one's well being both mentally and physically and so embrace the spirit of good living. When correctly practiced on a regular basis, Tai Chi Chuan can restore vigorous health, improve digestion and raises ones spirits. Perhaps because of its value Tai Chi grows to be a regular practice for millions of people worldwide. The most common of these accounts is that the founder was the Taoist monk Chan San Feng, who lived in the Sung Dynasty (AD 960-1279). The legend states that Chan San Feng watched a battle between a snake and a crane ten times its size. As the crane lunged at its prey, the wily reptile dodged and weaved, lashing back at its tormentor with relaxed lightning speed. Eventually the exhausted crane flew off for easier prey. In that instant the art of tai chi was said to have been born. Chan San Feng, a master of the bard Shaolin martial arts, applied the principles he had witnessed in the actions of the snake to his martial arts expertise. As a martial art, Tai chi chuan works on a number of levels, but the principal aim is to teach practitioners to relax and become fluid in their movements. This allows for smoother actions and quicker response times. The objective is for self-defense to become a reflexive action rather than a repetition of technique. There is a variety of sensitivity exercises which allow the practitioner to adapt instantly to an opponent and to react in the most appropriate manner. Incoming force will, typically, be diverted, however slightly, and the corresponding opening in the opponent?s defense exploited. The level of response can range from applying holds and locks, to immobilizing an opponent, through to highly damaging strikes against nerve centres and acupuncture points (dim mak). It is not until seventeenth century that tai chi can be verified historically. All of the various styles of tai chi chuan which are in existence today can be traced back to a single man, Chen Wangting, a general of the latter years of the Ming Dynasty. After the fall of the Ming and the establishment of the Qing Dynasty (1644), Chen Wangting returned to the Chen village in Henan Province and created his forms of boxing, and then Henan Province became home to the Chen family of tai chi chuan. This family has been credited with developing the Chen style, from which all the major schools, directly or indirectly, have developed. It is generally accepted that this 'new' style of martial art was developed from the popular existing arts at the time. Originally, the Chen tai chi chuan was only taught family members of the Chen clan until a promising young named Yang Luchan wished desperately to learn the art of the Chens'. Knowing that he would be refused if he asked to study with them, he became a servant in the household. He watched secretly as they trained at night, and during his free periods be would imitate the techniques be had seen. Later, he was caught spying on the Chens. When be was ordered to vie against the family members, he managed to throw his adversaries to the ground. Chen Chansheng was so impressed that he immediately offered to teach Yang as if he were a family member. After mastering the Chen tai chi chuan, Yang Luchan modified the original Chen style and created the Yang style of tai chi chuan, the most popular form practiced in the world today. Such injury, according to Tai Chi theory, is a natural consequence of meeting brute force with brute force. Instead, practitioners are taught not to directly fight or resist an incoming force, but to meet it in softness and follow its motion while remaining in physical contact until the incoming force of attack exhausts itself or can be safely redirected, meeting yang with yin. Done correctly, this yin and yang or yang and yin balance in combat, which means the goal of Tai Chi Chuan training is achieved.
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