Why Tai Chi is still vital
in a modern world

by Nicola Nye

It's a typical thought, a modern thought: "Strange, how much the mind can affect the body." Spoken by a friend when talking about how a recent anxiety attack left him nauseous, dizzy and struggling to breathe.

The modern world divorces the mind from the body. We sit at computers, using little more than our eyes and fingers to get the day's work done. We sit before the tv, absorbing entertainment and information through eyes and ears and little else. The body becomes nothing more than a vehicle for our brains.

And then we wonder why our bodies are afflicted with mysterious illnesses!

The mind is intimately connected with the body. The brain controls every aspect of our actions and responds to a thousand sensations across our skin. The central nervous system is a huge organ capable of complex interactions.

Tai Chi trains us to reconnect mind and body. It makes us aware of our actions, to get back in touch with our many muscles and ligaments, joints and bones. It does so safely and restfully.

These gentle exercises not only decrease the stress we feel, by distracting us from our daily cares; but also help prevent further anxiety, by keeping us in touch with our bodies. Tension is released from the muscles and the mind.

It might be an ancient art, but Tai Chi is more relevant than ever in the modern world.