Advantages: Relaxing, improves health, fitness and well-being
Disadvantages: None

...I started learning the Chinese Martial Art of Tai Chi with Peter Warr in Milton Keynes in late 1997, and decided a year later to train to become a qualified Coach. I was bitten by the bug! There are five main styles of Tai Chi - Li (or Lee), Chen, Sun, Wu and Yang, of which Yang style is my "speciality". For each style there are a series of routines, or Forms, to be learned. Primarily used in the West as a means of relaxing and destressing, Tai Chi also encourages correct posture alignment, diaphragm breathing, spatial and visual awareness, flexibility, balance and co-ordination. The benefits themselves are too numerous to mention here, but I have taught people with health problems, ie: replacement hip, weak backs and knees, stress, arthritis and diabetes, who have all reported an improvement in their well-being after practising... Read review

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Advantages: Stronger muscles, better balance and teaches discipline
Disadvantages: Needs time and patience

...Tai Chi, which means 'supreme ultimate fist', is an ancient Chinese Martial Art practised all over the world. What makes Tai Chi so attractive to such a variety of people (both young and old, male and female) is the fact that it does not focus on fast and hard movements like other Martials Arts, such as Karate and Kung Fu. Instead Tai Chi must be practised in a relaxed state, and all the movements are practised and in a slow and flowing state. Don't fool yourselves though, you won't manage to do most of the movements correctly first time round as it is much tougher than it looks. To practise this Martial Art, one must learn a Form. This is like a routine or a dance, that is normally performed slowly. You might be asking yourself....how is practising a slow dance going to make me an effective Martial Artist? I know what you mean... Read review

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Advantages: Gentle, suitable for any age group and fitness level
Disadvantages: none

...~~ TAI CHI FOR DIABETES ~~ About 6 weeks ago now, I was feeling very poorly, so I went to the doctors, where I was told that I had diabetes, I should not really have been surprised as it has been in my family for 4 generations, I am obese, I smoke (well did, I have given up in the last couple of weeks), and well, I am over 40, so it all leads to Type 2 diabetes. Even through I knew the chances were high, I still cried, and well, I just did not want to be diabetic. Whilst I was waiting for my first appointments with the diabetic clinic, I scoured the internet for information on diabetes. I needed exercise, but my breathing was very laboured and I could not walk far, (my poor dog Chloe is over weight due to lack of exercise, because I cannot take her), without going dizzy. So, whilst searching on Ciao I saw this DVD Tai Chi... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Stress reduction, fitness building,well-being,perspective changing qualities.
Disadvantages: It can often be hard to find a centre nearby and it is expensive sometimes especially if you have a private tutorial.

...Tai Chi Chaun , roughly translates into English as ' grand ultimate fist' and once you have tried the exercises you will see how inappropriate a title this is. The truth of the matter is that Tai Chi is often called ’moving meditation’ and that it really is what that reference provides. The art itself was founded in China around 914 BCE and was reportedly created by a monk who's name is held in the Shaolin temple and is only released to the highest of all monks that visit there. The exercises were invented to teach a group of Buddhist monks who had been quite lethargic and were in his view ‘not appropriately fit for the guarding of the temple’. The monk devised a set of 35 exercises to be practiced at extremely low speed every morning to build up the monks both physically and mentally. After... Read review

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Advantages: Benefical to your health for stress relief etc
Disadvantages: Few if any

...I started doing Tai Chi a few weeks ago, my friend started first and she encouraged me to go along as i had always been interested in this sort of thing i agreed. As most people who know anything in the martial arts field Tai Chi is more of a relaxed form, however you could not go as far to say that Tai Chi was a weak form, oh no. As i understand "Chi" as it is known is an energy that flows around our bodies, much like you associate our physical energy, however this "Chi" energy starts to fade after about the age of 5. The Chi is still inside us but as we age it is much harder to "tap" and experience the benefits of active chi. If you have seen those over worked business people practicing strange arm and hand movements in Hyde park on a sunday morning this is probably Tai Chi. The aims of these arm movements are to get... Read review

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Advantages: Easy to learn and understand.
Disadvantages: None...

...I found this dvd to be very informative and with over 7 hours of material on two dvds contains a lot of information regarding Tai Chi. The dvds are also filmed live so the infomation is easily undertood with no voice overs. Both Yang and Chen style Tai Chi are covered with a dvd specifically for each style and there is also a basic Qi Gong style covered. On both of the dvds, there is a section for basic training which covers the basic hand and feet movements as well as basic footwork for that particular style of Tai Chi. There is then a section for all of the applications for the Tai Chi style which shows Master Wong demonstrating the techniques on a student wearing full body so that the techniques can be performed with proper force. The dvd then has a section that shows the full form presented at full speed and the form... Read review

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Advantages: Cheap, relaxing and enjoyable at any level.
Disadvantages: One sometimes feels there is a lot to learn!

...The ancient art of Tai Chi is known throughout the world as a very calm and relaxing form of exercise. Like many of the oriental martial diciplines there are different systems and variations. For example the Yang Style seems to be perhaps the best known generally, although the Lee Family Style covers the whole of Chinese Physical Culture. Tai Chi (Lee Style) includes some very calming breathing exercises, very similar in fact to Yoga, known as Ki Men. It also includes a very long flowing form along with a dance form, silk form and sword form (for the more advanced student!). The classes are very much aimed at a very wide age range, from children to the very old. This is a very welcome change from some of the traditional martial art systems which tend to attract, and possibly distract, certain age groups. The lessons are very... Read review

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Advantages: Great way of relaxing/ meditating
Disadvantages: Takes a long time to learn properly

...OUCH ! You may think that all martial arts are about breaking concrete blocks with you head and Chinese chopping your way through a dozen blokes in the bar who have put your nose out of joint, with insensitive remarks about your flared trousers, and pudding bowl haircut. This is a common misunderstanding of oriental culture. Tai Chi is all about Yin and Yang and the balance of these two forces to promote peace and harmony within ones self. There is very little emphasis on combat forms in this book or in many of the variants of Tai Chi practiced today. The Cheng Man-ch’ing form covered by this book is one of the most popular practiced today, both in China and abroad. It is the one I am learning myself. This is a very gentle form of martial art and the emphasis in on power through softness rather than hardness, fond in the hard... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Cheaper than some, good sounds and some good music
Disadvantages: some really naff noises and lots of synthesisers