Soil Association

  Tai Chi can be looked at as many things.  It translates as 'supreme ultimate'.  So clearly, if it could not be applied to multiple walks/ areas of life, it would not warrant such an appellation.  The principles of Tai Chi can pervade all aspects of one's life.

  The principles of Tai Chi practice, ie the slow, even, deep breathing, and the relaxed gait will aid one 100% of the time. Relaxation aids blood circulation to all parts of the body, and venous return from the tissues to the heart.  Toxins will be purged from the body more quickly and will not build up in the muscles and tissues leading to the aches and pains we complain about all the time.  Deep breathing creates an effect known to physiology as the 'abdomino-thoracic pump', which essentially acts as a bellows, pumping venous blood back to the heart in order for it to be re-oxygenated by the lungs, or de-toxed by the liver, and for the waste products to be excreted in the kidneys etc.

  Postural alignment is also essential to wellbeing.  One of Yang Cheng Fu's essential points of Tai Chi practice is to hold the head 'as if suspended from above'.  This straightening of the spine will prevent the troubles that arise from slouching, ie back/neck pain, frozen shoulder, trapped nerves etc.  One should always be aware of one's posture - a good alignment of the spine is invaluable to anybody who has ever suffered from back pain.

  When engaging in more active sports, such as football, squash, martial arts etc, one should aim to make the movements as relaxed and fluid as possible, and try not to localise the use of force, but move with the whole body, from the centre, as in Tai Chi.  This will serve to prevent injury, and can also aid in efficiency of movement - leading to enhanced performance.

  A more natural diet is also highly beneficial to one's health and training.  My instructor once likened practicing Tai Chi and not eating a balanced, healthy diet to trying to run uphill against a current!  The most obvious aspects of the diet are to keep things as natural as possible.  Avoid processed foods, and most certainly avoid excesses - too much of anything can be bad for you!  It does not mean, however, that one cannot indulge.  Moderation should also be practiced moderately!!!

  Wherever possible, foods should be organic, avoiding the intake of pesticides, fertilisers and the like.  And I can guarantee, once you have tried organic food, you will most certainly taste the difference!!  To find out more about organic food, as well as where to buy it, visit the soil association website.  

  Also to be avoided are things which are out of season - for example, it is not wise to eat summery foods such as tropical fruits in winter.  Many people extoll the virtues of drinking orange juice in the winter to kill colds, citing their vitamin C content.  However, most of the vitamin C in the orange is denatured when the juice is processed, and some new studies are currently showing that the sugar can suppress the activity of white blood cells, serving to suppress the immune system!!  The acidity of the fruits is also very bad for the joints - especially in winter.  A person who eats alot of summery foods in winter is likely to feel stiffness and aching joints as well as feeling cold more often than one who sticks to things which are in season.  One thing I would certainly recommend when one has a cold is a hearty chicken soup!!!  Maybe one should look to more traditional British foods in the winter, such as broths, pies, dumplings, porridge etc.

  The more summery foods are fine in the summer months however - and by eating the more wintery foods, one would serve to exhaust oneself by the excess effort required by the digestive system to break down the food. 

  Ultimately, one needs to use the concept of yin and yang when looking at foods and which are suitable at which time.  This website is a guide only.  A good resource can be found here.

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