Against All Odds

For health reasons, I booked an appointment with my dad for tai chi chuan at a park near our place yesterday.

According to Wikipedia, Tai chi chuan is defined as:

(Traditional Chinese: 太極拳; simplified Chinese: 太极拳; pinyin: tài jí quán; Wade-Giles: t'ai4 ci2 ch'üan2) is classified as Wudangquan or an internal Chinese martial art. Tai chi is typically practiced for a variety of reasons: its soft martial techniques, demonstration competitions, health and longevity.

My dad is a stocky man. Coupled with his wobbly knees issue due to his diabetes condition, it was an uphill task to walk my dad to the garden, where the class commenced. Luckily, my sister joined me for tai chi with dad.

The tai chi master welcomed my dad to the group warmly. After hearing his condition, he adviced my dad to do some light exercise using his legs before he gets off the bed every morning. In his opinion, this would help to channel blood to all over the body before one starts his day.

As my sister and I have not experience such training, we decided to join in and have fun. As the class progressed, it dawned on me that these seemingly slow motion movements could be so daunting.

Here, we were put to a test through tai ji training using chinese fans. According to another site*, Tai Chi Single Fan routine incorporates movements from the Chen, Yang, Wu, and Sun styles of tai chi chuan. This routine combines the characteristics of tai chi chuan with the artistic and martial functions of the fan. Practicing the tai chi single fan can help develop one's flexibility, strength, balance, health, and further the tai chi training.

I have always think of tai chi as a mundane exercise intended for elderly folks. At the end of the day, I actually derived enjoyment and pleasure from tai chi single fan, a wonderful addition to the overall tai chi regimen. This despite the odds that we need to surmount including balancing, co-ordination of the limbs, in particular the handling the fan in the correct manner. For example, you need to hold the fan on the left side of the handle when one executes an upward movement.

Guess I am hooked now!

*Source: http://www.taichichuan.org.uk/yangfan.htm