The ancient practice of T’ai Chi and Qigong includes postures and movements, as well as a philosophy. T’ai Chi also has its own lingo — words and concepts you need to know.Basic T'ai Chi and Qigong movementsIf you’re practicing the ancient postures of T’ai Chi, you need to become familiar and fluid in adopting the basic stances and movements.

If you’re practicing the ancient postures of T’ai Chi, you need to become familiar and fluid in adopting the basic stances and movements. The following illustrations show some elementary positions to master:

Trying or reading about other things can supplement your practice so your T’ai Chi actually becomes better. Take a look at the following items, any one of which can help you become a more well-rounded and better T’ai Chi practitioner: Read a little Taoism: Taoism (dow-ism) is the philosophy underlying T’ai Chi, as well as other Chinese internal martial arts or spiritual and health practices, such as Qigong.

Breath is life. Breath is energy. You can live for weeks without food and for days without water, but only for minutes without breathing the air in and out of your body. Breathing not only keeps you alive, but it also gives you more energy and more calm so you can face what life brings you. That’s why breathing is so vital.

T’ai Chi is heavily steeped in Taoist philosophy. So knowing the basics about how to live that philosophy can give your T’ai Chi practice a real boost. And knowing the why and wherefore behind a form can help you do it better! Wellness tip #1: Weigh your effort Westerners tend to do harder than they need to most of the time — force the lid off the jar, jam the car into the smallest parking space, lift too much weight in the gym, and so on.

Qigong (chee-gung) covers a lot of different types of movements and practices that involve using and feeling the body's energy. That can include being healed by someone else's energy, passively meditating in a way that unblocks and uses your energy better, and moving in a meditative way that unblocks your energy channels.

T’ai Chi (properly pronounced tie-jee, but often heard as tie-chee in the West) is an ancient martial art focusing on smooth, slow movements that cultivate inward focus and free energy flow. T'ai Chi — compared to fighting arts — wants you to use your mind to focus and move. Some people even call T’ai Chi a moving meditation.

You can follow a T'ai Chi mini-form routine that targets a specific area, such as balance, if you don't have enough time for a complete T'ai Chi practice. The mini-form described here can help you achieve better balance, staying upright and walking steadily, and not wobbling or risking spraining an ankle. In this routine, you walk T’ai Chi style — being slow, flowing, focused, and stabilized.

Mind-Body wellness is all about benefits to the mind and the body. So if you’re a newcomer to mind-body movement of any kind — say, you’ve never even done something like Yoga — you may want to take a look at some basics before you forge ahead. These concepts are important to know in some way so that you can move on to Mind-Body wellness with a better base of knowledge.