The Many Benefits of Martial Arts Practice

While many martial arts are about defense, they all have many other values and some are more centered on connecting ourselves to our bodies and our surroundings. With Instructor James Clark, relaxed fun is also part of the experience, whether in Tai Chi or Aikido/Self-Defense classes

About Tai Chi & Aikido Self-Defense.

Tai Chi has been described as meditation in motion. Have fun, relax and experience

various Qi Gong exercises and the Yang 24-movement short form. Improve your fitness, health and sense of balance with gentle, slow-motion Tai Chi exercise. You will also learn how the movements of the form can be applied to self-defense, although that will not be a major focus of the the Tai Chi course. It is not a self-defense course, but the Tai Chi forms originated as practice for combat, so almost every movement of the form has a self-defense application. Therefore, knowing the applications helps the student of Tai Chi learn the movements of the form, and vice versa.

Tai Chi is also a very effective martial art, particularly appropriate for older or smaller individuals, because it trains people to defend themselves without relying on muscle strength.

Aikido also uses gentle fluid techniques of self-defense but was established as a purely defensive martial art, utilizing an attacker's momentum and energy to counter or re-direct it and protect oneself. It pairs well with the forms and defense motions of Tai Chi Quan. Aikido is particularly useful for smaller or older martial artists and practitioners and those practicing passifism by using the opponent's attack against them and then employing gentle but effective holds and pressures to control the assailant, ideally without injury.

"Authentic self-defense should begin and end with self-control. With such inner focus it's often possible to avoid not only violence, but also the kinds of self-defeat that arise out of the inability to manage the impact of such stresses as fatigue, fear and pain. While you may never run into someone who's going to harm you physically, you won't be able to escape the stresses that follow in the wake of active living"- Zen Karate by Randall Bassett

Martial Arts Warm-Ups

Clark katana demo

Why Practice Tai Chi or Qigong?

Strengthen the Body

Improve balance, flexibility, muscle strength, increase energy and agility, and reduce falls in elders

Strengthen the Mind

Improve various cognitive functions, including memory, focus, concentration and decision-making.

Reduce Stress

Reduce stress, anxiety, and depression, improve sleep quality, and alleviate symptoms of asthma, and improve overall feelings of well-being

Sooth disease

Relieve chronic pain, alleviate symptoms of arthritis, Parkinson’ s Disease and Fibromyalgia, plus lower blood pressure and improve cardiovascular functions

Three Important Practices and Benefits Within Tai Chi Quan

Relax

Of course, Tai Chi and Qigong are both all about relaxation. Reducing stress and anxiety are major reasons that people practice Tai Chi and Qigong. As you practice, keep in mind that this is supposed to be relaxing. If you’re not relaxed, you’re doing something wrong. Don’t be concerned about how well you are doing Tai Chi or Qigong, don’t compare yourself to anyone else. There is a mantra that I use when I need to relax. I use it almost every night to help me fall asleep. As I breathe in, I say to myself, “I am” and then as I breathe out, I say, “calm”. “I am……calm.” So our number one practice is relax.

Focus

Here is where meditation comes in. Almost all meditation styles involve focusing on something. In Zen meditation we typically focus on the one-point or hara or center. The center is located inside the body just below the navel. Some people like to focus on moving the abdomen as they breathe—belly breathing. A candle flame, a native American sand painting, a lone tree- just about anything can be a point of focus for meditation. You can focus on a word or phrase, a mantra. Transcendental meditation uses simple mantras. In Tai Chi & Qigong we typically focus on the movement of the body. Focusing on the slow movements helps you to move correctly.

Visualize

Almost every Qigong exercise includes a specific visualization, generally involving Qi flow ("chee"). Many people compare Qi to water, because both flow naturally. Of course, water flows in response to gravity. Is gravity a form of Qi? Gravity and Qi are both forces. So a typical Tai Chi or Qigong visualization involves Qi flowing into the body or out of the body like a wave or pulse. Visualizing Qi flow helps us to remain focused during practice and stay in a state of relaxation.

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More about Tai Chi

Practicing Aikido

Founded by Master Morihei Ueshiba officially in 1942, Aikido places equal emphasis on the mind and body, used simultaneously. It is one of the most carefully developed and yet subtle of martial arts. The central principle is also to move with the force- never resist against a force, which would always require a superior force to succeed. Similar to Tai Chi Quan, Aikido uses fluid circular motions to deflect strikes, letting their force pass smoothly by and often costing the opponent their balance. Thus taking low effort to gain control.

Aikido is Defense, and tailored to fit any body, size, or age. An expert practitioner can neutralize an attack without any need for counter violence or injury. This is the difference to many other martial arts.

Aikido practices relaxed strength, which is stronger than purely muscular strength, making the movements of Aikido both smooth and strong. Relaxed strength refers to a pliable flexibility held in the muscle, not stiff under tension, nor limp with no engagement of muscle.

Unity is another core principle of Aikido, as a sort of harmony with, not against, your opponent. It often draws them in closer to your own body for more control and to put the opponent off balance. Aikido creates a harmony between the opposing parties, as if they were in a dance, not combat, and also matches each move to each unique opponent (their height, arm-length, elbow placement, etc).

"Aiki is not a technique to fight or defeat an enemy. It is a way to reconcile the world and make human beings one family"

~ Master Morihei Uyeshiba

Three Characters of Aikido

Ai

Japanese character for "harmony", "unity" or "oneness".

Ki

Japanese character for "life force", "mental energy", or the "universal spirit", which basically means the energy of the universe.

Do

Japanese character for "the way", "the path", and particularly the path to enlightenment and self-realization.

Taken together, the characters of Ai-Ki-Do mean a way to harmony with the universal energy or spirit; the way to unite our own spirit with that of the bigger universe and/or nature itself. This Zen purpose of martial arts is seen in many others with "-do" (Judo, Taekwondo, Jeet-Kune-Do, etc).

Drawing on these principles, Professor and Master Uyeshiba created Aikido in Japan in the 1930s (named officially in '42) as he began to age and would occasionally be bested by younger, faster yet less skilled opponents. That was unacceptable to Master Uyeshiba, so he set forth in his 50's to create a new form of martial art, which could take advantage of the opponent's speed and strength. Uyeshiba was already an expert in multiple arts including Japanese fencing and spear technique, a high black belt in 5 arts and devoted student of Shingon and Zen Buddhisms. With these life-long cultivated skills, Uyeshiba was equipped to create the well- balanced Aikido art that allows a defense against even a physically larger, faster opponent.

The key is taking control of the opponent's mind rather than trying to overpower his body.

After gaining quick popularity in Japan following World War II, the Master Koichi Tohei (a tenth Dan in Aikido) brought it to Hawaii in 1953, gaining the first hold in the United States as it also spread to various European countries, Australia, and beyond.

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Unexpected Benefits

It turns out, there are many benefits beyond basic fitness when it comes to practicing these martial arts, and especially Tai Chi which has been well studied in recent years.

Not only does Tai Chi ease some of the challenges for those living with Parkinson's, it helps with arthritis and even mood. It may reduce falls too, but could make you fall in love with this martial art.

In a more recent study, Tai Chi has proven useful in recovery from COVID-19 and the lingering "Long COVID", using breathing technique and more.

Scientific Studies and Recommendations of Tai Chi

Harvard

A study performed by Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center of Harvard University shows that Tai chi exercise can improve quality of life, mood, and exercise self-efficacy in patients with heart failure.