Are you someone that would love to learn Tai Chi but do not have access to an instructor. Or, perhaps, there is an instructor in your area but your finances make enrolling in such lessons to be difficult. Does this all mean you are completely out of luck when it comes to learning Tai Chi? No! You do have an option available to you. You can learn the basics of Tai Chi by way of home instruction DVDs. There are quite a few quality DVDs out there on the market that are easy to follow. Many of these Tai Chi videos are inexpensive and you can watch them (and practice with them) over and over again.
Now, there are all manner of instructional DVDs available on the market. When you are completely new to Tai Chi and are looking for holistic and meditational benefits, you probably not want a Tai Chi throwing and wrestling DVD! And there are quite a few Tai Chi throwing videos out there. When you are a beginner and someone seeking a little boost in their current health and fitness levels, you probably don’t want the throwing DVDs.
No, you will want to acquire a decent beginner instructional DVD that covers simple basic exercises and forms. Again, be sure they are basic forms and exercises as you do not want to become confused with advanced forms that cover movements that require a great deal of coordination. Sticking with the basics will yield better progress than trying to mimic a video presentation of a very complicated process.
When it comes to choosing between exercises and forms on Tai Chi videos, it is best to work simple exercises and small sections of the forms. A complete form could be a hundred movements. Don’t weigh yourself down trying to memorize the form with the first few viewings of the DVD. That would be a pretty difficult course of action to take.
Exercises generally involve performing one or two movements from a form or style of Tai Chi in a repetitive manner. You would gain a great deal of benefit from performing these exercises. A basic hand undulation exercise will engage the muscles, burns calories, and improve isometric strength. And yes, you can use such exercises for meditational purposes as well.
Forms are a bit more challenging because they also integrate more complex movements. The hands and feet are both integrated into a form as different arm and leg postural positions are employed. The most basic of Tai Chi forms would be the Yang 24 Form which contains 24 sequences which entail scores of different movements. As previously stated, you do not want to learn all 24 sequences within a week. You won’t be able to! Rather, you would try and watch, learn, and mimic each sequence one at a time. Actually, you can skip around and learn the sequences out of order if you wish. Really, you will want to learn the form and perform it effectively. That means you need to employ your own little spin on the process. Just be sure you do not violate the basic principles of movement since they are crucial to getting the most out of the process.
Exercises generally involve performing one or two movements from a form or style of Tai Chi in a repetitive manner. You would gain a great deal of benefit from performing these exercises. A basic hand undulation exercise will engage the muscles, burns calories, and improve isometric strength. And yes, you can use such exercises for meditational purposes as well.
Tai Chi forms and exercise are not always about gross movements. There are fine movements to the exercises and forms as well. As such, you should watch your Tai Chi videos over and over again. You will learn something new each and every time. You could say this allows you to get a lot of “bang for your buck” when you purchase these DVDs.