Taiji Time!!!

Every morning on Monday thru Friday at 8am we eagerly walk to a little plaza to do Taiji. Taiji is an exercise we have been practicing at the plaza and it’s supposed to improve balance, health, and achieve relaxation. This martial art is said to allow proper flow of qi (the supernatural energy within us that moves blood in our body) and to help achieve balance between Yin and Yang. The best way I could describe this exercise as is yoga combined with meditation. Our Taiji master does a great job when teaching us some cool moves, some of which look easy to do but are actually difficult to perform. He doesn’t know much English so I am used to hearing him speak Chinese during our exercise and not have a clue what he says. Everyone else in my group and I copy what he does and I hope I am doing it right. We stand in a line behind the teacher and mimic him as we carefully move our hands and feet in an organized and slow manner. Often we have a small crowd of Chinese people watching us perform and taking pictures. They make us feel like celebrities! My favorite part is when we do fighting moves and throw punches in the air. I have always enjoyed watching Jackie Chan or any other marital arts movies since I was little. I also always hoped to take marital arts classes one day but it feels like my wish has come true here in China with Taiji.