"Crippled becomes whole,
Crooked becomes straight,
Hollow becomes full,
Worn becomes new,
Little becomes more,
More becomes delusion"
-Lao-Tzu, the Tao Te Ching
So said the Chinese philosopher and founder of Taoism Lao-Tzu in the 6th Century BC. People all over the world since then have turned to his work and the closely-related martial art of Tai Chi to improve their physical and mental health.
Fast forward to Sheffield in the 21st Century and the principles and practice of Taosim and Tai Chi are alive and well. Many of those practising are the elderly who find Tai Chi helps with long-term health conditions.
The first recorded reference to the expression 'Tai Chi' comes from the I Ching (or Book of Changes) written around 3000 years ago.
"In all changes exists Tai Chi, which causes the two opposites in everything"
- The I Ching
The "two opposites" are known as Yin and Yang and are expressed in the symbol of Taoism.
Yin and Yang can be thought of as positive and negative principles. The idea that two opposites are fundamentally part of the same whole is central to Taoist philosophy and to Tai Chi.
Tai Chi's origins and age are disputed. Chen, the first of its five major styles, was developed in the 17th Century by Chen Wangting. Chen, a royal guard before he retired, was drawn to the martial arts through studying Taoism. Tai Chi evolved over the years from a combat martial art into an exercise similar to yoga.
Lee Tai Chi is one of the five styles. It was popularised in Britain in the 1930's by Chan Kam Lee, who started a class in Red Lion Square, London, to keep himself fit and teach friends.
Lee Tai Chi is made up of 140 movements and 42 sequences or 'sets'. It is taught in Sheffield by, among others, the East-West Taoist Association.
A Lee Tai Chi warm up sequence
Margaret Eames, 62 from Gleadless in Sheffield,has been practising Lee Tai Chi for 20 years. She said it can help with breathing, fitness and mindfulness
Margaret said: "It's called a 'meditation in movement' because the moves that you learn are in a form and you breathe in on your 'in' movements and out on on your 'out' movements. So you focus on your movements and co-ordinate that with your breathing."
Lee Tai Chi in action
"A way of life"
David Birds, 47, is a manager with the Sheffield group exercise referral programme for the Sheffield City Trust. He is based at Concord Sports Centre in Shiregreen, Sheffield. The trust works with the NHS and gets 1,600 referrals a year in the city from GPs recommending their patients take up exercises to improve their health. He said Tai Chi ticks all the boxes.
David said:"It goes hand in hand with improving lung function, balance and posture. The movements help with blood circulation. But there's also the meditation side of it too. So its more than just exercise, its a way of life."
He added that at a time when NHS resources are strained, encouraging people to take up exercises like Tai Chi could reduce the number of costly operations such as hip replacements the health service has to do.
"I find Tai Chi helps with balance."
- Lawrence Mumba, one of Margaret's students.
See the infographic below for Tai Chi's reported health benefits:
If you want to get involved with Margaret's classes or Tai Chi elsewhere then http://howardgibbon.com/Tai%20Chi/ is the website of the East-West Taoist Association.
