It's amazing that one of the most profound things that you can do for your health is also one of the easiest and most taken for granted. Simply, breathing.
Ancient health practices such as Tai Chi and Qi Gong are remarkable. These gentle moving, deep breathing practices have been proven to have outstanding effects on health, wellness, and longevity. Not to mention on one's personal outlook on life and their ability to handle life's stresses. Among some of the benefits include increased lung capacity, improved cardiovascular health, lower blood pressure, increased flexibility and mobility, improved cognitive function, better balance and coordination, increased recovery ability, improved immune functioning, and more.
Yet these practices are disregarded by many because these arts are often called "too easy." Many people have a view that if something's not completely strenous, it must not be good for you. However, like the ever famous yin and yang, there has to be a balance between the strenous and the gentle.
Now, I'm not saying that practicing some tai chi or qi gong is going to get you jacked or shredded. You won't build up a mighty six pack, and it probably won't help you to bench 700 lbs. But, there's more to the story than that. If it improves your health, improves your balance, and improves your recovery ability, isn't it also going to improve the other areas of your physical training?
I know that I've personally used tai chi and qi gong on my off days as a form of active recovery, and on my on days as a form of cool down from my other training. And I can tell you from experience that it's helped me come back stronger and better.
I've heard some people scoff at the notion that tai chi and qi gong can help you exercise your internal organs. They'll say things like, "Yeah right. You can't train your internal organs!" Yet if you asked them, each of these people would also "verify" that cardio training will train their heart and lungs. Funny, last I cheked the heart and lungs were internal organs.
Whether or not this claim is true, there's more than enough other reasons to include the practice of tai chi or qi gong into your daily training. I'd say, consider finding yourself a good instructor and start learning how to breath and move again. You'll never regret making that choice.
Also, I've found that with all of the strength, power, and explosive training that I do (whether it's in powerlifting, Olympic lifting, kettlebell training, gymnastics training, or my own expression of the martial arts) being "forced" to move slowly and gently and to take my time with the movements is something that my own body craves.
Anyway, I'll talk with you all later.
Yours in strength and health,
Brett Stepan
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