Improving mind, body with martial arts

For thousands of years, many Chinese people have practiced the martial art Tai Chi Chuan to promote health and use as a self-defense technique. Approximately 50 years ago, it was first taught in the United States. Now, students of all ages and physical abilities are practicing Tai Chi Chuan to improve their bodies and minds.\n"Tai Chi is a soft martial art that is non-jarring for the body," said certified Tai Chi instructor Elisa Pokral. "It is practiced today for health and relaxation. I think it helps you grow young and stay young, while giving you more energy."\nPokral was trained by a Tai Chi master and has been teaching others since 1995. She said she wanted a form of exercise that would give her energy and keep her fit in both body and mind.\nRoss Durrer, an IU alumnus and certified Tai Chi instructor, is skilled in many types of martial arts. \n"(Tai Chi is) very slow," he said. "You're not doing a cardio workout. Everyone is quiet and does slow, relaxing movements, training body and mind at the same time."\nPokral said Tai Chi is indigenous to China, but has also been influenced by India and Japan. She said "chi" means energy, life force or spirit. "Tai" and "chi" together mean "centered man in perfect balance," and Tai Chi Chuan means "supreme ultimate fist." \nTai Chi Chuan is represented by the yin-yang symbol. \n"The outer circle is the cosmos that contains yin and yang. They're complementary opposites," Pokral said. "The curved line dividing the two signifies eternal motion of the combined elements. There are small dots within the teardrops on both sides of yin and yang that show even within yang, there is yin and vice versa."\nWhen IU alumna Jen Hansell practices Tai Chi, she tries to clear her mind of distractions. \n"(Tai Chi) takes up all of your concentration and gives you a new focus, so there's no space in your mind for outside stimuli," she said. "To do the form, you have to focus on what your entire body is doing, all the way to your fingertips."\nHansell began her martial arts training with Tae Kwon Do and Hapkido, which she said are considered hard styles that involve punching and kicking. She said she wanted to have more balance and coordination, so she decided to try Tai Chi. \n"I try to let go and flow from one movement to the next," she said. \nWhen instructing students, Durrer said he prefers to teach students footwork first and then hand movements. He tells students to relax, keep their shoulders and elbows down and reminds them to breathe.\n"You don't see the rewards as quickly (as other martial arts), but if you stick with it, Tai Chi is the most rewarding martial art because it makes me relaxed and puts life in balance," Durrer said.\nHansell said beginning students must be patient. \n"You might not see the benefits right away, but in the end it will do a lot for your body," she said.\nWhen Durrer practices Tai Chi, he said he thinks about how he can improve his form. He focuses on how to make his form flow better, and how he can teach his students to do the same.\n"It can be frustrating, moving in a different way than (the body) is used to moving," Durrer said. "It takes the body longer to catch up with the mind."\nWhen Meika Ungricht, president of the IU Tai Chi Chuan Club, practices Tai Chi, she said she concentrates on what her body is doing. \n"I think when you start out, you're just trying to get from move to move," she said. "As that becomes more familiar, you focus on your form and where your weight is and where your mind is. Your mind is what directs your attention."\nUngricht said she enjoys clearing her mind and doing form repetitions to relax. When she has more energy, she said it's fun to practice the style "tui shou," or "pushing hands," with someone.\n"Pushing hands requires you to focus on what the other person is doing, as well as focus on your own body," Ungricht said.\nDurrer said the pushing-hands style helps people develop sensitivity, and provides perspective with how your body moves with someone else's.\n"Tai Chi can be used as self-defense," Hansell said. "You don't need to be a trained athlete or have perfect strength, you just have to be willing to practice and concentrate."\nDurrer said when used as self-defense, Tai Chi involves kicking and punching but in a slower and more detailed manner. Instead of fighting force with force, practitioners of Tai Chi are trained to oppose force with softness and follow the motion of the attacker, so that the attacker will tire or be redirected, according to the Wikipedia.com entry for Tai Chi. This attempt in balance promotes the yin and yang.\nBesides relaxation and self-defense capabilities, Tai Chi has health benefits. \n"Tai Chi helps people to reduce their blood pressure, increase energy and age gracefully," Pokral said. "It's better than walking because you're using more of your body. It's slow-moving, but controlled."\nPokral also emphasized the importance of Tai Chi to everyone, regardless of age or station in life.\n"It's an art form, whether you're a student or a professional working in the community," she said. "We all need focus. We have so many things coming at us every day. We have to be able to make the right choices for ourselves, and Tai Chi helps you find what your strengths are." \nTo get involved with Tai Chi, attend a lesson instructed by Pokral from 6 to 7 p.m. Thursday evenings in Karst Farm Park. The cost is $8 per class, and drop-ins are welcome. For IU credit, sign up for HPER class E148. Also, anyone can join the IU Tai Chi Chuan club, which meets from 7 to 10 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 9 a.m. to noon Saturdays in HPER room 163.