Tai chi is a horse

Many people will claim to have greater understanding of tai chi than they actually do. Even the people who have practised tai chi will have great gaps in their understanding of it. I am not surprised by this, however. The same can be said of so many things.

Horses, for example.

If you ask anyone if they know what a horse is, most people will certainly say that they do. They know what horses look like, what they are used for, and where they can be found. They might point to a picture of a horse on a farm, in the countryside. But…oops. That is actually a zebra, named Debra in a zoo. They shrug and say, “Close enough. Right? I mean, it of the same family.”

Ask a person about tai chi and they might say that tai chi is a relaxing exercise practiced by old people named Wong, in parks. Here is a picture. Oops. That is actually a young person, named Park, doing yoga, on a surfboard. They shrug and say, “Close enough. Right? I mean, it of the same family.”

A zebra is unsuitable for domestication, and yoga does not have the same benefits as tai chi. There have been short-lived attempts to ride zebras, and use them to draw carriages. But they are not the same thing. Likewise, yoga might help you train posture, alignment, breath, and health. It can even help martial artists develop useful attributes. But it does not develop mechanical efficiency, or mind-body relationships in the same way. Both are good. But they are not the same.

Well now. It occurred to me that, if people can confuse a horse with a zebra, and people can equate tai chi with yoga, then I can see how one could equate tai chi with a horse.

Let’s think about all the things that tai chi and a horse have in common. Both can trace their ancestry back thousands of years. But in the case of both tai chi and horses, the types that exist today were developed over the last three or four centuries. In fact, almost every tai chi student today practises a version or versions of tai chi that are, at most, 150 years old, and many were developed only a few decades ago.

There are different types of horses, and different types of tai chi, used by different types of people for different purposes. Horses can be used for recreation, work, performance, sport, combat, policing, therapy, companionship, entertainment, and exercise. The same can be said of tai chi.

Horses were once commonly used for policing, warfare and single combat, as was tai chi. Those types of tai chi, and those types of horses, still exist. But they are seldom used for the same purposes anymore.

Tai chi can be used to help improve awareness of oneself and one’s surroundings. Martial artists use this skill to defend against opponents whom they cannot see. You might be surprised to learn that some horses are employed as guides for the blind in situations where using a seeing-eye dog is not possible.

Tai chi and horses each have medical applications. Both have been used to improve the physical and mental health of people.

When choosing a horse, as with choosing a tai chi school, you might want to consider the what sort is right for you. What will you use it for? It is simple to care for or is it high-maintenance? Can you fit it into your lifestyle? What is a good fit for you personally? Whichever you choose, the benefits you receive will depend on the training and attention you give it. Not every horse or tai chi school is right for every person, and not every person is right for every horse or tai chi school. You might try one for a while, and switch to another later on, in which case you will have learned something and it will have done its job, by moving you closer to the goals you seek.

This program is intended to present you with as many tai chi options as possible, so you can get as many benefits as you desire.