For balance and calm, you can’t go past Tai chi

Tai chi involves movement and breathing techniques to help you achieve a sense of inner calm. Photo / Getty

Sinead Corcoran Dye finds a way to wind down her body and mind.

Being old has always appealed to me. I can’t wait to live in a retirement village and spend my days playing bingo and lawn bowls. This is why I married a middle-aged person, so I can get there quicker.

But, I thought, why not get a taste of it now and try Tai chi?

Tai chi is a Chinese martial art that focuses on improving your health, balance, and co-ordination through a series of slow and graceful movements.

I struggled to find any official numbers for how many Kiwis do it – but an estimated 300 million practitioners around the world surely can’t be wrong.

It’s a bit like yoga but focuses on breathing and state of mind so it is ideal for older people.

In fact, the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) has encouraged its use because it can improve balance.

You would have seen Tai chi-ers in the park, wearing loose linen pants and doing slicing and dicing arm movements in very gentle slow motion. The sport definitely seems to attract an older crowd.

Tai chi was originally developed in ancient China for self-defence.

According to popular folklore, legendary Taoist priest Zhang San Feng invented it while he was travelling through the Wudang Mountains.

It is believed that he came up with the idea after witnessing a hectic fight between a crane and a snake. He took their attack and defence styles and adapted them into his own sequences of movement.

Tai chi has since evolved into a graceful form of exercise that’s now used for stress reduction and to help with a variety of other health conditions.

It’s thought to improve cardiovascular fitness, lower blood pressure, and help people who have arthritis.

There are also emotional and mental benefits to regular Tai chi practice.

The deliberate movements help people feel more relaxed, grounded, and present in their bodies. This lowers anxiety, stress, and depression and improves memory, focus and sleep.

Like yoga, Tai chi has many different styles derived from different principles and methods. As a result, there are more than 100 possible movements and positions you can do.

Regardless of the variation, all forms of Tai chi include rhythmic patterns of movement that are co-ordinated with breathing to help you achieve a sense of inner calm.

I will say though, I did not have inner calm when I turned up to my post-Christmas Tai chi class in West Auckland and was informed that I was the only person who had bothered to attend.

The idea that I was going to have to do a one-on-one private lesson filled me with abject horror, which I obviously didn’t disguise well because the teacher kindly said we could just do a quick 30-minute class instead of the full hour.

Thankfully the half hour flew by as the instructor led me through the series of super-easy movements and poses – exactly like those people I’d seen in the park.

It was nowhere near a workout, which was absolutely fine by me, more a very gentle, physical meditation. At the end of the class, I felt relaxed and rather zen, and had almost forgotten my embarrassment at being a solo performer.

If you’re looking for an exercise class where you’re going to burn calories and get an endorphin high, this probably isn’t for you. It’s no F45.

But if you’re after a peaceful wind down for your body and mind, I’d recommend Tai chi.