Tai Chi: the Chinese ancient wisdom of an ideal exercise for cardiac patients.

摘要

Tai Chi, the shorter version of Tai Chi Chuan , is a form of ancient Chinese martial art with slow and graceful movements. It is also a mind-body relaxation exercise . Tai Chi was originally devised in about 960 during the Song dynasty by Chang San-fung for meditation and self-defence [1,3]. Contrary to the northern, external form of boxing (shao-lm based on muscular strength), Tai Chi was a southern internal form based on suppleness and the art of evasion. The idea was to oblige one's opponent to exert efforts as considerable as they were useless and so put him into an unfavorable position . Over the years Tai Chi has become more focused on health promotion than as a martial art. It is now a very popular Chinese conditioning exercise practiced all around the world.