Why am I interested in doing Tai Chi or internal marital arts in general?

I started doing Tai Chi and qigong last year, and thought it was very interesting. After doing for some times, I realise not only Tai Chi could give me some health benefits, it could also help calming my mind and stay focus. One thing I am very impressed with internal marital arts is not the fighting part, as I am feminine, I am more interested in the theory and the philosophy behind Tai Chi and qigong (internal marital arts). I feel everything around me is connected when doing Tai Chi, the ground I am standing on, the air I am breathing in, and my mind is staying focus with everything around me in the time I am doing Tai Chi. I also can apply the theory and philosophy I learned from Tai Chi and qigong to my everyday life scenarios, from work or outside of work. Indeed it gave me in depth knowledge of why Tai Chi is for the mind, not the body. This is one of the most vital thing I want to achieve, as I could eventually apply it for anything I do. Force is not the answer; it’s the mind who is far more powerful than force. What is important is how you want it to be (the mind), and use it accordingly with slow soft continuous stroke of movements to defeat your opponent in a real life situation. Though I am still learning, but I could see if your mind set as one with your movement, and use the opponent force wisely, you could defeat the person physically. Therefore I want to continue on learning both the application of Tai Chi (or internal marital arts) to better help learn about myself and others around me, and therefore use it wisely.

- Written by Shirley, 2010