Today is Day 23 of my 31 Days of Self-Love posts to celebrate Self-Love Month with suggestions for jump-starting your own self-love and joining The Self-Love Movement™.

I love energy work! T’ai chi has always fascinated me with its gentle movements. I’ve read about its many health benefit.So I’m thrilled that my guest today is David-Dorian Ross,  a speaker/wellness expert, author and teacher. His expertise is Taijiquan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan). With over a million copies of his DVDs and products sold world-wide, he has earned the title of  America’s “Chi-vangelist” – a passionate champion for the spread of T’ai Chi in America and around the world..  His most recent collaboration is with international martial arts movie star Jet Li to promote Taiji (T’ai Chi) throughout the world. Below he answers the question:

?What’s so extraordinary about Taiji  (T’ai Chi)?
by David-Dorian Ross,

Practiced by more than a billion people throughout Asia and around the world, Taijiquan (T’ai Chi Ch’uan) has been called “the ultimate exercise” for body, mind and spirit. Taiji (T’ai Chi) is a workout that is simultaneously a system of self-defense, a shield against disease, a means of meditation, and a beautiful dance.? ?Fitness researchers have determined that regular Taiji practice gives us the same cardiovascular benefits as high intensity aerobics, but without the dangerous high impact. It can help with weight loss and tone the muscles in a stress-reducing format. Taiji practice improves coordination and balance, so much so that the American Medical Association recommends it for all people over 65 as a way of reducing falls (the leading cause of early mortality for people in that age group). T’ai Chi has been shown to reduce the pain and swelling of arthritis, lower long-term blood pressure, stabilize the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease, normalize insulin levels for diabetes patients, reduce chronic low back pain and increase the immune response (important for cancer patient recovery). Taiji practice has also been shown to improve mood, mitigate depression and help stop anxiety attacks.

While those health benefits might be reason enough to take up the practice of this ancient art, there is an additional and often overlooked benefit. Taiji is a living philosophy, a practical blueprint for living a life that brings happiness, fulfillment and that elusive spiritual goal, inner peace.

The fundamental lesson behind all of Taiji’s benefits can be summed up in one word: balance. All of its amazing health benefits come from bringing the body, mind and spirit back into balance. The same goes for every other aspect of life: relationships, family, career, self-esteem and creativity. When life is in balance, everything works better. Tai Chi is a way of living focusing on balancing every aspect of our life.

Taiji, probably is one of the best interventions to curb the sky rocking health care cost, which already counts 18% of our Gross Domestic Product or GDP and continues to balloon. Taiji is a suitable low-cost (or no cost) long-term solution for disease prevention and rehab/recovery. Taiji is a detox system all on its own.
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David-Dorian Ross, is one of the most prolific Mind-Body experts in America. Known for his inspiring and motivational coaching, education, and speeches, he illustrates how the Mind and Body must be connected in order to gain optimal health, achieve personal goals and live an authentic life. His newest adventure is the promotion of his TaijiFit™ Experience. He is currently touring around the country teaching his Tafiji Fit method.  You can watch his PBS special HERE.
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Join The Self-Love Movement™! Take the 31 Days of Self-Love Commitment—“I commit to do my best to do something loving for myself, however big or small, for the next 31 days.” and get my book, How Do I Love Me? Let Me Count the Ways for free at http://howdoiloveme.com. Read my 2013 31 Days of Self-Love Posts HERE. Join the Self-Love Movement™! on Facebook.