T'ai Chi for Stress

This old lady stopped by a few days ago and dropped off some flyer's to learn T'AI CHI. I've heard of T'ai Chi but never really knew what the purpose of it was.I guess its good way to relax and relieve stress. I looked it up and here are some facts

Tai chi is typically practiced for a variety of reasons: its soft martial techniques, demonstration competitions, health and longevity.
The study of tai chi chuan primarily involves three aspects:

* Health: An unhealthy or otherwise uncomfortable person may find it difficult to meditate to a state of calmness or to use tai chi as a martial art. Tai chi's health training therefore concentrates on relieving the physical effects of stress on the body and mind. For those focused on tai chi's martial application, good physical fitness is an important step towards effective self-defense.
* Meditation: The focus and calmness cultivated by the meditative aspect of tai chi is seen as necessary in maintaining optimum health (in the sense of relieving stress and maintaining homeostasis) and in application of the form as a soft style martial art.
* Martial art: The ability to use tai chi as a form of self-defense in combat is the test of a student's understanding of the art. Tai chi chuan martially is the study of appropriate change in response to outside forces; the study of yielding and "sticking" to an incoming attack rather than attempting to meet it with opposing force.

$29 for 4 classes might not be a bad thing to look into with the stressful times ahead if it actually works.