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He discovered the Taijiquan in a dream and proved its value by killing a hundred bandits in the Wu Dang Mountains in Hubei Province. Taijiquan combines the martial skill of Immortal Zhang and his devotion to the deepest principles of Daoism (Taoism). Taiji has evolved in three directions. Due to its rich heritage in Daoist spirituality, it is a method for spiritual growth. Due to its profound utility as a fighting art it has become the martial art of choice for many serious fighters. In the middle and common to both is Taiji's powerful application as a self-healing tool.
In Chinese tradition there are thousands of methods and practices for self healing generally called Qigong. Taiji is one catagory of Qigong forms. Taiji consists generally of 108 separate movements that are connected together into a specific order. There are several kinds of Taiji including: Yang style, Chen style, Wu style, Sun style and others. Most of these forms of Taiji have created a short form, between 20 and 40 movements, that allows for beginners to learn more quickly, elders to have an abbreviated practice and patients who are ill to practice without too much to learn.
The practice triggers health and healing benefits from both the Asian paradigm of energy and the Western paradigm of physiology. The balance and flow of one's internal self healing energies is enhanced by the slow, intentful, meditative movements of Taiji. At the very same time the delivery of oxygen and nutrition from the blood to the tissues is improved. The lymph system's ability to eliminate metabolic by-products and transport immune cells is increased. The biochemical profile of the brain and nervous system is shifted toward recovery and healing.