Tai Chi Clothing

Tai Chi clothing and how it helps you Tai Chi sessions.

Tai Chi is one of those arts that require fundamental meditation skills to execute properly. So, environment, ambiance, and disruption factor are issues to consider for Tai Chi sessions; all these and your Tai Chi clothing.

Some Tai Chi experts argue that clothing properly in Tai Chi sessions are every bit as essential as the mental preparation before Tai Chi sessions. They rationalize that the spiritual energy Qi flows on every pore of the body, tight and inhibitive clothing can severely diminish the flows of energy in your body. This is especially important to those who are still starting to learn the skill, since starters tend to have more difficulty in detecting and managing Qi.

Also, since Tai Chi is a moving meditation, tough heavy clothing like jeans and jackets are so rigid and not as flexible that it will hinder body movement and encumber the practitioner. Also, these clothing tend to be uncomfortable especially in the middle of a meditation.

Properties of Tai Chi Clothing

Tai Chi clothing is soft, light, and supple. They should be soft as not to distract Tai Chi practitioners, light as not to inhibit movement, and supple enough to accommodate the postures. The make are mostly cotton, linen, and silk. Linen pants are a favorite choice since linen is thermo-regulating, unlike silk, strong, durable and more resistant to wear and abrasion. On the other hand, traditional Chinese Tai Chi masters uses silk since, well silk is plentiful in old days china. Cotton is also an alternative if silk and linen is not a fair option. Cotton is cool and is also cheaper.

The most common color of Tai Chi clothing is black and white, but there’s no restriction of color though. But other schools chose to have a specific color.

There are other Tai Chi schools that don’t require Tai Chi uniforms. Instead, they use a printed Tai Chi shirt as the school uniform. Usually, the shirt is white and the school’s logo or Tai Chi symbols are printed. Trousers are the student’s responsibility.

But in any case, Tai Chi clothing doesn’t define skill in Tai Chi. An adept of the art can do Tai Chi meditation in the middle of Sahara wearing only smallclothes. Tai Chi clothing only serves to make you comfortable practicing your Tai Chi, so getting uncomfortable clothes defeats the purpose. But then again, you may find out that doing Tai Chi in a parka inside a warm living room can get you good results.