It's a martial art, a breathing exercise, a moving meditation, a relaxation technique and a study in body mechanics all rolled into one. I first studied Tai Chi at a St Vincent's Wellness Center about 12 years ago. After the class disbanded, I did not practice it for many years. There are many different styles of Tai Chi but most instructors in Indianapolis teach the Yang style form by Master William Chen. It typically takes about a year to learn all 60 movements in Chen's version.
Every movement has a martial arts application like a block, kick or punch.
I'm very interested in the body mechanics aspects of Tai Chi and how they can be applied to walking techniques. While doing the Tai Chi movements, the body alternately relaxes and energizes, and this is coordinated with breathing. Tai Chi teaches how to use relaxation in the hands, arms and hips to achieve powerful movements. I've seen people out walking with tense shoulders, arms and hips. Often their hands are clenched in tight fists and they swing their arms in tight, jerky movements.