🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Modern life accelerates work and lifestyle rhythms, with material desires and financial incentives driving people. Busy schedules and intense competition bring restlessness, tension, worries, and stress, leading to increased cases of depression, schizophrenia, and insomnia. According to Mr. Cao Yimin’s article, 340 million people worldwide suffer from depression, making it the second most common disease globally.
I believe Tai Chi, characterized by “relaxation, stillness, and naturalness” and “gentle ease,” greatly benefits psychological regulation and self-cultivation. First, Tai Chi embodies a philosophical view of harmony between humans and nature. Tai Chi follows “the Way of Nature”—the human body is a “small Tai Chi,” while nature is the “great Tai Chi.” When you complete a full set of Tai Chi, stepping outdoors into open fields, forests, or grasslands, freely moving “without any restraint,” letting movements flow naturally, breathing effortlessly, expanding your chest and mind “in tune with celestial motion,” without striving for high kicks, low stances, or perfect form—adhering instead to the principle of naturalness and unity with heaven and earth—you quietly communicate and merge with nature, dissolving yourself into it. This creates a sense of oneness with nature, infinite vitality, and spontaneous love for nature and life, leaving behind worries and entering a tranquil, natural state, bringing joy and peace beyond stress and anxiety.
Second, Tai Chi reflects an ethical perspective on harmony among people. In modern life, fast-paced work and fierce competition strain interpersonal relationships. Though modern technology creates virtual environments, it reduces real-life contact. Practicing Tai Chi together, however, fosters a new kind of environment: moving gracefully to music, or two people practicing push hands—“yielding with flexibility,” “abandoning self to follow others,” sticking, adhering, and blending seamlessly—becomes a joyful, engaging way to build emotional bonds and foster lasting connections.
Third, Tai Chi represents a lifelong pursuit of harmony—a health preservation philosophy. Like other martial arts, Tai Chi seeks balance in all aspects: upper-lower body, body-leg coordination, hand-eye alignment, internal-external harmony—making it a “lifetime art” or what people call “lifelong sports,” especially beneficial for the elderly. It helps overcome loneliness and isolation, offering fresh experiences every day. What distinguishes Tai Chi from other martial arts is its greater emphasis on internal energy cultivation. “Cultivate spirit with emptiness and clarity, nourish strength with firmness within.”
“Qi” is regarded by the Chinese as the source of life. Health preservation lies in cultivating Qi, which requires mental refinement—cultivating virtue. Only by not being burdened by material things or driven by profit can one remain calm and peaceful, thus nurturing true essence and Qi. Tai Chi perfectly calms the mind, allowing Qi to flow abundantly and harmoniously.