A simple problem made complex.
Hi I have been reading abit about people who have knee problems in their tai chi training and how if you have a pre-existing problem with knee injuries tai chi is not the practice for you but I must add that this is a very serious fallacy when it comes to the art of tai chi . Most people believe that when you have to bend your knees that they have to bend their knees to the maximum or atleast to some type of middle ground this is very far from the truth. When it comes to bending the knees, you can bend as much or as little as you need to because no one walks with their knees locked in, so you can just use the natural bend within the knee and no more than that,coupled with keeping the knee aligned with the big toe, just enough alignment not overboard will stop any pain or injury on the spot. I have worked with many people throughout my years with knee problems and every time we stop the pain "Every Time." You also need a teacher who is going to stay on you and watch you meticulously to let you know where you are going off track when it comes to proper alignment.You can start the form with the correct alignment but many times in between I have seen students forget because of them paying attention to something else instead of their foundation if the foundation is weak there can be no tai chi. So granted fellow teachers you may have to put in more meticulous work and care for your students but it is more than worth it because when you help another to heal their problems you heal some of your own.
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