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Understanding Bonsai Chi

Bonsai Chi is gentle, low-impact, whole body exercises, designed to improve your balance, flexibility and overall wellness.  The movements are designed to develop an understanding of how to control your body movements.

Understanding where our body weight is, apportioning it correctly whilst we’re moving, encourages good core and body strength.

Studies have shown that gentle exercise helps reduce blood pressure, and eases the symptoms of many ailments such as arthritis.   By practising the exercises and kata every day, even just for a few minutes, you’ll gain benefits such as improved core strength, agility, and hand-eye co-ordination.

Slow movements with correct breathing, allows us to focus our mind on the movement, relaxing our mind, which in turn relieves stress leaving us feel calmer, relaxed, and more energetic by the end. 

All the moves performed in Bonsai Chi are based on karate moves, primarily Wado Ryu.  There is no direct contact with another person in Bonsai Chi, all moves are done individually, in a safe supportive group environment.

Bonsai Chi moves can also be performed sitting on a chair.  The moves are adapted as required, still maintaining a whole body exercise which offers all the same benefits.

Benefits of Bonsai Chi

• It strengths our core muscles in our legs by increasing our understanding of where our body weight is.
• Improves our posture so reducing falls.
• Maintaining a straight back creates a better posture reducing back pain.
• Reduces blood pressure.
• Has helped members with Parkinson’s and arthritis.
• Improves concentration, focus and hand-eye co-ordination.
• Increases stamina.
• Improves mindfulness and wellbeing.

Getting started

• Loose clothing are recommended as it allows us to move freely without restriction.
• Soft soled footwear allows us to move smoothly and easily. Thicker soled shoes can be difficult to pivot on, so creating pressure on our body, knees and hips especially, as we cannot rotate as freely.
• No previous experience is required, every exercise drill and kata is started from the first move gradually adding more moves on.

In Summary

Bonsai Chi is a gentle and effective form of exercise, which offer many advantages to people of all ages.  It’s engaging, fun, calming, enjoyable, varied, and encourages us to quieten our mind whilst refreshing and re-energising our body, in a safe and gentle manner.

If you enjoyed reading our blog, please click here to follow one of our exercise drills - 'Bonsai Chi Top Tips Exercise #2'