Ai Chi began as a relaxation practice, but decades of clinical use and research have demonstrated its broader potential. From easing chronic pain to reducing fall risk, from restoring confidence after injury to calming stress, Ai Chi offers a gentle yet powerful therapeutic tool.

How did Ai Chi Day come about? Patti Crimer, OT, loved Ai Chi (and offering it to her patients) so much she decided we should have an International Ai Chi Day. On Ai Chi Day we appreciate the gift of Ai Chi while honoring Jun Konno and his family – especially Ai.

I have spent a lifetime in and around water.  Introducing Ai Chi to preschoolers was more learning for me than the children. Ai Chi continues to inspire, shift perspectives, and promote positive growth – regardless of age or ability.

Eager to share my newfound Ai Chi knowledge with my aquatic students back home, I developed a shallow water class which fused Ai Chi postures and cardio moves into an interval training format.

An affirmation must be believed, not just said. Picture the good things and focus on those. Picture the future and believe it. Remember that our beliefs create our thoughts, our thoughts create our decisions, and our decisions create our future.

We know Ai Chi as a modern body/mind practice based on ancient Eastern traditions. One of those influencing traditions is the chakra system. A focus on chakras can add depth to nurturing body, mind, and spirit in your Ai Chi practice.

Teaching a silent session requires you to be mindful of your breathing, movements, and presence. The break from verbal and other audible cueing can recharge you and the participants.

Breathing and body position or postural changes can be used to alter the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerves for heart rate. In Ai Chi, breath awareness will improve the quality of movement by allowing correct posture and a stable state.

Here’s an important component I always forget to include in my Ai Chi sessions: Silence. The research is there regarding the benefits – this article shares some insight.

Ai Chi translates to English as “Love Energy”. There’s so much compassion and love in Ai Chi and yet we tend to only offer it to others, never to ourselves. Why do we continue to show compassion and love to others but not to ourselves?

Ai Chi already does great things for each client participating. Can we improve that with music? The research says yes … most of the time.  The power of music is much more than we might ever imagine.

Inner peace is a state of calmness and contentment in which we are free from worry, anxiety, and fear. Ai Chi can also help increase self-awareness and promote inner peace and love in several ways.

Ai Chi is meant to guide us into letting go and bring us back into tranquility and serenity, reconciling the mind and body.  The fluidity of movement heals our minds in many ways so that we stop struggling and accept.

These three terms describe different intentions, or paths we can take when faced with the need to change. Clarifying the terms in our context of Ai Chi practice can help us better guide our clients and participants?