The Unintended Benefits of Too Much Tai Chi

I want to tell you guys about the unintended benefits of doing too much Tai Chi.

I practise every day. I do more than 20 hours a week. I have well over 1000 hours clocked in by now.

Strange things have happened and continue to happen...

I will mention the intended benefits: better balance, calmer mind, more energy, sharper coordination, improved posture.

These are "Science" approved. Tai Chi is good for you. Not after one class though. Try 6 months. It’s like the gym. You don’t get buff in a day but gains are real.

1st: Your body turns to jelly

Tension melts. Your shoulders drop. Your organs feel nourished. Sometimes you feel weightless...

Posture testing is common in Tai Chi classes and nothing passes unless you untense. The less tension, the better. You are learning to ungrip the world!

2nd: Your skeleton starts to change

The S-shape of your spine begins to straighten, not by force, just quietly over time. You don’t have to stand up straight, you just do!

Not possible?? Look at my back bro. Look at the back of any serious practitioner. Straight as a brick wall.

3rd: Speaking of brick walls, you become one

The other day on the tube, I was just standing there when a lady walked right into me and crumpled to the ground. She got up before I could say anything. I felt kind of bad. I didn’t mean to do that but I couldn't help it. I am a wall.

4th: I don’t get sick much anymore

When you practise an internal art, things start changing inside you. Not dramatic changes, just slow quiet shifts. Things you can’t see but you can feel. Something is flowing. The body softens. Somewhere deep inside, something is building up...

5th: You gain unyielding stamina

I don’t walk anymore. I glide. I can go all day, all week, all month. No naps. No crashes. Just a steady flow all the time.

I still sleep but less. Sleep is mostly for "dream practice" now. Sometimes I dream in forms. Sometimes the forms dream me.

6th: You become more sensitive

I can feel tension in the air. When someone touches me, I know what they’re holding: anger, hesitation, hardness, lies, etc.

I can read eyes very well now.

Sometimes I feel their intent before they move, like their body sent a signal ahead of them.

7th: You gain a social sixth sense

I can tell when someone’s about to stand, speak, or check their phone. I can tell from weight shifts and micro-movements. The chi bubble around you feels it. The bubble is always up.

You start reading the room… and the floor beneath it.

8th: Dogs are drawn to me in parks

Stare at them with affection and they come. Stare with firm intent and they back off. Sometimes you don’t even need to stare. You project energy. Animals feel it. Kids do too.

...Or maybe they just like the kooky guy doing Tai Chi in the park!!

9th: Altered time perception

The long form takes 20 minutes. Sometimes it feels like a blink, sometimes like an hour. You can go into black holes of time and emerge.

I’ve stopped fearing ageing. In Tai Chi, the older you are, the better you get.

Grey hair is a crown and a flex.

10th: An aura has formed around me

You can’t see it but it’s there. I’ve been farming it quietly each time I practise. Day in, day out. I feel like a stone in a stream: unmoved, present, quietly powerful.

Some people stand further away. Others lean in...

I think there are more secrets to uncover...

My teacher’s eyes change colour. He has abilities I can't explain. I won’t say what they are. Not yet.

Last thing: If you chase these powers, they vanish. They come to those who forget they want them and only if they won’t misuse them.

Written 26th July 2025