The first few tai chi classes in the club were fun and easy for me. The moves really caught my imagination.     1     My coach told me about the history of tai chi. Zhang Sanfeng, a 13^th — century Taoist, was said to have invented tai chi after drawing inspiration from a fight between a snake and a bird.     2     然而，人们现在不这么想了. They tend to believe that Chen Wangting, a 17^th — century master of Chinese martial arts, developed tai chi based on martial arts skills.     3       No wonder some tai chi moves are named after animals — Chinese martial arts have a long-standing practice of imitating animals.

After learning the basics of tai chi, I found myself bored and aching from doing the same moves over and over again.     4     幸运的是，我的教练教会了我怎样放松自己 and focus on peace of mind while performing the routine. With these requirements of tai chi in mind, I found to my satisfaction that my balance and flexibility slowly improved.     5     My love for tai chi returned stronger than ever.