by Marcela Ganea
BUCHAREST, Aug. 18 (Xinhua) -- A quick glance at social media page of Taijidao School in Bucharest tells you that Taijiquan (Tai Chi) attracts more and more Romanians, and a discussion with the founder of the school and the trainers confirms that.
The school offers regular free-of-charge practical sessions in public parks, as well as daily paid courses at their location.
On Sunday mornings, elderly, parents with children and people walking their dogs can admire the gracious movements and the complex exercises performed by the Taijiquan practitioners in various parks in Bucharest.
Romanian coach Alin Zhong set up the school in 1996.
"The idea to set up a Taijiquan school in Bucharest came to me after some friends asked me to teach them, and suggested me to give classes to people who were interested," explained Zhong.
"I started with 2 students but I soon had 100 people enrolled. The first ones were my friends, and they brought more friends and acquaintances, while others came as a result of our efforts to advertise the school via outdoor advertising."
Now the school has some 40 regular students weekly, and annually it prepares about 200 students.
Coordination of the limbs and imitation is not easy. Beginners often cannot follow the group and their more experienced mates explain that the secret is to imitate only and to stop thinking about coordination.
Taijiquan is recommended to those who spend a lot of time sitting, more than any other sports. While some sports can be harmful for the joints, Taijiquan releases the tension in the body through the inner force of its parts.
"More and more Romanians of various ages and socio-professional backgrounds are taking up Taijiquan," said Cosmin Placinta, senior trainer with the school.
Together with his trainer colleagues, they are proud of the school founded in Romania by Zhong.
Silvia, a student of Taijidao School, statistician in the public sector, confesses her interesting experience with Taijiquan.
"I have brought several friends to this school and we all see the benefits. I used to have serious back pain and when my osteopath heard I took up Taijiquan, he said: 'You could not have chosen better!'"
Other students, Ciprian, a teacher by profession, and Ovidiu, an engineer, admit that Taijiquan has changed their health state and they got rid of many unpleasant symptoms they used to have in the past.
Zhong explained that some practitioners took up Taijiquan as a natural continuation of previous practices such as aikido, karate, yoga, as they wanted to go deeper into aspects of their art, into deeper relaxation and more opening of meridians, so they found their full satisfaction in Taijiquan.
Others were attracted by Taijiquan precisely because of back pain, spine problems and insomnia, while there are also some who were brought to Taijiquan by destiny.
"One lady came one day to replace her sister and she became fascinated so she continued practicing," said Zhong.
