“Tai Chi, for all its inherent merits, can be much enhanced by certain auxiliary practices, the most obvious and prevalent of which are various forms of qigong. One non-traditional practice that I’m well versed in is Hanna Somatic Education, which I’ll be referring to here as Hanna Somatics, or just Somatics. Tai Chi Chuan and Hanna Somatics stem from very different times and cultures. Yet they share many features in common. Tai Chi Chuan and Hanna Somatics both emphasize mindful movement – meaning movement that is slow, deliberate, and purposeful. Both place a high value on self-sensing, on ergonomically correct posture and carriage, on movement that is optimally efficient, and on a healthy mental state that is conducive to self-actualization and personal freedom.”