Research Article

Getting Started with Taiji: Investigating Students Expectations and Teachers Appraisals of Taiji Beginners Courses

Table 2

Frequency of mentioned beginners’ expectations and teachers’ appraisals of the benefits of a Taiji-beginners course.

Mentioned expectations/appraisalsBeginners ( ) results in %1Teachers ( ) results in %1

Daily-life-related expectations/appraisals
 Improvement of stress management4113
 Transferability of course content into daily life279
 Counterbalance to daily work143
Knowledge-related expectations/appraisals
 Get to know Taiji in general572
 Learning the motion sequences154
 Get to know the philosophical background52
 Improvement of self-defense11
Mind-body-related expectations/appraisals
 Increase of body awareness2746
 Increase of relaxation2629
 Holistic health promotion1619
 Perception of the flow of Qi/energy18
Mind-related expectations/appraisals
 Increase of internal balance and peace of mind3260
 Increase of power of concentration1432
 Expansion of consciousness56
 Fostering of self-compassion57
 Fostering of equanimity416
 Increase of contentedness316
 Fostering of mindfulness35
 Increase of mental flexibility/openness111
 Increase of self-efficacy15
 Increase of patience and tenacity11
 Increase of self-esteem010
 Fostering of compassion and tolerance towards others08
 Increase of mental alertness018
 Improvement of memory02
Body-related expectations/appraisals
 Be physically active163
 Increase of physical well-being1416
 Strengthening of the body821
 Improvement of motor coordination737
 Increase of flexibility532
 Improvement of balance438
 Improvement of body alignment/posture321
 Improvement of physical functioning344
 Alleviation of physical ailments123
 Increase of postural stability016
 Increase of looseness04
 Reduction of risk of falls01
Process- and context-related expectations/appraisals
 Enjoyment of practicing Taiji125
 Meeting new people92
 Professional instruction90
 Experience of learning progress71
 Pleasant course ambience51

1% values refer to the percentage of subjects in each study group.