Taiji (Tai Chi, or Taijiquan 太極拳) is a traditional Chinese movement art that was originally developed as a martial art. Yes, even though it is sometimes practiced slow, it was originally a power method of fighting! There has been a lot of research on Taiji and health. One of the significant benefits of Taiji practice, especially for older people, is improvement in balance, walking, and, therefore, fall prevention.
A recent study published in the journal Disability and Rehabilitation compared patients undergoing regular physical therapy to help prevent falls to those taught Taiji. While both groups of patients had improvement (in terms of fewer falls and reduced severity of falls), the patients who were taught and practiced Taiji did better than the others. Thus, Taiji practice seems to be better than regular physical therapy for fall prevention in the elderly. To read more about the original study please click here.