Try Guys try Tai Chi at Body & Brain!
Have you heard of The Try Guys? A few months ago they took a Tai Chi class at Body & Brain!
Over the past five and a half years, The Try Guys have become one of YouTube’s most popular comedy groups (with more than 7 million subscribers!!)
As their Wikipedia entry says, The Try Guys “will try pretty much anything for the audience's entertainment.” In over 200 videos, Keith Habersberger, Ned Fulmer, Zach Kornfeld, and Eugene Lee Yang have tried their hand at male modeling, baking without a recipe, taking lie-detector tests, tolerating super-spicy noodles, and much, much more.
Recently, their adventures brought them to the Body & Brain Center in Pasadena, California, for a Tai Chi class!
A couple of months ago (before the Coronavirus made social distancing a necessity in the US), Arthur Babakhanov had just finished leading a class at the Body & Brain Center in Pasadena, CA, where he is the head instructor. He got a call from Try Guys producer Rachel Ann Cole asking if they could talk about bringing The Try Guys in for a Tai Chi class. It sounded like a great fit!
Fast forward to today (wow... a lot has happened in the past couple of months) and you can see the final product:
Tai Chi is a hot trend these days. It’s a great way to stay in shape with the added benefits of helping you to relax and focus your mind.
The practice of Tai Chi originated in China and is known to be popular among older adults. Recently, it has been gaining popularity with people of all ages who are looking for new ways to feel happier, healthier, and stronger.
Arthur Babakhanov has been a Body & Brain instructor for the past 14 years and he has a passion for Tai Chi. His Tai Chi classes combine elements from the Yang Style as well as Korean style DahnMuDo. What Arthur likes best about Tai Chi, he says, is the way it can help practitioners feel calm but energized.
The Try Guys sat down with Arthur for an interview about the history of Tai Chi, what makes the practice so special, and what they would be experiencing in the class.
Arthur explained that Tai Chi is about the way that the mind and body are connected. In eastern practices like yoga, tai chi, and martial arts, there is a concept of Qi or Ki energy. This energy affects and is affected by the condition of the mind and body. When the energy of the body is balanced, it’s easier for the mind to feel good. And when the energy of the mind is balanced, the body can also feel good.
Tai Chi is a way of intentionally balancing that mind and body energy through focused movements. When you watch a Tai Chi class, you'll see postures that require balance, strength, coordination, and even some imagination. Tai Chi cannot be done absent-mindedly.
Before and after their Tai Chi session, The Try Guys visited with Body & Brain Regional Manager Michelle Moon for aura readings. Despite some initial skepticism, they were game to get their auras read. It turns out that The Try Guys all have some very red and orange auras! In the Korean chakra tradition (from which Body & Brain draws its principles and practices), red and orange are associated with the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd chakras- located in the pelvis, lower abdomen, and solar plexus (upper abdomen) areas of the body.
Chakras are energy 'centers' where a lot of energy gathers in the body. There are 7 major chakras in the body. The 1st chakra is associated with the root of life in a body, the 2nd chakra is the source of power and passion, and the 3rd chakra is associated with creativity, independence, will-power, and sometimes stubbornness. In general, these chakras represent a very passionate and active energy, and apparently, The Try Guys have lots of it!
With such consistently red and orange auras, The Try Guys were a little curious about what would happen if they all put their hands on the aura machine at the same time. Try this under expert guidance only :-) (again, this was pre-social distancing)...The result was pretty wild!
To get a sense of what a Yoga and Tai Chi master’s aura reading would look like, the Try Guys asked Master Michelle to show her aura reading. Let’s just say, it looked a little different from the Guys’.
All reports were that The Try Guys genuinely enjoyed their Tai Chi experience. With such busy and intense lives, they probably need every chance they get to relax and center.
Oh, and according to everybody involved, they’re authentically nice and fun guys. But you already knew that... :-)