Some Buddhist monks practise Taiji Quan, i.e. a discipline which is a martial art, a therapeutic method and at the same time a spiritual path; it is a sort of “meditation in movement” and it has, like yoga, very deep spiritual and philosophical roots.
It can also be considered a sort of ritual dance, consisting of a continuous stream of slow, flowing and nimble movements, which allow expert practitioners to reach a state of meditation and inner peace and, ultimately, to achieve the union with Tao, the main principle which sustains the whole universe.
Taiji Quan was born as a fighting technique, whose origin probably goes back to the early Taoist period, but in fact is a secret and mysterious art that focuses more on inner awareness than on sheer muscular effort, by preserving and nurturing qi, the life force that flows incessantly in the body of all human beings, as well as in the whole universe.