Comment by dentemple

Not to "Well, Actually," but it was intended to be both. Tai Chi and its related arts (xingyi, tongbei, etc.) were formalized and taught by the old masters as expressions of the Tao. The base movements are derived from the basic elements of the Tao, and Taoist meditiation and internal medicinal practices (qigong) were as important as learning how to produce explosive force (fajin) from it.

Learning Tai Chi in the way that it was meant to be learned means cultivating not just your external body but also your spiritual self, mental wellness, and internal organs as well.