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Two years ago, Ernesto Bonilla's blood pressure was so high, his doctor prescribed him medication to bring it down.

But he had another solution: tai chi.

Combined with daily walking, practicing tai chi twice a week, Bonilla said, helped him bring his blood pressure down from 180 to 140.

"To me, it's just good exercise," said Bonilla, 68, a retired mold lofter who drives from Honokai Hale twice a week to a tai chi class in Makiki. "We're moving slow, but we're getting a workout."

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese art that quickly gained popularity in the United States as a form of low-impact exercise.

It's designed to work your body, mind and spirit, and help participants achieve better balance and coordination, improved body awareness, and a calming of your mind. The goal is to properly harness and channel your chi or qi, the internal energy that sustains health and well-being.

And while the movements seem too slow to cause a sweat, tai chi is often a tougher workout than most people expect.

"People think it's easy," said Gerri Nishida, 49, a full-time instructor with the Dong Family International Tai Chi Chuan Association. "(And) it can be easy, but it takes practice. It's not like an aerobic class where you can pop in and out whenever you want. (Tai chi) takes commitment and practice to really get the true benefits in all aspects."

On a recent Thursday night, more than a dozen people trickled into a large recreation room at the Jodo Mission of Hawaii in Makiki, where the Dong Family International Tai Chi Chuan Association holds one of its weekly classes around the island.

It didn't seem like the most fitting environment for tai chi, with the bright fluorescent lights overhead and the constant buzz of traffic from the nearby highway.

But once Grand Master Zeng Chen Dong, a third-generation instructor with more than 50 years of experience, started class, it was like everything going on — the whirring ceiling fans, the motorcycle blaring past the temple, the harsh fluorescent lights — didn't matter. The students moved deliberately and carefully, paying attention to a more internal rhythm and ignoring the outside distractions.

"You practice your patience," said Dong, through an interpreter. "It's not just a form of exercise. It's a cultivation of your chi (or internal energy)."

While anyone can practice tai chi — from kids to pregnant women to the very elderly — there are specific benefits to those who want to supplement their existing workouts.

"Many athletes find that their abilities become better by using tai chi principles," Nishida said. "There is a special connection with each movement in the posture, forms and energy that we create. You become more aware of your (body) and you learn to move your body naturally."

Many tai chi students have also noticed an improvement in blood pressure, arthritis, balance, high cholesterol and memory skills.

"Not only is tai chi a good exercise for relaxation and balance, but it's also a good physical therapy for many age-related problems such as arthritis, poor balance and high or low blood pressure," said Janet Jin, who teaches seniors tai chi for the Arthritis Foundation at the Chinese Cultural Plaza. "Its ultimate goal is to achieve the perfect balance of mind, body and spirit so the practitioner is in harmony with nature."

Bonilla stopped taking high blood pressure medication in November, crediting tai chi for helping him improve his health. It didn't take long for Bonilla to be a believer.

"I hate taking pills. I don't even take aspirin," said Bonilla, who knew exercise would help lower his blood pressure. "It's not like pumping iron, where you can hurt yourself. This is slower. The breathing goes hand-in-hand with the movement. This has really helped."