One of my college roommates used to practice tai chi in our dorm room. One morning, I walked in while he was doing tai chi with the TV on. A Pepsi commercial with uptempo music was playing, so I called out, "Quick! Tai chi!" He then started doing a medley of tai chi moves, 10 times faster than usual.
I think he was onto something. Contradictory as it might sound, maybe that's the way to go. You find the right upbeat music and then launch into your tai chi. Instead of being a stress reduction technique, it becomes an "I'm greeting the day right this instant!" adrenaline jump-starter.
