A recent study reported on in US News found that tai chi "could boost heart patients' quality of life. Researchers split 100 patientswith heart failure into two groups: Half participated in a 12-week tai chi program, while the others spent 12 weeks in an educational program learning about heart-related issues, like low-sodium diets and heart-rhythm problems. At the end of the study, the tai chi group reported improvements in mood, less , less fatigue, and more energy than the others—and those in the first group were more likely to continue with some type of physical activity, according to findings published Monday in the Archives of Internal Medicine. "Maintaining an exercise regimen is important in heart failure," study author Gloria Yeh of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center told HealthDay. "Tai chi may be a suitable alternative or adjunct exercise for these patients."
Tai chi is much more than sheer exercise. Yes, those who do take up tai chi find it has many unexpected benefits: improved balance and gait, mental focus, straightened posture, lower stress, improved immune system, and more. But tai chi is also "philosophy in motion," a martial art (improved balance and posture do wonders for "standing up for oneself"), and it can be a window into understanding more about Chinese culture. It is a calming, yet is exercise, and can be modified to fit anyone's physical needs, regardless of age.
April 26, 2011
Tai Chi for Heart Health
April 4, 2011
New Tai Chi Books
Cheng Man-ch'ing (Zheng Manqing), taiji master and artist, was a practicing doctor of traditional Chinese medicine from the 1930s on. Cheng's Insights on Women's Medicine (女科心法 Nu'ke xinfa) has been translated by Douglas Wile, (Sweet Ch'i Press; order through Redwing Books). Cheng wrote several books about Chinese medicine on topics related to women's health, cancer, and orthopedics, as well as newspaper columns on meditation and tai chi. His books on medicine discuss theory, application, and prescriptions, and have interesting anecdotes about cases.
March 26, 2011
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day
People around the world will gather in local parks and gyms Saturday, April 30th, 2011 to celebrate World Tai Chi and Qigong Day. This annual grassroots event helps build awareness of tai chi and qigong practice, and provides students and teachers with a chance to mingle with fellow practitioners.
Tai chi (taiji) has its roots in Chinese martial arts traditions, and early on, became known for its health benefits. Its practice spread throughout China in the early twentieth century, and by the 1960s, began to spread rapidly overseas.
Western medical research has affirmed tai chi's benefits for a wide range of health and wellness quests: practice of tai chi--and its sister art, qigong (ch'i-kung)--improves balance, lowers blood pressure, diminishes symptoms of Parkinson's, MS, depression, shingles, and much more.
Just as important, though, is that tai chi and qigong are simply enjoyable to practice!
March 16, 2011
Low-tech Play Still Popular with Children
Do you wonder about kids and the onslaught of technology and how it will affect kids, creativity, and play? "Children still enjoy playing traditional games like skipping and clapping in the playground despite the lure of mobile phones, computer games, and television, a study published on Tuesday found.
Playground games are 'alive and well ... they happily co-exist with media-based play, the two informing each other,' it said."
The two-year study by researchers at the Universities of East London, Sheffield and the Institute of Education was titled "Children's Playground Games and Songs in the New Media Age."
An interesting side-project: the British Library is collecting "oral histories" archive of childrens' games, and invites submissions of films and letters. (Reuters carries the full report.) It seems that this bodes well for the future of tai chi and other movement traditions.
March 14, 2011
New Tai Chi Books
The New Rules of Posture: How to Sit, Stand, and Move, by Mary Bond (Healing Arts Press, 2007). The author, a movement therapist with a background in dance and Rolf, presents a very accessible approach to understanding and correcting one's posture. This book will appeal to anyone who experiences postural problems or pain, or for practitioners. It will be helpful to tai chi teachers in analyzing structural problems that students commonly face.
A Tai Chi Imagery Workbook: Spirit, Intent, and Motion, by Martin Mellish (Singing Dragon, 2011). This compendium supplies tai chi enthusiasts with a wealth of ideas and images to use in practice. Good for self-study as well as for teachers, this book is a welcome and innovative addition to everyone's tai chi library. Mellish, who has a background in mathematics, uses such things as fractals--in easy to understand terms--to describe concepts of movement. The wide-ranging and always interesting material is presented in text, drawings, and photographs.
Robert Chuckrow's Tai Chi Dynamics: Principles of Natural Movement, Health, & Self-development (YMAA, 2008) approaches tai chi in a similarly analytical manner as Mellish's book, however Chuckrow's is from a more intellectual view. In addition to details of body mechanics, he has included insights and techniques gained from his studies with Cheng Man-ch'ing (Zheng Manqing)
February 8, 2011
Tai Chi Queen Makes Good Showing in Contest
Tai Chi Queen, a six-year-old New Zealand mare, has been doing very well in the races, with over seven wins.
Read about her here.
December 9, 2010
Kungfu in New York Times
Kungfu has hit the New York Times! Philosophy professor Peimin Ni of Grand Valley State University has written a thought piece for the NYT Stone column. "Mistaking the language of Chinese philosophy for, in Richard Rorty’s phrase, a “mirror of nature” is like mistaking the menu for the food. The essence of kung fu — various arts and instructions about how to cultivate the person and conduct one’s life — is often hard to digest for those who are used to the flavor and texture of mainstream Western philosophy."
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