T'ai Chi Proven to Be Good for Health!

 

The Guardian writes:

Traditional Chinese exercises such as tai chi can offer wide-ranging benefits for people with musculoskeletal disorders, improving physical function, pain, mental health, sleep quality and bone mineral density, according to the largest review of its kind.

More than 1.7bn people have musculoskeletal conditions worldwide. While prevalence varies by age and diagnosis, people of all ages in every country and every continent are affected.

Musculoskeletal conditions significantly limit mobility and dexterity, leading to early retirement from work, lower levels of wellbeing and reduced ability to participate in society. They are also the leading contributor to disability worldwide, with low back pain being the single leading cause of disability in 160 countries.

My first time doing tai chi: ‘It feels like my brain is solving a Rubik’s Cube’

Read more

There was already evidence indicating traditional Chinese exercises were associated with beneficial health outcomes in people with musculoskeletal disorders, but much of it was fragmented and contained inconsistencies.

The overarching review of pooled data analyses of systematic reviews by researchers at hospitals and universities in China, published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, drew on 92 data syntheses from 1,744 randomised controlled clinical trials.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/aug/24/largest-review-of-its-kind-confirms-benefits-of-tai-chi-and-other-chinese-exercises?CMP=share_btn_url

Opera for T'ai Chi People

 Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato has taught opera master classes at Carnegie Hall for many years. In this video, you can clearly see the link to t'ai chi practice: connecting energy, breath, root and how that can be harnessed in singing.

New Book: Taijiquan Master Reference Anthology

 

  

 

Taijiquan Master Reference

Edited by Michael DeMarco

A comprehensive collection of articles from the Journal of Asian Martial Arts, in two volumes.

Volume One & Two combined: 962 pages, hardcover, $74 US

https://www.viamediapublishing.com/china 

"This is an anthology of articles relating to taijquan (tai chi) that were previously publishing over two decades in the quarterly Journal of Asian Martial Arts, noted for its high academic and aesthetic standards. Included here in 960 pages are sixty-four articles, 735 illustrations, glossaries, maps, charts, and bibliographies. Researchers can benefit from this handy anthology, particularly for the information and analyses presented, including the rich bibliographic listings. Taiji practitioners will also gain insights to benefit their own practice, be it for health and/or self-defense.

"Via Media Publishing was founded in 1992 in order to produce the peer reviewed quarterly Journal of Asian Martial Arts (1992–2012)—the first publication of its kind to focus on martial traditions in an academic format. Many of the authors were scholar–practitioners, who utilized their unique talents to present articles from various specializations, such as Asian Studies, kinesiology, history, anthropology, philosophy, and physical education. Those who were serious about this field subscribed to the journal to read articles noted for their high academic and aesthetic standards. Most were in the United States, Canada, and Europe, but also in other areas of the world. These naturally included martial art schools and individual practitioners. There was a strong base among university and public libraries too. As founder of Via Media, I’ve decided to assemble this anthology of articles relating to taijiquan. There are over three hundred million taiji practitioners worldwide, drawn to the art mainly for health maintenance and it therapeutic value. Researchers can benefit from this handy anthology, particularly for the information and analyses presented, including the rich bibliographic listings. Taiji practitioners will also gain insights to benefit their own practice, be it for health and/or self-defense. Included here are sixty-four articles, the same number of hexagrams in the Book of Changes (Yijing). In addition to 735 illustrations, there are glossaries, maps, charts, and bibliographies. Taijiquan is the term representing the general category of study, but taijiquan can be subdivided into its branches, from the original Chen Family Style to the highly popular Yang Family Style. Other lineages are presented, such as the Wu and Sun systems. The variety of material in this anthology reflects in-depth scholarly research and the experience of master practitioners. It will be a valuable source taijiquan enthusiasts for future decades. By making this book available to individuals and libraries, we hope this rare material will greatly contribute to further research in this field and inspire many to learn taijiquan with aspirations to mastery."

Volume One authors include:

Robert W. Smith, Peter Lim Tian Tek, Stephan Berwick , Tim Cartmill , Bosco Seung-Chul Baek, David Gaffney, Zhang Yun , Russ Mason , Kenneth S. Cohen , Douglas Wile , Herman P. Kauz , Stanley E. Henning , Cai Naibiao, Wong Yuen Ming, John Loupos, Jake Burroughs , Benjamin Lo , Michael Rosario Graycar, C.J. Rhoads , Leroy Clark , Asr Cordes, Linda Lehrhaupt, Nigel Sutton , Dietmar Stubenbaum, Barbara Davis, Bradford Tyrey , Marcus Brinkman, Arieh Lev Breslow, Adam Wallace, Wong Jiaxiang, Sophia Delza , Charles Holcombe , Carol M. Derrickson, Stuart Kohler, Donald D. Davis , Dennis Willmont , Donald Mainfort , Miriam O’Connor , Andy Peck, Mark Hawthorne , Yaron Seidman , Joel Stein , Xu Yizhong , Yuan Weiming , Xu Zhengmei, Danny Emerick,  Hal Mosher, S. Dale Brown  Greg Brodsky, Lawrence L. Mann , Michael A DeMarco

Volume Two: Michael DeMarco, Robert W. Smith, David Gaffney  , Benjamin Lo , Tim Cartmill , Stephan Berwick , Stanley Henning , Herman Kaus , Douglas Wile , Bosco Seung-Chul Baek    

Review: Lou Reed's The Art of the Straight Line

The Art of the Straight Line: My Tai Chi
by Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson
Faber, 2023 

 Lou Reed was the singer-songwriter of The Velvet Underground before launching a solo career that lasted from the 1970’s to the 2000’s. A Grammy-winning Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee, he influenced musicians such as David Bowie, Iggy Pop, and Patti Smith. 

In addition to his artistic endeavors, Reed was a dedicated practitioner of Chen style t’ai chi. He began studying t’ai chi as he struggled to stop his drug use, which he described as ‘reckless excess.’ T’ai chi became a constant in his life. He practiced daily, whether at home or on tour and encouraged friends and acquaintances to take up t’ai chi. He studied with Ren Guangyi, a mainland Chinese master living in New York. Working with Ren, Lou Reed took t’ai chi performance art on tour in the 2000’s. He wanted to publish a t’ai chi book but struggled to get it started.

A team of friends (Scott Richman, Bob Currie, Stephan Berwick) and Laurie Anderson (his wife of 21 years) curated the book’s content and published it in 2023, ten years after his death. The book’s title page correctly describes its contents -- “A collection of Lou’ writings on t’ai chi and conversations with friends, teachers, and fellow practitioners.” While the book includes various writings, emails, and conversations with Reed, it is primarily interviews with and reminiscences of people in Reed’s circle. This included well-known fellow musicians such as Iggy Pop and Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, as well as friends, fellow t’ai chi practitioners and teachers. Not everyone was engaged in t’ai chi, though all share stories of finding Reed practicing t’ai chi whether on his apartment rooftop or while on tour. Those with knowledge of the Rock and Roll music scene will find sections from Lou’s fellow musicians of interest.

While t’ai chi practitioners may find the discussions of t’ai chi, push-hands, practice and a visit to Chen Village interesting, it is not a ‘sink your teeth into it’ tome on t’ai chi. Rather, the audience for this book is primarily musicians, artists and others who want to discover Lou Reed, the person.

            —Cheryl Powers

 

Book Review: In the Presence of Cheng Man-Ch'ing

 

In the Presence of Cheng Man-Ch'ing: 
My Life and Lessons with the Master of Five Excellences
by William C. Phillips
Hardcover, 236 pages
Floating World Press, 2020, $24.95
ISBN: 978-0648283126

 Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing (Zheng Manqing, 1902–1975) was a noted painter, writer, herbal doctor, and taijiquan teacher. His last decade was spent in New York City. This brought him into contact with numerous young American martial artists, such as Bill Phillips, the author of this delightful memoir. Phillips, now the head of Patience T'ai Chi, describes the setting of the mid-to-late 1960s, during which numbers of skilled karate, judo, aikido, and taekwondo practitioners, after hearing about Cheng, came to study with him. Even skeptics left impressed.

In this book, we sit at Philips' side listening to Cheng's spontaneous insights about taiji. We hear the formal lectures on Laozi, Confucianism, health, morals, and art. We witness the public and the private encounters, the snapshots of Chinatown of fifty years ago. While much of the book is about Cheng Man-ch'ing and the ideas he imparted, it is told through Phillips' own life course: growing as a martial artist, seeking out a master teacher, maturing and attaining insight with age, and, following Cheng's model of sharing knowledge, becoming a teacher.

Phillips' book joins the ranks of memoirs written by direct students of Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing; in particular Wolfe Lowenthal and Robert W. Smith. All of these paint a picture of a skillful practitioner, revered by many, yet very human.

Bill Phillips does not spare himself in this look back. One year, he willingly took on the task of driving Cheng and his assistants to class, even though it was far out of his way. On one trip to the studio, Cheng and assistant conversed in Chinese, and Phillips heard his name and the word "kung fu" (gongfu) mentioned.

Naturally, I got excited. Was he preparing to tell me a secret of kungfu? Was that to be my reward for driving him? Did I know something about kung fu that he was praising? So I quickly and impolitely interrupted and asked. I was told that [Professor Cheng] had said that I should use more discipline in my driving. What about the words kung fu that I had heard, I eagerly wondered out loud. The answer was: it means discipline, as when American martial artists say, "He studies the art," and we know they are referring to a martial art, when Chinese refer to "discipline," they are referring sometimes to a specific discipline—martial art. However, in this case Professor was not. He was referring to the lack of self-discipline in my driving. I was hitting far too many potholes as I drove. My chest feell, my ego deflated.... It was the first time, but not the last time that I embarrassed myself in front of the Professor.

Those who studied with Cheng often point out that Cheng did not keep secrets. Phillips explains,

I think that many of those people [who doubted Cheng] were too stiff and strong to get a lot of what he was trying to explain. Of course, those who could not seem to get it with their first effort, rahter than redouble their efforst, chose to think there must be a secret he was not sharing.

Taiji people from all styles will enjoy this view of one of the leading taiji figures of the late twentieth century. Those of Cheng's direct lineage will gain more insight into his teachings and the great impact he had on a wide variety of students.

World Tai Chi Day 2020

Join in the annual international Taiji and Qigong event, April 25th, 2020, celebrating these wonderful health-giving practices. This year, many events are online due to coronavirus. Taiji and qigong can play an important role in promoting health by boosting the immune system strength.

Visit World Tai Chi Day for further information.

Zhang Yimou's SHADOW

"
"[Zhang Yimou's] Shadow doesn't rush to battle, unlike such earlier Zhang martial-arts spectaculars as Hero and House of Flying Daggers. The movie spends about an hour sketching the backstory and observing the machinations that will lead to war....
Zhang, known for the feminism of his earlier films, doesn't give the women central roles, but he does offer some playful tweaks of masculinity. The tai-chi symbol expresses the unity of supposed opposites, including male and female. Shadow doesn't achieve that, but it does harmonize contrary impulses much more deftly than The Great Wall balanced Beijing and Hollywood.

Read the complete NPR review here.

In Memory: Benjamin Lo

One of the leading figures of late twentieth-century taiji, Benjamin Pang-jeng Lo, has passed away. Born in 1927 in Mainland China, Ben, as he was called by his students, was one of Professor Cheng Man-ch'ing's earliest students in Taiwan after both of their families had resettled there at the end of China's civil war in the late 1940s.

In his early twenties, Lo was not well; his father sent him to see Cheng Man-ch'ing, who was a well-known artist and traditional doctor, as well as a t'ai chi master. Lo was not able to consume the prescribed herbs, so Cheng recommended he study t'ai chi to build up his body strength. Lo began training with Cheng, and never stopped. He studied literature in college, and then got a masters in public administration. After working in the government, all the while continuing his t'ai chi studies, he moved to San Francisco, and with Cheng's encouragement, began his teaching career.

Over the years, Ben Lo taught thousands of students, both in his San Francisco studio and in regular camps and workshops in many cities around the United States, Europe, and elsewhere. He was a regular visitor to the Shih Chung T'ai Chi Association when visiting Taiwan. Lo, along with Robert Smith, was a staunch defender of Cheng's teachings and reputation.

Lo produced several important books. He worked on a translation of the Classics with Susan Foe, Robert Amacker, and Martin Inn, titled The Essence of T'ai Chi Ch'uan, which was one of the earliest t'ai chi books in English (it has since been reissued by the Inner Research Institute). With Robert W. Smith, he translated Chen Weiming's T'ai Chi Ch'uan Ta Wen: Questions and Answers on T'ai Chi Ch'uan. With Martin Inn, Lo translated Cheng Man-ch'ing's seminal Cheng-tzu's Thirteen Treatises on T'ai Chi Ch'uan. 
 Lo was the subject of a number of articles, including a lengthy interview in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts. He also gave a series of lectures and made videos, produced by the Inner Research Institute.

Lo's workshops were grueling, challenging, enlightening, and informative. They were usually quite large,  with scores of students in attendance. They struggled to hold postures while he walked around making correcctions on everyone. Lo's ability to root was legendary; he was able to playfully shrug off the most aggressive and large push hands challengers, always with a smile on his face. His teaching style was very direct and often very critical-sounding, but always with humor. "You must go lower! Remember my name, Ben(d) Lo!" He regularly admonished me and others, saying, "Why do you Americans have to write books about t'ai chi? You should just practice more!" Another pet peeve he had was how impatient people were about learning and presumptuousness about becoming teachers: "They think they can teach t'ai chi after just studying one month. They think they can be born after just one month!"

Ben Lo's work lives on in his many students and others whom he inspired. 

—Barbara Davis

World Tai Chi Day April 28

Join millions of people around the world in celebrating World Tai Chi and Qigong Day! At 10 a.m. local time, groups and individuals will bring a public face to these ancient health-enhancing practices. For more information, visit the World Tai Chi Day site. 

Review: Concepts for Taiji Partner Training-Dalu: The Four-Corner Push-Hands Training Method

Concepts for Taiji Partner Training-Dalu: The Four-Corner Push-Hands Training Method by Stephen Goodson and Billy Fox
CreateSpace, 2015
paperback, 68 pp
US$25
ISBN 978-1508941224

This slim, succinct volume, Concepts for Taiji Partner Training-Dalu, presents a moving-step sequence related to the “Four Corners” section of solo taiji practice. Dalu, or “Great Rollback,” serves as a complement to typical Tuishou (Push Hands). Tuishou relies on Ward-off, Rollback, Press, and Push, and is most often done with fixed steps. On the other hand, Dalu encompasses Split, Pull, Shoulder, Rollback, and uses moving steps.

After some introductory material, the authors present the solo practice of Dalu, and then its two-person practice. These are followed by application in the form of tifang (uprooting) and “The Game” of how to play with Dalu. Practice and theory are nicely blended, and throughout the book, adherence to the taiji principle of softness is emphasized. “The two-person exercises are akin to practicing tennis with a friend, rather than competing in a tennis match with an opponent.... The cooperative spirit cannot be overstated; competition changes the exercise into a crude wrestling match, which is useless, and your training will be in vain” The authors acknowledge their debt in these concepts and techniques to their teacher Robert Smith, a leading student of Cheng Man-ch’ing (Zheng Manqing).

Concepts for Taiji Partner Training-Dalu is nicely formatted, with clear photography, descriptions, footcharts, and reference materials. It is clearly enough written so that newcomers to Dalu practice will benefit, and those who are more experienced will certainly gain new insights.

"It’s not too late to get moving: Simple physical activity — mostly walking — helped high-risk seniors stay mobile after disability-inducing ailments even if, at 70 and beyond, they’d long been couch potatoes." Read the whole article at the Post Gazette.

New Book on Internal Martial Arts

The Journal of Asian Martial Arts has produced another collection of articles, this one on the sister arts to taijiquan of bagua and xingyi. Taijiquan students may find interesting elements of overlap.

 Bagua & Xingyi: An Intersection of the Straight and Curved
Via Media, 2016
US$17.95

• Single Palm Change: Bagua's Core Movement by Allen Pittman
• Yin Style Baguazhang: Hidden Treasure of Chinese Martial Arts by James Smith, Ph.D.; Matt Bild, Trans.
• How Baguazhang Incorporates Theory from the Book of Changes by Travis Joern
• Baguazhang in the Hong Yixiang Tradition by Hong Dzehan, with Christopher Bates and Robert Lin-i Yu
• Some Insights into Xingyiquan: Interview with Luo Dexiu by Dietmar Stubenbaum and Marcus Brinkmann
• American Boxing and Chinese Xingyi: A Comparison by Robert Lin-yi Yu, M.A.
• Hong Yixiang and Five Fists Xingyi Boxing in Old Taipei by Robert Lin-yi Yu, M.A.
• Insights From the Home of Xingyiquan by Stanley E. Henning, M.A.
• Che Style Xingyiquan in Taiwan as Taught by Dr. Wu Chaoxiang by Stanley E. Henning, M.A.
• One Source, Four Images: Fu Yonghui's Sixiang Boxing by Shannon Phelps, M.A., M.Div.
• Internal Martial Arts of Taiwan: An Interview with Marcus Brinkman by Kevin Craig, M.A.
• Throwing Techniques in the Internal Martial Arts: An Elucidation of the Guiding Principle of
• Sticking and Following by Tim Cartmell, B.A.

Tai Chi Wisdom

 

Here's cartoonist James Sturm's take on longtime teacher Maggie Newman's tai chi wisdom. See Medium for full cartoon story.

Kung Fu Bear Form

 Pure inspiration!

New Media: Taiji Straight Sword Book

Chinese Swords: An Ancient Tradition and Modern Training is a collection of articles originally published in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts, and is available as an ebook through their website. The four articles cover history, training, aesthetics, and traditions: "Ancient Chinese Bronze Swords in the MacLean Collection" by Richard A. Pegg, PhD; "Chinese Sword and Brush Masters of the Tang Dynasty (618–906)" by Richard A. Pegg, PhD; "Basic Chinese Sword Training and Practice" by Tony Yang, Andy Lianto, and Robert A. Figler, PhD; "Qingping Straight Sword: The Last Remaining Chinese Sword System?" by Stephan Berwick, M.A.; Trans. C. Hsu and X.Y. Dong.

New Taiji Anthologies on Chen Style, Zheng Manqing, Taiji for Health

The Journal of Asian Martial Arts has created several taiji-related anthologies bundling its articles on a number of topics of interest, all available as ebooks at Via Media. These articles represent the accumulation of two decades of publication by leading researchers and practitioners in the field.
ChengMan-ch'ing and Tai Chi: Echoes in the Hall of Happiness, by Barbara Davis, Donald Davis, Michael DeMarco, T. G. LaFredo, Lawrence L. Mann, Russ Mason, Robert W. Smith, and Nigel Sutton.	T'ai Chi & Qigong for Your Health: Historical and Scientific Foundations by Michael DeMarco, M.A., Arieh Lev Breslow, M.A., S. Kachur, B.M.R. (P.T), R.N. Carleton, M.A. & G. , Kenneth S. Cohen, M.A., M.S.Th., C.J. Rhoads, D.Ed., M.Ed., Duane Crider, Ph.D.

Chen T’ai Chi: Traditional Instructions from the Chen Village, Vol. 2 by Adam Wallace, Michael A. DeMarco, M.A. & A. Edwin Matthews, Yaron Seidman, L.Ac., Michael Rosario Graycar and Rachel Tomlinson, M.Ed, Bosco Seung-Chul Baek, B.S.

Chen T’ai Chi: Traditional Instructions from the Chen Village, Vol. 1, by Dietmar Stubenbaum, Wong Jiaxiang; Michael DeMarco, M.A., Trans., Miriam O’Conner, M.A., Stephan Berwick, M.A., Asr Cordes, David Gaffney, B.A.

World Tai Chi and Qigong Day 2015

 
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day is fast approaching! On Saturday, April 25, 2015, participate and learn about the great benefits of tai chi practice, see demonstrations, and network. See the WTCD website for listings of events in your local community.

National Qigong Association Conference 2014

The National Qigong Association will be holding its 19th annual conference Friday July 25 through Sunday July 27, 2014 at the Hilton Doubletree Valley Forge, in King of Prussia, PA. Don't miss it!

The 2014 International Tai Chi Symposium was a great success, featuring Grandmasters Chen Zhenglei, Yang Jun, Zhong Zhenshan, Ma Hailong, Sun Yongtian, and He Youlu as well as many scholars reporting on recent brain science related to tai chi, and a keynote address by author Arthur Rosenfeld. Read Violet Li's thorough report at Tai Chi Examiner.

Getting in Synch is Not Just About Listening

Here's some interesting research that could help us understand tai chi push hands: out-of-synch metronomes on a stable surface will stay out-of-synch, but if on a flexible surface will gradually synchronize. "Energy from the motion of one ticking metronome can affect the motion of every metronome around it, while the motion of every other metronome affects the motion of our original metronome right back. All this inter-metronome "communication" is facilitated by the board, which serves as an energetic intermediary between all the metronomes that rest upon its surface." Watch the video demonstration.