World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day
- Thailand
life issues that T'ai Chi &
Qigong can benefit.
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World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day - Thailand |
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| Read below the MANY life issues that T'ai Chi & Qigong can benefit. |
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Excerpts from The Complete Idiot's Guide |
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Book excerpts from Chapter 20.
Click on the various topics below for details on each subject:
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For More on Aspects of Life that T'ai Chi & Qigong are known to help with,
read The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong. And T'ai Chi Teachers should definitely
make the Qigong Database, with 3,500 data listings on T'ai Chi and Qigong benefits, part
of your library for writing T'ai Chi & Qigong related articles for your local
natural health publications, etc.
T’ai Chi for Kids
Kids are the embodiment of change, and change can be very stressful. Their minds and bodies grow at phenomenal rates, so they are constantly having to work with new and different bodies, making coordination and balance a big issue. T’ai Chi, with its emphasis on balance, is well suited to address all these challenges.
Preparing for Athletics and Life
T’ai Chi works to integrate the mind and body, skeletal and muscular systems, and left brain and right brain. In physical terms, this centering is built around an awareness of moving with good posture and from a low center of gravity, or the vertical axis and the dan tien.
Gifted athletes are people who are naturals at this kind of self-awareness and movement. Since most of our kids are not naturals, T’ai Chi can be a most effective way to help your child prepare for athletics and to simply be comfortable in their rapidly changing bodies.
Treating Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD)
ADD is a growing problem not only with children, but adults as well. T’ai Chi may be a wonderful adjunct therapy for treating ADD because it augments many of the mood management techniques recommended for ADD sufferers. A University of Miami School of Medicine study shows T’ai Chi is a powerful therapy for ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder).
Ouch!
Check with your child’s therapist or physician before beginning T’ai Chi. Also, find an effective, understanding
T’ai Chi instructor who has experience teaching children.
Drs. Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., and John J. Ratey, M.D., experts on the management of ADD wrote, “Exercise is positively one of the best treatments for ADD. It helps work off excess energy and aggression in a positive way, it allows for noise-reduction within the mind, it stimulates the hormonal and neurochemical systems in a most therapeutic way, and it soothes and calms the body.”
The slow mindful movements of T’ai Chi have much to offer people who suffer from ADD. The following table explains why T’ai Chi may be a perfect ADD therapy.
T’ai Chi and ADD
Set aside time for recharging batteries,
something calm and restful, like meditation.
T’ai Chi is a mini-vacation.
Daily exercise that is readily available and
needs little preparation can help with the
blahs that occur and with overall outlook.
T’ai Chi is easy, requires no preparation,
and is a daily mood elevator.
Observe mood swings; learn to accept
them by realizing they will pass. Learn
strategies that might help bad moods
pass sooner.
T’ai Chi is a tool for self-observation of
feelings and for letting those feelings go.
Use “time-outs” when you are upset or overstimulated; take a time-out; go away,
calm down.T’ai Chi can be performed in the bathroom
at school or work, giving you a break from
the stress.
Let go of the urgency to always finish things quickly by learning to enjoy the process. T’ai Chi’s slow flowing routine is about
letting go of outcome and learning to love
the process.
ADD usually includes a tendency to overfocusor hyperfocus at times, to obsess or ruminate over
some imagined problem without being able
to let it go.
T’ai Chi teaches the practice of letting
go on a mental, emotional, and physical
level with each exhale.
Sage Sifu Says
T'ai Chi teachers should realize
that T’ai Chi for kids with ADD
will not look like T’ai Chi for
adults. It will be faster
Teaching T’ai Chi to Kids
Not just kids with ADD, but all kids usually have difficulty with the slowness of T’ai Chi. Therefore, you simply speed it up. Teach each child at their own pace; some can go slower than others.
Give kids constant recognition for their T’ai Chi accomplishments. Ask each kid to demonstrate his or her new movements for the class at the end and have everyone applaud. If a kid forgets a move, jump in and do it with them. Over the weeks, they will look forward to the recognition and practice more.
T’ai Chi is a loose thing, not a rigid thing. It can work for everybody and can be taught in many fun ways. Keep a kid’s T’ai Chi class moving and include stretching exercises from yoga or aggressive calisthenics to use up excess energy. Then, as the kids get more tired, ease them into slower movement.
Kids can do QiGong meditations, too. It isn’t anything like adult meditations; there are more and different images that work. Try the children’s meditation tape offered in the back of this book for examples.
Ouch!
Each condition is different, so check with your physician to discuss T'ai Chi's potential benefits to your case. T'ai Chi is extremely gentle and should not be confused with the harder martial arts, but consult your doctor before beginning the class.
T’ai Chi for Seniors
Seniors can find no better exercise in the world than T’ai Chi. Prevention Magazine reported that “T’ai Chi may be the best exercise for people over the age of 60 … providing cardio fitness, muscle strength, and flexibility all in one simple workout that is easy on the joints.” T’ai Chi may help build bone mass and connective tissue, with zero joint damage, according to some studies. Other studies show that T’ai Chi is twice as good as any other balance exercise in the world. Since complications from falling injuries are the sixth largest cause of death among seniors, this is a very big deal. For seniors with chronic conditions, there are many maladies that T’ai Chi can help treat. For details see the section “The Therapeutic Powers of T’ai Chi and QiGong” at the end of this chapter.
If your mobility is limited in some way, that is no problem, even if you’re in a wheelchair. There is a class for you, and if you are persistent, you’ll find a teacher and a class that are perfect.
T’ai Chi for Women
There are many reasons why T’ai Chi is the ultimate exercise for women. Its ability to cultivate both elegance and power are two of these. In today’s working environment where women are competing in the workforce with men and trying to break through the glass ceiling, T’ai Chi’s ability to cultivate an inner sense of confident power can be very helpful. However, there are many biological reasons T’ai Chi can be helpful to women as well.
Halting Bone Loss
Bone loss is a big problem with many women. Studies indicate that stress may be a major factor contributing to the loss of bone mass in even relatively young women. The daily stress relief T’ai Chi promotes provides a powerful preventative therapy to help ensure a long active life for women.
For women, including those over 45, studies have shown that QiGong practice raises estrogen levels. This is highly desirable because reduced estrogen levels after menopause cause a loss of calcium from the bones and increase the risk of osteoporosis and heart disease.
Ouch!
As always, do not attempt to self-treat any disorder, including eating disorder. Suggest T'ai Chi and QiGong to your physician or therapist as an adjunct therapy. It may be a powerful addition to your ongoing treatment, but discuss it with your doctor.
Treating Eating Disorders
Women suffer from eating disorders ten times as often as men. Although often thought of as an adult problem, anorexia and bulimia most often start in the teenage years while the sufferer is still at home. Although I am unaware of any studies on the effectiveness of T’ai Chi as therapy for anorexia or bulimia, the underlying issues and symptomology seem to suggest that much of the treatment criteria are embodied in T’ai Chi practice.
For example, it is recommended that anorexia or bulimia sufferers strengthen their inner core of self and self-worth. The self-esteem that T’ai Chi practice builds and encourages can be a highly effective way to discover the power within one’s self. The need for a restoration of biochemical and hormonal balance may be facilitated with T’ai Chi’s ability to create a homeostatic effect throughout the body, not only physically, but also mentally and emotionally. T’ai Chi addresses the need to balance internal rhythms and needs with life’s demands by those who practice it so they can become quietly mindful of subtle feelings and needs before they become a crisis born out in acute stress or panic.
Mood swings and depression are a part of bulimic bingeing, and feelings of lack of personal control are a part of many teenagers’ anorexia or bulimia. Food, or denying ourselves food, provides us with a feeling of self-control over a world out of control. T’ai Chi’s regular practice is designed to help us realize that we have a great deal of control over how we are impacted by the world. This centering enables us to feel more accepting of the fact that much of the world is beyond our control.
Preparing for Childbirth
T’ai Chi has much to offer a pregnant woman, if practiced very gently and with care. It is a slow and gentle exercise that can be performed by most pregnant women. Its gentleness and relaxed motion promote the circulation of energy and blood throughout the body, while its smooth abdominal breathing fully oxygenates the bodies of both mother and child. However, only practice when it feels good and never strain yourself. Rest whenever you need to and modify or forego any movement or exercise that doesn’t feel right.
T’ai Chi breathing is a wonderful way to prepare for delivery. The famous Lamaze Technique is based on QiGong breathing techniques and pain-management tools. This aspect of T’ai Chi makes it perhaps the most effective exercise to prepare you for a safe, natural childbirth. Remember to breathe.
Sage Sifu Says
Although T'ai Chi is very gentle, some postures may be too low or somewhat strenuous for pregnant women. Do not practice these or adjust them so they are less strenuous. As your pregnancy progresses, change your T'ai Chi to make it less strenuous with each passing month. Always go slow and listen to your body. Do not do anything that doesn't feel good. Be sure your physician approves of T'ai Chi before beginning classes.
T’ai Chi for Men
Just as T’ai Chi can help women to develop their powerful dynamic side, T’ai Chi helps men develop their passive or receptive side as well, thereby helping men to become better homemakers and parents.
T’ai Chi’s goal is to strike a balance between our dynamic (male/yang) side and our receptive (female/yin) side. Men and women have both qualities, and T’ai Chi helps us balance them.
T’ai Chi helps us let go of old self-concepts and prejudices, just as it teaches us to let go of tensions and fears. As our physical bodies relax and become more fluid, we become more flexible mentally and emotionally as well.
However, T’ai Chi can help you be that big strapping stud of an athlete as well. In fact, maybe it can help you keep up with the women who are advancing in every sport today.
T’ai Chi and Sports
T’ai Chi is the ultimate sports training tool because its goal is to cultivate balance, calm, and power, the basis for excelling in any physical activity. T’ai Chi can enhance any athletic performance. T’ai Chi’s cultivation of awareness of the dan tien, or center of gravity, can be especially helpful for surfing, skateboarding, snow boarding, and skiing. In fact, a T’ai Chi instructor named Chris Luth conducts “T’ai Chi Skiing Workshops.” However, the self-awareness, or biofeedback, element of T’ai Chi and QiGong can bring out the giant in any athlete. There are several very accomplished blind golfers. Yes, you read right, “blind” golfers. They will explain that golf (as are most sports at their core) is more of a game of “feeling” than sight. They explain that the sighted golfer is handicapped in a way because of their obsession with “outcome” rather than “process,” or “feeling.” T’ai Chi takes the awareness of the athlete internal to the nth degree, maximizing the power of any athlete in any sport, blind or sighted.
Weight Training
Gil Messenger, a student of Master Kuo Lien-ying, was a sports trainer as well as a T’ai Chi instructor. He often taught a form of QiGong meditation to weight trainers, who were surprised to discover that they could then lift more weight. We think when we are pumped and straining we are more powerful, but these weight lifters discovered that by allowing the body to let go, to fill with light, and to move from a calm center, they increased their physical power.
Ouch!
The concept of swinging from the dan tien may also help reduce "golfer's back" problems. By thinking of swinging from below the navel (or dan tien) rather than from the navel, there is less twisting of the lower back.
Golf
At an American QiGong Association conference in San Francisco, I had the pleasure to meet a golf coach who had worked with Tiger Woods, and in fact written a book about Tiger’s incredible, almost super-human golf swing. His book theorized that the reason for Tiger’s immense power was that as a young child he had practiced QiGong exercises with his dad. This introduced him to “feeling” his swing in a heightened way, and also taught him to swing from the dan tien at a very young age. You see the results, as Tiger has dominated professional golf for many years of his career. Another reason all children should be learning T’ai Chi and QiGong from kindergarten through university.
In golf, instructors encourage you to “swing with the belly button.” This is another way of saying to swing with the dan tien. Many golfers discover that they can drive the ball much farther after practicing T’ai Chi for only a few months.
Also, T’ai Chi’s relaxed motion allows the limbs to be swung by the dan tien’s motion with no muscle resistance. This in turn allows the entire force of the dan tien’s turning to be projected outward through the hands and club into the ball.
Tennis and Racquetball
The same force used in golf is brought to bear in tennis and racquetball. If you play tennis or racquetball, you will also find an increased sense of control. Sometimes tennis players will describe a sense of slowing down, as if T’ai Chi practice made the game seem a bit slower than before.
Tennis players will also often discover less pressure in the knees after practicing T’ai Chi. Consciously moving from the dan tien can bring less pressure to bear on the knees when coming to an abrupt halt because when the head or upper body leads the movement, the knees must work harder to stop your momentum. T’ai Chi can also give you an off day exercise that is soothing to the joints, but still keeps the mind and body working together at a fine edge. You may be able to have fewer days on the court, while still improving your game, which may save your knees as well.
Baseball
The concept of swinging with the dan tien is exemplified in baseball’s batting motion. Many batting coaches speak of “squashing the bug,” which is another way of saying swing with the dan tien or body. An imaginary bug beneath the back foot is squashed as the body pulls the bat around and the back foot pivots. When performed correctly, the most powerful swings appear almost effortless. The mental calming and focus that T’ai Chi promotes can also improve the hit-to-strike ratio, as well as improving defensive reactions when fielding.
T’ai Chi’s ability to improve balance is excellent for infielders, who must move on a dime and reach outward to make plays. However, pitchers are probably the greatest beneficiaries of T’ai Chi training. Just before going into a pitch, pitchers must for a moment hold their balance on one leg. This moment of balance is the most crucial point in a pitcher’s windup and can determine both force and accuracy. Therefore, the amazing balance improvement T’ai Chi provides can be the most powerful weapon in a pitcher’s arsenal.
The “Hard” Martial Arts
In the 1970s, the world was surprised to see a 19-year-old Canadian win the World Karate Championship. His secret was T’ai Chi. The centering, balance, looseness, and focus T’ai Chi promotes will greatly enhance the power and speed of any boxer or martial artist. More than any other exercise, T’ai Chi promotes increased reaction speed because it is therapy for not just external muscular performance, but for the mental and neural processes as well.
T’ai Chi as Therapy
The following subsections provide an introduction to how and why T’ai Chi and/or QiGong may be an effective therapy for your condition. If you or your doctor are interested in more in-depth explanations, refer to the end of this chapter for an alphabetical listing of maladies found to benefit from T’ai Chi or QiGong therapy. Master Ken Cohen’s book, The Way of QiGong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing, may be very helpful as well (see Appendix B, “Suggested Readings”). Also the QiGong Institute’s QiGong Computerized Database is a great resource, and www.worldtaichiday.org's resource library is as well.
Cancer Treatment
In Chinese hospitals, T’ai Chi and QiGong are often used in conjunction with chemo- or radiation therapies. QiGong and T’ai Chi therapies can lessen the side effects of radiation treatments, but T’ai Chi has many other benefits to offer. For example, a sense of hopelessness or helplessness can diminish the effectiveness of standard treatments. T’ai Chi, however, engages the patients in the healing process, giving them a sense of empowerment.
In China, QiGong may be a primary therapy for advanced, inoperable, and medically untreatable cancer. It can slow the progression of the disease, while maintaining appetite and helping with pain management. Beyond that, the emotional and mental clarifying aspects of T’ai Chi and QiGong can also help a patient prepare for their life transition in a more meaningful and spiritual way. By helping them to become more at peace in their lives, they may find the transition to death a less fearful event, thereby enabling them to make the most of their remaining days.
Sage Sifu Says
When you release a deep breath, think of the muscles letting go of the bones. on the next exhale, think of the brain, the mind, and the cranial muscles letting go of thoughts and worries. On the next release of breath, think of letting the heart and the muscles around it relax. Each release of breath becomes a deep cleansing and letting go on many different levels: physical, emotional, mental, and other levels we’re not conscious of
Cardiac Rehab and Prevention
Many cardiologists are prescribing T’ai Chi as an adjunct therapy for treatment of heart problems or as preventative therapy. T’ai Chi provides a gentle exercise that promotes circulation, but its meditative quality may offer even more benefits. T’ai Chi’s stress-reduction qualities foster a feeling of self-acceptance and safety in the world, allowing practitioners to let go of the control issues that can make life seem like an endless state of panic.
Again, T’ai Chi gives us a daily dosage of homeostatic feelings of well-being. As we become familiar with this feeling of optimum health, we get more attuned with what foods, drinks, or activities promote or detract from that wonderful feeling. This biofeedback feature can be instrumental in helping people make lifestyle changes that may extend their lives by many years.
Stroke Recovery
Doctors now often recommend T’ai Chi for stroke recovery because T’ai Chi’s soothing demands of left brain/right brain interaction and mind/body interaction can epitomize a physical therapy for stroke victims. T’ai Chi challenges patients to coordinate movement, but at the same time helps them feel at ease in the face of the frustration this challenge might cause. If balance is a severe problem, a spouse or friend can spot you to help maintain balance.
Ouch!
If you have a balance disorder and wish to use a climbing harness to prevent falls, discuss the exact purpose of the harness with a climbing expert. This will enable them to ensure the harness you use is appropriate to keep you from falling. This security will help you relax more, thereby allowing you to get more benefit from T’ai Chi. Ask the expert about the full-body harness, often used in caving as well as climbing.
In Kansas City, we are pioneering a new approach to T’ai Chi for stroke victims with balance problems. By securing a mountain climbing harness to the ceiling by a hook, a patient may perform T’ai Chi without fear of falling. One of the main balance benefits all T’ai Chi practitioners get comes from constantly testing the limits of their balance. As one drifts in and out of balance, the mind and body exchange data that effortlessly improves the balance, which often continues to improve for life. The figure below shows the harness approach. Note that the harness below is only illustrative and not sufficient to prevent falls; a full-body harness, including a shoulder harness that secures in front of the upper chest, is required to prevent falling.
Hospitals all over the world eventually will provide rooms filled with hooks for climbing harnesses so that stroke rehab or other balance-challenged patients can come and practice T’ai Chi without fear of falling. These same patients may wish to have harnesses installed in their homes by a qualified contractor. Contact your hospital and show them this section. Physical therapists can consult with mountain climbing supply stores to find the optimum full-body harnesses.
***INSERT FIGURE***
Do not use this harness to prevent falls.
Addictions
T’ai Chi, as well as acupuncture, is being successfully used to help people break addictive patterns. A research program working with heroin addicts revealed that withdrawal symptoms decreased much more rapidly than non-QiGong control groups did. Furthermore, breaking an addiction, whether it’s to cigarettes or heroin, is a very stressful endeavor. The body and mind crave and yearn constantly. This study also showed that the QiGong group had much lower anxiety and were able to find restful sleep five times faster than non-QiGong practicing addicts in recovery. The reason QiGong is so powerful lies in the essence of what an addict, or any of us stuck in unhealthy behaviors, craves.
What is it that they crave? Ultimately it is life energy. When a smoker gets a cigarette or an addict gets their fix, the first thing they do is sit back, enjoy the moment, and relax into the pleasure of their cigarette or fix. This moment of relaxed focused awareness opens their mind and body to an increased flow of Qi or energy. This is why a raging drunk can have so much energy, even when filled with alcohol. The problem is the cigarettes or drugs are destroying your body to open up to Qi, and when the drug wears off, the body clamps down, squeezing off the flow even more. So learning to open to Qi in a healthy, expansive way is one means for healing an addiction.
Note the pattern of addiction:
1. A prospective user is looking for access to Qi, or life energy, whether they realize it or not. When Qi is flowing through us we feel good, at peace, and capable.
2. When cigarettes, drugs, or alcohol are first used, the ritual of using them and/or the chemical they put in the body causes the user to relax and open to Qi flow. But this is a false and unhealthy way to open to it.
3. Since this is an artificial way to open up to the flow of Qi, the mind and body do not learn how to keep the flow open.
4. In fact, when the drug, whether it’s nicotine or heroin, is gone, the body and mind tighten up even more than before. The chemicals and their reactions in the body are unhealthy and cause the mind and body to get tighter, squeezing off more Qi than ever before.
5. The user is then required to use more of the drug or to use it more and more often because now it takes a more forceful dose to open the mind’s and body’s gates to allow the Qi to flow through.
6. Eventually, the user’s dosages, no matter how large, do not open the user to increased Qi flow or a feeling of “highness.” Eventually even the largest dosages give the user only a lower-than-normal flow of Qi.
7. People who are heavily hooked on cigarettes or alcohol, and even more so with harder drugs, have a look of lacking life. They are becoming void of Qi. Their mind and body have become tight.
Sage Sifu Says
The more we can tap into ways to fill our bodies with life energy using tools like T’ai Chi, the less we will have to look outside ourselves for satisfaction. Our consumption level drops as our needs diminish. Therefore, T’ai Chi can also help the environment because less consumption means less trash.
T’ai Chi and QiGong provide us with a healthy pattern of access to life energy, or Qi. This is what we all want. When we hug a loved one, we feel their Qi mingling with ours. When we pet our dog or cat, they revel in feeling our loving intention in our Qi flowing from our hand to their body. T’ai Chi and QiGong are tools to fill us with life, and they can be very effective tools for helping addicts find their way out of the maze they have stumbled into, finding a way back to being truly alive.
The best drug program is preventative. T’ai Chi and QiGong will eventually be taught in schools worldwide. By teaching the mind/body awareness and powerful stress management tools these health sciences offer, many future drug, alcohol, or other addicts will avoid the desire for mood altering drugs or addictive behaviors or substances. Educating every student from kindergarten through university in mind/body internal awareness and health development techniques like T’ai Chi and QiGong, as a matter of standard education, makes perfect sense.
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Excerpts from
The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong Chapter 20 T’ai Chi as Therapy for Young and Old
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The QiGong Database by Qi Institute MUST
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| Click here for more useful excerpts from this book |
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| Below is an excerpt from The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong (Chapter 1). All rights are reserved reprint of any portion of the following is forbidden without express written consent from the author. Email wtcqd2000@aol.com with inquiries. |
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Chapter 1
Why Practice Tai Chi (and Qigong - Chi Kung)?
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> The reasons behind Tai Chi’s exploding popularity > The root of Tai Chi > A brief history of Tai Chi > ALL styles of Tai Chi can offer powerful benefits Tai Chi comes in several excellent styles. While some chapters in this book relate to particular Tai chi styles, you’ll find this book to be a valuable resource to anyone exploring “any” form of Tai Chi or QiGong, which is why it is used as a primer and textbook by teachers of many styles worldwide, and in several languages. Tai Chi is practiced by about 20 percent of the world’s population and is fast becoming the most popular exercise in the world today. Its rapid expansion is largely due to one important fact it feels really good. Although Tai Chi was originally a martial art and is increasingly offered by martial arts studios, it’s now practiced in businesses, hospitals, and schools everywhere. Tai Chi is not only a valuable tool for improving health, it is a powerful business tool as well. Companies see that T’ai Chi improves productivity by helping employees to be happy, relaxed, and creative. Hospitals see Tai Chi as a potent, yet cost-effective, therapy for nearly any condition. Tai Chi classes can be found nowadays almost anywhere. In this chapter, I’ll give you a whirlwind tour of the reasons behind Tai Chi’s growing popularity and what Tai Chi can do for you. Exploring the Reasons Behind T’ai Chi’s Popularity Do you ever feel like life is getting more stressful? It is. The increasing stress in today’s world is one reason for Tai Chi’s growing worldwide popularity. Tai Chi was designed to help people go through change with less damage by improving the way we handle stress. Studies show change is stressful, and even though change is often good, if the stress that change causes isn’t managed it can damage your health and outlook on life. Since about 90 percent of the discoveries made in the history of the human race have been made in our lifetime, we are all going through some serious change and stress. Therefore, Tai Chi’s ability to help practitioners “let go” of this stress more easily is just what the doctor ordered, literally. Imagine life is a carousel upon which we ride. When life gets spinning really fast, Tai Chi seems to slow things down, like a hand pulling us away from the “edge,” back to the center of life’s carousel. Here, in the center, we can let life spin even faster and not feel like throwing up (hardly ever anyway). In fact, by practicing Tai Chi as you ride life’s carousel, you might even catch yourself going “wheeeeeeeeeeeee” a lot more often. Whether you are stressed out, continually exhausted, treating a health problem, or just wanting to get in shape and feel young again, Tai Chi is just what you need. Tai Chi goes right to the heart of everything we do by healing and cleansing the central nervous system. Tai Chi helps us to let go of all the nervous tension that bogs down our mental computer system (like getting a general tune up every day). This makes everything inside us work better, which often makes the world around us seem better, too. So Tai Chi is really a self-improvement tool that will make you a better “anything-you-want-to-be.” Unless of course you want to be stressed out, exhausted, uninspired, and feel old and out of shape. In that case, Tai Chi won’t help.
People everywhere in the world are rapidly embracing Tai Chi as “their” exercise. Although Tai Chi originates from China, it is now seen so commonly in the West that soon it will be thought of as an American thing, a British thing, a Canadian thing, or whatever. If you ask American kids what their favorite American food is, many will reply, “Pizza!” (which is originally Italian). And someday, when asked what their favorite American pastime is, Americans will say, “Tai Chi!” Tai Chi Relaxes the Mind, Body, and Our Lives Just as we flow through the changes of life (or not), our life energy, or Qi, flows through us (or not, if we are stressed out). Qi is the energy of life and flows through all living things. Qi animates, heals, and nurtures life. When the stress of change makes us tense, we squeeze off the flow of life energy. Physically, this feels like tension. Tai Chi and QiGong are easy, simple, yet sophisticated relaxation exercises that encourage the muscles to let go of tension, the mind to let go of worry, and the heart to let go of angst. Tension, worry, and angst all block our Qi flow. Tension, worry, and angst are usually the result of our mind, heart, or body being unable to “let go” of something. The goal of Tai Chi is to move through a series of choreographed movements like a slow martial arts routine, but very slowly and in a state of absolute relaxation. In order to do this, we have to let go of our mental/physical tensions, grudges, prejudices, and anything that keeps us tied to the past. This enables us to flow more easily into the future by clearing our mind and body of old stress so that we constantly get a “fresh” perspective on life. Tai Chi is simple and easy to do, yet benefits us on many deep and complex levels. Tai Chi’s slow, relaxed movements incorporate breathing and relaxation techniques that cleanse our mind, body, and emotions each time we go through the gentle movements. T’ai Chi is designed to uncover and release every single place we hold tension or blocked energy. When our mind or heart holds onto issues (fears, obsessions, angers, and so on) our body literally squeezes itself with tension. Going slowly through the movements is like doing an internal scan of the entire body to clear and release any place the body is gripping onto tension. There is no exercise on earth that can help you go through this wild ride toward the future quite like T’ai Chi can—which is why T’ai Chi is truly the exercise of the future.
Tai Chi Promotes Internal Strength for Young and Old Tai Chi looks very much like slow-motion kung fu. David Carradine performed a form related to Tai Chi as Kwai Chang Caine on the television series Kung Fu. And although Tai Chi shares some similarities with kung fu, don’t let that scare you away. Tai Chi can be practiced by anyone at any age and in any condition. In martial arts circles, it is known as an internal martial art. Tai Chi promotes internal strength physically, mentally, and emotionally, which is why it can be powerful training tool for martial artists. But you don’t have to be a martial artist to benefit from Tai Chi because it can also be practiced even by those in wheelchairs, with great results. Unlike karate, Tai Chi has no belt or ranking system because the benefits of Tai Chi can only be felt and not seen. You practice Tai Chi to live better, more calmly, clearly, healthfully, and productively. Tai Chi is a tonic for life. You will see your progress reflected by how you feel, how spry you look in the mirror, how much you love life, and how healthy you are. Isn’t this much better than owning a black belt? However, if you do karate, Tai Chi can help you get that black belt by improving your internal function and grace. Also, Tai Chi differs from most martial arts in that people of all ages can practice it. Many people with disabilities and ailments practice Tai Chi as therapy. No one is restricted from practicing Tai Chi, and yet Tai Chi can benefit the fittest athletes, just as much as it benefits elderly arthritis sufferers. Tai Chi clubs are sprouting up all over the world, with people from all walks of life. Tai Chi: Finally an Exercise That Feels Good! Tai Chi is popular because it is easy to do and provides a gentle workout that doesn’t leave you drained, but energized! Tai Chi’s “effortless” nature is a big stretch for most of us, however, because we associate exercise with force, pain, and tension. In fact, some exercise actually contributes to stress. When I played junior high football in west Texas many years ago, the coaches determined that we were through running when one of us started throwing up. That’s right, upchucking. It was the only time in my life I ever hoped to see someone throw up. Tai Chi is helping the world get a healthy, enjoyable view of exercise. As a nation, we have adopted a mutant notion of exercise, exemplified by the mantra “no pain, no gain.” This has traumatized many Americans, including myself, leaving an indelible mark on how we view exercise. In Tai Chi we have a mantra, too, “If your exercise causes pain, you’ll get so sick of the thought of it that you’ll never want to do it again.” Ours isn’t as neatly poetic as “no pain, no gain,” but ours makes infinitely more sense. Tai Chi should always, always, always, feel good. And since it does feel good, you will look forward to it. Each morning you will find yourself grateful that you’re alive and able to practice this cool exercise called Tai Chi.
Tai Chi doesn’t begin with the premise that there is “something wrong” that needs to be “fixed, sculpted, lost, or burned off.” It is a very accepting exercise, and helps us remember we are already perfect … but our ability to get better is limitless. Everyone is qualified to do Tai Chi. You don’t have to look good in tights or Spandex to do Tai Chi, although if you do Tai Chi enough, you’ll look pretty good in whatever you like to wear.
Tai Chi and QiGong are for anybody who is dealing with stress. In other words—everybody. Anybody can do Tai Chi. If you’ve picked up a book on Tai Chi, you’ve probably experienced the acute stress of imagining yourself in some of those incredible (seemingly impossible) positions the Tai Chi models pose in for the photos. Relax. Those people are models. Most people do Tai Chi just the way you will do it. Easily and effortlessly. Although Tai Chi was one of the original martial arts, it is now practiced all over the world as a relaxation technique by people of all ages in the same shape you are in, and sometimes in even worse shape. When you begin an exercise class, you may have the illusion that everybody other than you “belongs” there, and that they are all “good” at it. You will find that everybody goes through the same trials and tribulations. As you lighten up on yourself, you’ll see struggling, growing, and healing are everywhere. Breathe and enjoy; you are among friends. When you first begin practicing Tai Chi out in the backyard or in your local park, people may stare. Before long, your unique practice of Tai Chi becomes part of the rich texture of the neighborhood, and if you move away, they will miss you. Just as Tai Chi adds to your personal internal charm, your practice adds to the charm of your community.
Life is very complicated, and Tai Chi cannot solve all your problems. However, Tai Chi can help you simplify your life in a big and relaxing way. Imagine that you’re a tree. While your mind and body are the trunk of that tree, all your “life stuff” is like the many leaves on that tree. Your job, relationships, hobbies, hopes, and problems are all dangling out there on the tips of your life. When your health is bad or you can’t sleep well, this affects the whole tree. You may have problems with your job that may strain your relationships, which in turn will drain the energy you need to pursue your hobbies, making you too tired to have hopeful dreams, and causing your problems to get seemingly bigger and bigger. When you are already beat, trying to figure out how to heal all these sick, shriveled leaves is too much to even think about.
However, what if you could pour some magic water on the roots of your tree? Magic that would heal all the sick leaves and cause them to grow larger, to catch more breezes and more sunlight, and more fun! This is what Tai Chi does. By nurturing the very core of your mind and body, Tai Chi makes you better at everything you do. You don’t practice Tai Chi to be better at Tai Chi (although that happens). Each time you practice Tai Chi, you pour healing water on the roots of everything you are. This healing water, or energy, is carried out to the leaves of everything you do, making you the freshest, greenest tree you could ever want to be.
One name does not adequately express everything Tai Chi is because Tai Chi nurtures so many aspects of our lives at the root. Although originally a martial art known as Tai Chi Chuan (“supreme ultimate fist”), the shortened name of Tai Chi reflects how it is now viewed, as one of the most effective mind/body exercises in the world. So Tai Chi now refers to “supreme ultimate health exercise,” “supreme ultimate relaxation therapy,” “supreme ultimate balance conditioner, muscle toner, beauty treatment.” Tai Chi is the supreme ultimate because it goes right to the root of most health problems by relaxing the muscles and mind, aligning the spinal posture, and balancing the energy systems that run through the body, providing them with life energy. It is one of the most soothing, easy, and powerful things you can do for yourself. It is a profound self-improvement tool, a great toning exercise, and an incredible healing art. Whether you want to improve external beauty, mental outlook, or physical health and longevity, Tai Chi heals the roots of your being.
Tai Chi is a highly effective therapy for many injuries or chronic conditions, whether mental, emotional, or physical. The following chapters will discuss different maladies and how Tai Chi treats them. Tai Chi bolsters the immune system, as well, and can actually eliminate problems long before they become an actual physical illness. Forget about covering up problems with makeup or surgery. Beautify from the inside out instead! Many cells are replaced daily, and almost the entire body is completely replaced every five to seven years. You are literally born anew on some level each and every day of your life. How those cells are reproduced is determined by how the life energy, or Qi, flows through your body. Therefore, you can have a terrific impact on how you age, look, and feel by promoting your Qi flow.
Have you ever sat back and noticed how small children never run down? Like the Energizer rabbit, on fast forward, they leap and spring, dance and chat, and chat and chat. Have you ever thought to yourself, “God, I wish I had that energy”? Well, you do have access to that energy (and without doing espresso shooters).
As human beings, we begin to block our access to that energy as we “mature” by holding onto past grudges, by shouldering responsibilities that are unrealistic, or just because of silly worries. Then we don’t know how to let them go, and we get used to having less and less energy. We can think on a mental level that we want to “stop worrying” or “let go of tension,” but that doesn’t really work. We need life tools that help us let go of these blocks on deep levels in our mind, heart, and body, so that we can open to your flow of life energy. Tai Chi and QiGong will give you access to simple exercises, which feel good and can open a valve to that limitless energy you thought you had lost forever. The Chinese discovered long ago that these blocks, or our stress, are simply the mind and nervous system squeezing onto grudges, worries, or even desires. Just as our muscles can tighten when tense, our mind and heart can grip tension too, and we have to be taught how to let go of their squeezing grip on life issues. So the goal of these ancient exercises is to wash our nervous system clean, so our mind can be fresh and vibrant like a newborn baby’s, while still remembering the important stuff, like stopping at red lights and dressing before going to work. Seriously, as we let go of most of the meaningless, irritating debris bouncing around in our mind, we have more space and energy for really important ideas to surface. Important memories like the bill we forgot to pay, or realizations like we forgot to tell someone how much you care about them. Tai Chi’s slow, soothing movements provide that calm open space, even in the very center of the rat race.
America is not into the “aging” thing. What Americans spend on cosmetic surgery attests to that. Tai Chi will help you get over that prejudice, while also slowing the aging process in many ways. The Chinese believe as we practice Tai Chi it returns us to a state of “child-likeness” (but not childishness), where we see the world with fresh eyes. This allows us the freedom to reinvent ourselves easily and constantly, just as children do, enabling us to flow with the changes of life. We can once again be flexible and exuberant, while still benefiting from the wisdom of experience (like being able to hit our mouth with the spoon, well, most of the time). So Tai Chi has the ability to renew us, and through that renewal enhance our strength, health, and creativity. Tai Chi is based on the principle that the world doesn’t need to be held up by our worrying mind and tense body. In fact, we are much more helpful to the world (and far more enjoyable to be around) if we can let go of as much stress as possible. Realizing this principle is the first big step to letting Tai Chi reopen you to your own personal rejuvenating “fountain of energy”!
Tai Chi is unique. Although it is in a way 2,000 years old, it is at the cutting edge of modern Western medical research. Tai Chi is ancient yet modern, Eastern yet increasingly Western. Using Tai Chi is a way to get the most benefit out of all worlds, old and new, East and West. In fact, Western science is embracing Tai Chi very rapidly. Almost every month a new study seems to find yet another thing Tai Chi can treat, cure, or improve. A researcher at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell said Tai Chi is about to explode (in popularity) as medical practitioners discover the time-tested technique. In fact each new Tai Chi player educates more people on Tai Chi, and sometimes in odd ways. One of my students was practicing Tai Chi in the park in a suburb of Kansas City one morning when a police officer approached him to ask if he was all right. The officer said someone had called and reported somebody was having a “problem” in the park. So it may behoove you to know a bit more about Tai Chi in case you need to do some fast-talking. The following will help. For an exercise that is so made to order for modern life, it is amazing to realize that Tai Chi is thought to be about 1,200 years old. Furthermore, Tai Chi is an expanded version of a more ancient exercise called QiGong, which may be at least 2,000 years old. Tai Chi’s moving exercises are done very slowly, like slow motion kung fu. In days of old, Tai Chi (or Tai Chi Ch’uan) was primarily a martial art. It is believed that Buddhist and Taoist monks began practicing Tai Chi forms in monasteries (yes, like the Shao Lin Temple) for two reasons: One, to promote health because they were out of shape from sitting around meditating all the time; and two, because they were so out of shape, they couldn’t defend themselves, and bandits would come and beat them up before taking their valuables. (And you thought you had stress!) When most people first join a Tai Chi or QiGong class, they are not quite sure what they are getting themselves into. Most have a mother, a doctor, a friend, a daughter, or son telling them, “This Tai Chi stuff is the greatest thing since sliced bread and you have gotta try it!” However, these enthusiasts can’t quite explain why you’ve gotta try it. So the following is for you, or whoever’s been trying to explain it to you.
In modern terms, Tai Chi and QiGong are ancient systems of biofeedback and classical conditioning. Traditional Chinese doctors of long ago noted that our natural tendency is to hold onto stress, which bogs down the brain. They therefore created exercises that would train the mind and the body not only to continually dump stress, but also to actually change the way the body handles future stress (not the way your kids change the way you handle stress, but in a good way). As Tai Chi players move through their slow motion movements, their mind becomes calm, their breathing deepens and slows, and their muscles relax. All this happens while the muscles are toning, making it a very efficient exercise. But, forget about efficiency, Tai Chi should be done as though you were going to do it forever. If you try to “hurry up and relax,” it doesn’t work as well. By proceeding slowly with Tai Chi, and making it a game, you will be much more likely to enjoy it and to stick with it. Chapter 2, “Let’s Get Physical,” explains how even in Tai Chi’s easy going way, there is great power and dramatic physical benefit awaiting you, no matter what style of Tai Chi you enjoy. Refer to this book’s valuable insert DVD to view non-instructional exhibitions of a Mulan Basic Short Form and a Tai Chi Long Form, to get a feel for the soothing un-hurried flow of Tai Chi motion, with a calmness that all styles promote. > Tai Chi reduces stress and slows the aging process. > Everybody can do Tai Chi. > Tai Chi restores the power of youthful exuberance. > Tai Chi is an efficient therapy that can improve all aspects of your life. > By clearing the mind, Tai Chi reminds you that life is a miracle. |
| Above is an excerpt from The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong (Chapter 1). All rights are reserved reprint of any portion of the following is forbidden without express written consent from the author. Email wtcqd2000@aol.com with inquiries. |
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World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day
CONTENT, PRODUCT, & RESOURCE "A to Z" Guide:
- Acupressure/Acupuncture Tools & Educational Resources
- Acupuncture - Anatomical Acupuncture Models
- Acupressure - Instructional VHS Video
- Acupressure Massage Tool - for Foot Points
- Acupressure Therapy Trigger Point Work Book
- Acupressure Self Treatment Guide
- Acupuncture Journals and Magazines
- Acupuncture & T'ai Chi / Qigong (Chi Kung) Educational Content
- Acupuncture - Magnetic Acupuncture Eye Treatment System
- Acupuncture - Musical Acupuncture CD
- Affiliate Programs - Earn with your site Promoting Natural Health
- Air Purifiers - for Home, Car, Office
- Allow Your Greatest Potential to Emerge
- Associations / Publications - T'ai Chi & Qigong Worldwide
- Batik Letter Holders - Elegant Oriental Wall Hangings
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- Bed Cushion/Back Support Massaging Chair - with Massager and Reading Lamp
- Books, DVDs, Videos, CDs on Many Styles
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- CDs, DVDs, Books, Videos on Many Styles
- Chinese Cushions & Tissue Box Design Sets
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- Classes in Your Area - Teacher/School Directory
- DVDs, Books, Videos, CDs on Many Styles
- Electronic Stimulator Acupuncture Pen
- Feng Sh ui Consulting - for persons or business
- Foot Spa - Massages Acupressure Points on Feet
- Getting Involved in World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day
- Health Balls - Chinese Cloisonne (for hand massage, meditation, etc.)
- Juice - Organic Noni Juice from Hawaii - Great Detox!!
- Kava Tea - Soothes and Relaxes
- Liability Insurance - Group Discounts for Schools/Teachers
- Life Enhancement Benefits of T'ai Chi & Qigong
- Magnet Therapy - for Self Treatment
- Massaging Chairs - Chairs that Massage You!
- Massager - Palm Percussion Acupressure Point Stimulator
- Massage Tool - 3 Head Stone Self Massaging Tool
- Massage Soap - Soap Designed to Massage you
- Medical Research on T'ai Chi & Qigong
- Pen Containers - Chinese Designs
- Photo Archive - World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day Events Worldwide
- Pillow Stuffer - With Lavendar
- Qigong Video Introduction - FREE
- Soap - Soap Designed to Massage you, & Moisturize
- T'ai Chi & Acupuncture - Content on How They Relate
- T'ai Chi's Ability to Relax the Mind, Body, and Our Lives
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Horse Stance
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Vertical Axis
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Don't Tear the Rice Paper
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Sinking Your Qi
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Preparing for the First Day of Class
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Your Internal & External Hygiene for Class
- Tai Chi Tutorials - How the Movements are Taught
- Tai Chi Tutorials - T'ai Chi & Massage Therapy
- Tai Chi Tutorial - Tai Chi Challenges - Resistance to Change
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Wrongness is Our Culture's Resistance
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Attending Your First Class
- Tai Chi Tutorials - How to Address Your Instructor
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Class Structure
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Choosing Your Class Wardrobe
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Class Homework ! (?)
- Tai Chi Tutorials - Tai Chi Etiquette
- Tai Chi - Exercise that "Feels Good"
- Tai Chi's History and Premise
- Tai Chi - Perfect for EVERYONE
- Tai Chi's Popularity - Exploring the Reasons
- Tai Chi Promotes Inner Strength for ALL AGES
- Tai Chi as it Relates to Psychneuroimmunology
- Tai Chi & Qigong (Chi Kung) - All Purpose Medicine
- Tai Chi & Qigong Cleanse the Central Nervous System
- Tai Chi & Qigong and Creativity / Clarity
- Tai Chi & Qigong - A Fountain of Youth
- Tai Chi & Qigong - Ultimate Beauty Treatment
- Tai Chi Solves Problems at Their Root
- T'ai Chi Video Lesson - FREE
- Tai Chi and the Zang Fu Organ System of Traditional Chinese Medicine
- T-Shirts - World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day Commemorative T-Shirts
- Unleashing Your World Altering Power
- Videos, Books, DVDs, CDs on Many Styles
- Web Links to T'ai Chi & Qigong Sites Worldwide
- What is World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day?
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