Tai Chi Uses Core & Mind by everydaytaichi lucy chun, Honolulu, Hawaii at Kilauea District Park3/4/2016
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Posted On May 11, 2015 By The Alternative Daily
Modern medicine has provided some very important advances and knowledge, but sometimes ancient practices are still just as effective, if not more so. Such is the case with the practice of tai chi, which is recognized as powerful and effective by most medical practitioners. Tai chi can provide a wealth of benefits for your health. Here are just a few for you to consider: Helps with weight loss A typical 30-minute session of tai chi burns approximately 150 calories on a person with roughly 155 pounds of body weight. While this may not be as big a calorie burn as you might see with vigorous exercise, you also have the added benefit of stress reduction. This fact is important because of the correlation between high stress and overeating. Another weight-loss boost from tai chi comes from improved metabolism. As you master the movements and become proficient, your metabolism and your circulation will also improve. Your increased metabolism will burn up calories more efficiently, while your improved circulation will flush toxins from your blood. Maintains bone density Six studies by Harvard researchers have proven that tai chi is not only safe, but it also provides an effective way of maintaining bone density for women who have gone through menopause. In a collaborative study between South Korea and the United States, it was found that women with osteoarthritis who participated in tai chi for six months had increased flexibility and strength while also increasing bone density. The 2010 study conducted by Chungnam National University in Daejeon, South Korea, took 82 participants from various community health centers and outpatient clinics and assigned them randomly to either a tai chi program group or a control group. At the end of a six-month period, participants in the tai chi program showed an increase in walking strength and significantly improved bone mineral density. Improves heart health In a review article in the Journal of Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, it was explained by physicians from the Kaohsiung Medical University and others, that tai chi provides a light to moderate exercise that is safe for patients with cardiovascular issues. In the article, it was expressed that tai chi training provides significant heart health benefits for common cardiovascular risk factors. Tai chi enhances aerobic capacity, psychological well-being, balance, and muscular strength. In a study by researchers at the Division for Research Education in Complementary and Integrative Medical Therapies at Harvard Medical School, 30 heart failure patients were put on a 12-week regimen of tai chi to determine the effects on their exercise capacity and quality of life. The patients were randomly assigned, and either participated in the tai chi or received usual care and pharmacologic therapy and exercise counseling. The study findings showed the tai chi group had improved quality of life scores, could walk six minutes further, and had lowered serum B-type natriuretic peptide levels when compared to the results of the control group patients. In a separate study by researchers at the Royal Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, U.K., 126 patients who had suffered acute myocardial infarction were randomized between Wu Chian-Ch’uan style tai chi, a non-exercise support group, or a group for aerobic exercise. Subjects were actively involved with their group twice a week for three weeks, and then participated once a week for an additional five weeks. Study findings showed that only the group who participated in tai chi had a negative trend in their diastolic blood pressure. A significant trend in systolic blood pressure was found from both tai chi and the aerobic exercise group. Builds a stronger immune system Scientists believe the controlled breathing and slow movements of tai chi are some of the biggest weapons it uses to boost the immune system. Perhaps the slow movements and meditative state of mind play a role in the stronger immune response that results in practitioners of tai chi. In a study conducted by UCLA, older adults were asked to take part in a 15-week tai chi class. Following their participation in the class, participants were administered a shingles vaccination. A full 50 percent of subjects had improved immune system function following the tai chi class. “Our findings offer a unique and exciting example of mind over matter,” said researcher Dr. Michael R. Irwin, a professor at the UCLA Neuropsychiatric Institute and director of the Institute’s Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology. “A large body of research shows how behavior can negatively affect the immune system and health, but ours is the first randomized, controlled study to demonstrate that behavior can have a positive effect on immunity that protects against shingles. The findings are particularly noteworthy as Tai Chi Chih or ‘meditation with movement’ increased immunity in older adults who are at risk for herpes zoster.” In a different study by researchers at the University of Wisconsin, a group of 154 adults were randomized into one of three groups. They had a group for mental health that participated in a course for mindfulness-based stress reduction. Another group looked at physical health and was put on a regimen of exercise. The last group was only observed as a control group. Over the course of eight weeks, the subjects were monitored with bi-weekly phone calls to discuss if they felt like they might be getting sick with a cold. Subjects recorded visits they made to healthcare facilities or days they had to miss school or work. Findings showed that the mindfulness group experienced illnesses for significantly shorter durations than the control group. They also felt they experienced far less severe illness symptoms. The exercise group only experienced a shorter duration of illnesses; they did not enjoy the same benefit of less severe symptoms. Decreases pain and improves flexibility Tai chi is famous for gently moving all joints, tendons, and muscles throughout the entire body. This gentle, controlled movement increases flexibility and strength with the added benefit of decreasing the occurrence of falls. Greater flexibility means less stiffness and reduced pain for people, particularly those with arthritis. In a 2003 study by researchers from the Soonchunhyang University in Cheonan, South Korea, 72 patients were randomly divided into two groups to study the effects of tai chi on the pain, balance, and muscle strength of older women with osteoarthritis. Many variables were taken into consideration, such as fitness, physical symptoms, cardiovascular functioning, body mass index, and physical functioning difficulties. The pretest measurement showed no significant group differences. However, after a 12-week period, findings showed the experimental group felt their pain had significantly reduced, along with joint stiffness. They reported fewer physical functionality difficulties and measurable improvements in abdominal strength and balance. Makes you feel happier Because tai chi involves using the mind while exercising the body, it can help promote a sense of calm and peacefulness. The slow, graceful movements promote a meditative state of mind that reduces anxiety and can promote feelings of psychological well-being. A large meta-analysis and systemic review was done collaboratively between the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences in Beijing, China; the University of North Carolina, Charlotte; Sichuan University in Chengdu, China; and the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on quasi-experimental (Q-E) and randomized clinical trials (RCTs) regarding tai chi’s effects on mental well-being. The results of their efforts showed that tai chi participation had definite beneficial impacts on a range of psychological wellness areas, such as anxiety, exercise self-efficacy, depression, and general stress management. Improves balance The slow, controlled movements help the body to strengthen the muscles used for balance and posture. In a study by the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, researchers found that after 20 tai chi sessions, patients with Parkinson’s disease had improved balance and walking ability. Two studies were conducted by the National Institute on Aging collectively referred to as The Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques (FICSIT). The studies took place at the University of Connecticut and Emory University. The first study held at Emory University discovered that participating in a 15-week tai chi program decreased the risk of falling for elderly adults by 47.5 percent. The second study that took place at the University of Connecticut Health Center utilized sophisticated procedures for measuring strength training and balance. Participants took part in a tai chi program over a six-month period. They found that this proved successful in improving strength and balance in the elderly subjects. Improves asthma symptoms Because of the controlled breathing and slow movements, people who participate in tai chi can improve their oxygen consumption and overall breathing. How to project a forward force. Now that your front foot is angle 45 degrees outward, keep the foot at that angle, and set the toes down flat on the ground, and shift the weight down on that leg, forward, in that 45 degree angled direction. That is sort of the “outer shell” look of it. But now let’s get into the subtle, nitty gritty, fine-point details. First, point your shoulder in that direction, as though you are pushing a door open with your shoulder because your hands are full. What this will do is rotate your waist inwards – the opposite direction from Step Two. Second, very very subtly and slightly, as you shift your weight forward, to a microscopic degree, bow both your legs outward. Third, slightly rotate your pelvis UPWARD, as though you are trying to lift a car to send over a cliff! This can be a little tricky, because you are shifting your weight downward onto your legs, and slightly bowing them out. So practice this step without thinking too much about the First and Second points. Once you can feel that idea, combine all three of these points. So all in all, there’s three energy directions going on at once in this step: Downward – the lead shoulder and leg. Across Outward – splitting the energy outward slightly with both legs/hips. Upward – the pelvis rotation. Some bonus details: -keep the spine and neck aligned. -feel the push off of the back foot as you do the movement. The outer appearance of the Tai Chi Walk looks simple enough. But if you add the Fine-Point details and the Bonus details, you will be contributing greatly to your strength, structure, and ability to generate subtle “hidden” energy! TAI CHI WALK
First, let’s go back and review the first five steps: Step One – shift your weight back. Step Two – pivot on your front foot’s heel 45 degrees outward. Step Three – shift your weight forward on the now turned front foot. Step Four – bring in your back foot, next to the front foot, touch the ball of the foot to ground. Step Five – step out with the foot you just brought in forward and out on the heel. And now, onto Step Six. We are going to shift the weight into our forward leg. Now, there’s a few key details to be viscerally aware of when you do this: 1. Open up your hip flexors, very very subtly bowing your legs outward. It’s very subtle, should be invisible, but you can feel it. 2. Sink your tailbone, and push your pelvis ever so slightly, upwards. 1 & 2 need to be simultaneous. Make sure to look forward, keep your neck and spine very straight. So that’s it! Now do all the steps on one side, and that will put the other leg forward, and do it on the other side. Since you are constantly alternating, that makes it a “walk”. Commonly, the attention is put on what leg receives the weight, and what part of the foot touches the ground. And this is not wrong, it is indeed important to know this. But it doesn’t stop there. There are several more factors that you need to be keenly aware of as you do this exercise: 1. The opening of the hip flexors (bowing the legs out slightly). 2. The sinking and lifting of your pelvis. 3. The turning of your torso – waist & shoulders. 4. The alignment of your spine and neck – as though it were suspended from floor to ceiling. When we attach arm motions to the walk, we add in the connection of the shoulder-elbow-arm. 2 T’ai Chi Movements That Can Transform Your Health
From master teacher David-Dorian Ross, fundamental motions to raise your fitness and wellness March 22, 2013 By David-Dorian RossCredit: Courtesy of David-Dorian Ross Repulsing the Monkey The one thing most people think they know about t'ai chi is that it's slow. That's only partly right. A lot of t'ai chi is done at a deliberate pace, but a good deal of it is done fast. A fundamental characteristic of t'ai chi is that it combines opposites: fast and slow, easy and hard, extending and withdrawing. It's about balancing those opposites just as the concepts of yin and yang must be balanced — rest and motion, meditation and action, the internal and the external. When you can do that in your body, you get smooth, synergistic dance-like movements. In modern terminology we call this the principle of "flow," the element of exercise that, when done correctly, draws all the parts of your body together — muscles, heart, nervous system, even your immune system. We know that t'ai chi builds lower body strength and flexibility while delivering a cardio workout. The greatest benefit, though, is the way the practice hones your balance and coordination, making it a perfect complement to any other workout regimen. T'ai chi improves posture and balance and reduces falls, making it especially valuable for the elderly or victims of a stroke. But t'ai chi is for everyone. Studies show that its practice can reduce stress, anxiety and depression and increase self-esteem. Who wouldn't want that? First Steps First Classical t'ai chi — more correctly called t'ai chi ch'uan or taijiquan (pronounced "Tie Jee Chwun") — is a gentle but complex dance of kung-fu postures that lead you into a meditative state and train your body to naturally flow all the time. The primary footsteps in t'ai chi ch'uan are a series of gentle lunges called "gong bu," like the bow (or bow and arrow) step. Bow steps go left, right and forward. But there are sideways and backward steps as well – by the end of the dance you've moved your body in all directions, keeping your joints healthy and flexible no matter which way you go. The basic bow step is a gentle lunge approximately the length of your normal walking step, with your weight shared 60 percent over your front foot and 40 percent over your back foot. Both front and back knees are bent and kept in line with your feet. There's no torquing or twisting, one reason these movements are so safe. And there should be a bit of a gap between your feet side to side known as a channel. Look down at your feet. If they're lined up like you were standing on a tightrope, then you're not in a bow step. Waving Hands Like Clouds Bow steps, side steps and backward steps, in combination with specific upper-body positions for the arms, head and torso, make up distinct t'ai chi ch'uan movements. Students of different schools may learn different routines, each incorporating its own combination of these moves, but most will contain certain fundamental movements characteristic of all approaches. Two moves common to many routines are Waving Hands Like Clouds and Repulsing the Monkey. Each can give you a good sense of how t'ai chi ch'uan trains you to flow, and how beautiful and calming these moves can make you feel, which is so important to my own way of thinking. Waving Hands combines our simple sideways step with an upper-body motion of waving your hands from one side of the body to the other, left to right and back again. Start with your hands rounded in front of you, as if you are holding a child, left hand on top. Next you'll take a series of side steps to the left, so step out sideways with the left foot, then bring the right foot over to the left and gently let your hands float over to the left as well. As you step together with the right foot, the hands float over to the right side. Step out, hands float left; step together, hands float right. Repulsing the Monkey This movement is best described as walking backward while swimming with your arms. The basic backward motion is a series of "pu bu," or "empty steps." Each finishes with all your weight on the back foot, the front foot barely tapping the ground. Want to check if you're in a good empty step? Lift your front foot into the air. If you first had to shift any weight to the back foot, the front foot had too much weight on it. In other words, it wasn't really "empty." The hands and arms in Repulsing the Monkey execute motions pretty close to the crawl stroke of swimming. One arm loops to the side, then bends at the elbow and strokes (or pushes) forward. As it finishes the push, the other hand and arm loops to the other side, bends at the elbow and pushes forward. Hands and feet are coordinated: Start by circling the right hand to the side. Bend the right elbow and, as you begin to push forward, step back with the left foot to create an empty step. Now loop the left hand to the side, bend the elbow and as you push the left hand forward, step back with the right foot into a new empty step. Here's how it looks: My last bit of advice: If you're just starting out, take it easy when you practice. Let all the parts flow together and don't try too hard to make the moves perfect. As I always remind my students, t'ai chi is meant to be "played," not "worked!" |
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