Blog Archives

Upcoming Airdates for Lucy's tai chi programs on Olelo 54 television by everydaytaichi lucy, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/30/2017

Tai Chi Aloha Around the World: Lesson Cloud Hands Thru Serpent in Grass

5/7/2017
6:30 PM
OLELO54

5/8/2017
11:30 AM
OLELO54

5/10/2017
8:30 AM
OLELO54

5/12/2017
8:30 AM
OLELO54

Play Tai Chi: Students Brush Knee Part Horse's Mane

5/11/2017
8:30 PM
OLELO54

5/12/2017
5:00 PM
OLELO54

5/13/2017
12:00 PM
OLELO54

5/14/2017
2:00 PM
OLELO54

Play Tai Chi: Lucy Instructs Part Wild Horse's Mane

5/12/2017
7:30 PM
OLELO54

5/13/2017
5:30 PM
OLELO54

5/15/2017
9:30 AM
OLELO54

5/16/2017
10:30 PM
OLELO54

Play Tai Chi: Tai Chi at the Beaches in Hawaii

5/14/2017
6:00 PM
OLELO54

5/15/2017
3:30 PM
OLELO54

5/19/2017
12:30 PM
OLELO54

5/20/2017
1:30 PM
OLELO54

Tai Chi Aloha Around the World: Tai Chi in Hawaii and Japan

5/14/2017
7:00 PM
OLELO54

5/15/2017
6:00 AM
OLELO54

5/19/2017
1:30 PM
OLELO54

5/21/2017
5:00 PM
OLELO54

Everyday Tai Chi Specials: Tai Chi Aloha Duets Around the World

5/18/2017
7:00 PM
OLELO54

5/21/2017
3:00 PM
OLELO54

5/22/2017
11:30 AM
OLELO54

5/26/2017
12:30 PM
OLELO54

Time Health Article on Why Tai Chi Is As Good for You as CrossFit by lucy chun, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/30/2017

EXERCISE/FITNESSWhy Tai Chi Is As Good For You As CrossFit
Markham Heid
Apr 28, 2017

TIME Health
For more, visit TIME Health.You’ve probably seen groups of people practicing tai chi in a park, so you have some idea what it's all about. Slow, mindful movements. No weights. Low intensity. The practice combines aspects of ancient Chinese medicine, philosophy and martial arts, and it's the antithesis of most modern exercise programs that emphasize fast, vigorous activity.
Indeed, certain parts of tai chi are thousands of years old. But while tai chi may look mundane—even boring to some—experts who’ve studied it say its benefits are vast and hard to oversell.
Tai chi is a richly researched exercise, with health improvements ranging from better blood pressure scores to a sharper mind. “We’ve seen improved immunity to viruses and improved vaccine response among people who practiced tai chi,” says Dr. Michael Irwin, a professor of behavioral sciences and director of the Mindful Awareness Research Center at UCLA. During the past 15 years, Irwin has published more than a dozen studies linking tai chi to lower rates of insomnia, depression, illness and inflammation.
It holds up when compared to other more strenuous types of exercise. “Over time, we see people who do tai chi achieve similar levels of fitness as those who walk or do other forms of physical therapy,” Irwin says. One study in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that tai chi was nearly as effective as jogging at lowering risk of death among men. Another review in PLOS One found that the practice may improve fitness and endurance of the heart and lungs, even for healthy adults.
MORE: How Kickboxing Can Change Your Body and Your Life
Part of that is due to tai chi’s soothing effects on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which tends to activate when a person is under stress. Much like aerobic exercise, tai chi seems to increase hormone and heart-rate measures linked with lower SNS activity, which could partly explain its ties to stronger hearts and lungs, Irwin says.
But how could such low-intensity exercise—something that involves movements with names like “cloud hands” and “lifting a lute”—offer these kinds of fitness perks?
“One of the most striking things we’ve found is that [tai chi’s] physiological impacts can’t be explained by its physical activity component," Irwin says. It’s the mindful, meditative quality of tai chi that makes it so compelling, and that may explain the practice’s broad benefits.
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Sign Up“I think of it as meditation on wheels,” says Dr. Peter Wayne, director of research at the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School. (He's the author of The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, in which he references more than 600 academic papers on the health boons of the practice.) “You’re getting all the cognitive pieces you might get from meditation—mental clarity and focus and positive thoughts and lower stress—but you’re also getting physical exercise.”
MORE: Why Running Is Such Perfect Cardio
Tai chi may also be a more approachable form of mindfulness training for those who struggle with the sit-and-breathe forms of meditation. “Directing attention to the body and pairing hand movements with balance and flexibility is easier for a lot of people than breath focus," Irwin says.
Tai chi may be especially healthful for older or sick adults who can’t perform more vigorous forms of physical activity. Among these groups, the practice is associated with improved balance and mobility, reduced risk of falls and better reaction times, Wayne says. A study in the Journal of Rheumatology tied tai chi to reduced pain and stiffness among people who have arthritis. It may also improve kidney and heart function among people suffering from related health issues, according to another study in theJournal of Physical Therapy Science.
But maybe the most compelling reason to give tai chi a shot is its ability to strengthen the connections between your mind and body, which can help you move through life with greater awareness and pleasure. “You might enjoy exercise more than you did before because you’re more mindful of your body,” Wayne says. “Or you may avoid injury or falls because of body awareness.”
It's a rare aspect of exercise. Unlike almost every other form of physical activity, tai chi demands focus, which is central to its meditative benefits. “Even with yoga, you can do it and have your mind be somewhere else,” Irwin says. “It’s very hard to do tai chi and not be present.”

Today, we celebrated our 4th annual World Tai Chi Day at Kahala Mall by everydaytaichi lucy chun, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/29/2017

At 8 o'clock we had Luk Tung Kuen class by the theater wing where Lucy and other tai chi students had a 35 minute stretching work out. We then moved over to the center stage area for our 9:30AM 4th annual World Tai Chi Day Kahala Mall performance.

Click here to see more highlights of our big, special day!

After our tai chi performance we celebrated with a dim sum lunch at Happy Day restaurant.

Click on the play arrow to see a slideshow highlighting our special day.

Mahalo to our camera men! Our grandson, Brennan, on the center camera and Ken on the wide angle camera. As volunteers of Olelo, our community media station, we will soon see our tai chi event on television on Olelo 54.

Andrew's Iolani 1st Grade Play, Snow White by lucy chun, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/28/2017

everydaytaichi lucy's students look READY for 4th Annual World Tai Chi Day at Kahala Mall, April 29 9:30-1030AM Honolulu

4/27/2017

Click here for YouTube playlist to see ALL videos on practicing for World Tai Chi Day, 2017.

Getting Ready for World Tai Chi Day 2017 Kahala Mall Program on April 29 Saturday by everydaytaichi lucy + students, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/27/2017

everydaytaichi lucy's students will perform at center stage on Saturday, April 29 at 9:30-1030AM. Please join us for this tai chi event. This will be our 4th annual presentation.

Click here to see YouTube playlist for all practice session for World Tai Chi Day 2017.

Early morning stretching exercise overlooking Koko Head and the marina in Hawaii Kai, Luk Tung Kuen by lucy chun, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/26/2017

Click here for more LTK or Luk Tung Kuen information by lucy chun.

April 26, 2017, a very special day for a very special person, Victor Nakawatase by lucy chun, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/26/2017

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, VICTOR!

Our usual weekly routine on Wednesday is to meet at 730AM in Hawaii Kai.
Today, we did our Chinese stretching exercise, Luk Tung Kuen, with Lucy teaching, and Ken and Victor filming.

We moved over to McDonald's where coffee time is really the REAL reason some of us come out, especially with some tasty treats, cake bomb and malasada from Pipeline.

But today, being very, very, special we cut our coffee time short and moved on for brunch where we celebrated Victor's 76th birthday.

Below is a short clip of this event, among friends who have known each other for about 10 years.

Bittermelon Vegetarian Pasta Stir Fry with Gravy...NO oil used!

4/25/2017

Bittermelon, cabbage, purple sweet potato and carrot medallion give our pasta dish a nice blend with black beans and garlic, turmeric and ginger slices. Not a drop of oil was used to make this dish.

Eating like the Hawaiians did in Old Hawaii, from what you caught and what you grew! by lucy chun, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/24/2017

Purple sweet potato, round onions, ginger onion sauce, tomatoes, and raw fish.

Like Fish and Poi

We were given a 4 pound oio. Ken dissected it and scrape off the meat. Thinned it with water and added salt to taste.

Fresh oio deboned and ready to eat with poi. But, a great substitute was sweet potato, tomatoes, round oinions, topped with a green onions and ginger with hot garlic oil.

One FULL hour of stretching exercise: Luk Tung Kuen + Tai Chi Warm Up exercise by lucy chun, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/24/2017

The LO family reunion at bai san helps us to remember our ancestors and who came before us and how proud we are!

4/23/2017

Above is Lucy' s maternal family, Lau Kam Sai and Lau Wong Shee and their 11 children. Lucy's mother is Alice Lau is standing to the on the left of her grandfather who is seated.

The picture above is of the Lo family. Lucy's paternal grandfather, Tan Lo, is on the right hand side, standing in a suit.
Tan Lo as a teenager worked for OR&L. He worked his way up and became the head bookkeeper for the Dillingham family who owned Oahu Rail and Land Company.

Tan Lo stands between Walter F Frear who later became Govenor of Territory of Hawaii with his brother in law, Harold G Dillingham. They are standing in front of a portrait of Benjamin Franklin Dillingham their father who founded OR&L.

Today, we gathered to pay our respect to our Lo ancestors at Nuuanu cemetery.

At lunch, we learned more about our outstanding Lo ancestors. Below is Lucy's narrative.

Hello everyone,

Today is a very special day for many reasons. Today, we celebrate being a Lo, belonging to a family that is very outstanding, impressive and SUCCESSFUL.

Our annual baisan event helps keep our family together. Thanks to Char for taking the initiative to plan and organize all our Lo events. And to all the many cousins who spent time together to fold all gum nan. We cannot do without you. YOU are an integral part of the Lo’s.

Normally, Ken would be standing here telling you all about our ancestors. But, it is with his enthusiasm, time and interest in learning more about our family tree, that has spurred and motivated me to take ownership and responsibility of who I am!

It was just last week Sunday, on Easter, that my brothers and their wives revisited the Nehoa Street property. It was fun to go back to the home where we grew up, our very first home. It brought back lots of nice memories of our neighbor “Aloha Pants,” the built in wooden ironing board that was LP Gung’s place, the old telephone room with it’s old fashion crank phone and a room full of Chinese artwork… On and on it goes. Entering the bathroom i could still smell the scents of yok jow and Tiger balm medicines!

Today, I would like to give you a brief summary of our famous Lo ancestors.

We are very fortunate to have written documents of our Lo family tree that goes back over 175 generations.
Therein lies the wealth of information about our ancestors who were distinguished and important citizens and governmental leaders.
Long ago many ancestral tombs were built in their honor, some very near to the capitol.

A member of the 61st generation was granted an official administrative post in the county of Lo and was of such high rank and service that the family was granted the name "Lo."
In the 91st generation another was granted nobility for his meritorious service to China.

Ancestral lines which began in the 150th generation produced several descendants who were prominent scholars and achieved highest ranking in the imperial civil service exam during the Ming dynasty which lasted from about 1366 to 1666. They held prominent governmental posts.

One descendant at 35 years of age reached the highest level status in the imperial examination and though he died in his 40s there was a temple erected later in his honor.

Another was a cabinet minister, one of six just below the emperor. He held the title of Highest Ranking Scholar and teacher of the prince. There is a brush painting of him online in the Chinese search engine, like Google.

There were other lines which also produced two other highest ranking scholars during the dynasty and served with distinction.

Although this was a long, long time ago, I believe that this sense of being educated and being a scholar still exists in our family today.

More recently and connected to Hawaii is a son of great grandfather Lo Den Kui who was the first to come to Hawaii. His name is Lo Chong. He grew up in the same extended family household as Tan Lo. He was educated in Hawaii, Japan and Oxford, England. For this he was given the title of jinshi and would have been eligible to sit for the palace exam which was the highest level had it continued. He was an administrator in the imperial government of the Ching dynasty and the early Republic of China’s government. He served in the foreign service and held the position as consul general to Great Britain, among other posts. He later became a professor of languages at a University in China.

His son who was a contemporary of our parents was a distinguished professor of Chinese history at the U of California, Davis. His name is Jung Pang Lo.

Tan Lo, our Gung Gung, although only a McKinley high school student, won the confidence of the distinguished Dillingham family at the Oahu Railway and Land Company. From a teenage clerk he worked his way up the corporate ladder and became their chief bookkeeper and accountant of the company.

His children who are our mothers and fathers are ALL college graduates were well known in their respective fields. Uncle Don who helped to build our present state capitol. Uncle Shangie who not only was a UH basketball player but also a well known psychiatrist. Uncle Richard was an attorney graduating from Michigan and a principal partner in his law firm. And of course, our dad, William, who at an early age managed the family business, Aala Park Inn. There is a letter from Tan Lo indicating that he was very grateful that Willy was able to continue working for him as he retired because of his health. It seems that Aala Park did quite well financially and that helped to put the boys through college and graduate school. Aunty Dede had a scholarship to Mills College and became a medical tech. Aunty Ethel was a elementary school teacher and a keeper of all family contacts.

And we can see by just looking around this room that our cousins and their children are also carrying on the LO tradition of making a name for themselves in their respective careers.

To have such a legacy in our genealogy is priceless in giving us a sense of who we are and what we can do judging from the kind of people who were our ancestors.

It is only fitting for us to remember them by celebrating the custom of Ching Ming when we pay respect to our ancestors.

Simple, refreshing and colorful dinner including shades of green, yellow, white, red, orange, purple, and pink!

4/22/2017

Our plant base diet included yellow sweet potato, purple Okinawan sweet potato, oranges, apple bananas, apples that were oven roasted with steamed asparagus and fresh guavas just picked before the birds got to them!

Front + Side View of Luk Tung Kuen, Chinese Exercise in Hawaii Kai Marina, Honolulu by lucy chun

4/22/2017

Click here for more info on Luk Tung Kuen, Chinese stretching exercise.

Week #3: Preparing for World Tai Chi Day, 4th Annual Performance at Kahala Mall by everydaytaichi lucy's students, Honolulu, Hawaii

4/20/2017

Week #3 practice session was sweet, like the special fragrance of pakalana blossoms!