Tai Chi may aid in arthritis treatment

By Kat Carney
CNN Headline News

Friday, March 12, 2004 Posted: 9:47 AM EST (1447 GMT)

(CNN) -- When it comes to working out, no exercise regimen is "one size fits all," but one particular martial art form comes pretty close.

According to a review article in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the ancient martial art of Tai Chi not only improves strength, balance and flexibility in older people, but it also has positive effects on chronic health conditions like multiple sclerosis and joint problems.

In fact, the Arthritis Foundation has looked to Tai Chi as treatment for arthritis.

The Arthritis Foundation's program is based on Dr. Paul Lam's "Tai Chi for Arthritis" program.

Lam, who is now 53, developed osteoarthritis in his 20s and used Tai Chi as a way to control the disease.

While there are no published studies proving whether Tai Chi can reduce pain and inflammation associated with arthritis, participants report benefits ranging from pain relief to lower blood pressure.

But even though Tai Chi appears to have numerous benefits to participants, it is still too early for physicians to begin prescribing Tai Chi as a remedy for chronic health problems because many of the past studies had design flaws, according to Dr. Chenchen Wang, the author of this most recent report.

Wang urges patients with chronic health problems take precautions before beginning a Tai Chi practice, because for some people Tai Chi could worsen joint problems and other symptoms of arthritis.

So as the saying goes, be sure to check with your doctor before starting any exercise program.

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http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story2&cid=594&u=/nm/20040310/hl_nm/taichi_health_dc&printer=1

Tai Chi Helps People with Chronic Health Problems

Wed Mar 10, 3:52 PM ET

By Alison McCook

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The ancient Chinese martial art of Tai Chi appears to have many positive effects in people with chronic health conditions, including heart and joint problems, and multiple sclerosis, according to a review of medical literature.  In addition, Tai Chi appears to help older adults build strength, balance and flexibility, and to reduce pain and anxiety among healthy people, according to the Archives of Internal Medicine ( news - web sites) report.

Despite the practice's apparent benefits, study author Dr. Chenchen Wang of Tufts-New England Medical Center in Boston cautioned that it is too early for doctors to recommend Tai Chi to their patients with chronic health woes, because many of the studies included in the current analysis were poorly designed.

"All the indications from this review show Tai Chi is beneficial," Wang told Reuters Health. "But we cannot yet draw scientific conclusions."

Tai Chi focuses on building strength, balance and flexibility through slow, fluid movements combined with mental imagery and deep breathing.

The practice is believed to improve a number of aspects of health, including memory, concentration and digestion. In addition, some say it can reduce anxiety and depression.

Despite its numerous supposed benefits, however, the means by which Tai Chi affects health remain a mystery.

For the current study, Wang and her colleagues reviewed the results of 47 studies that examined the health benefits of Tai Chi. The studies looked at the practice's influence on musculoskeletal conditions, heart and lung function, immune function and mental health.

The researchers found that Tai Chi appears to improve functioning in the heart, blood vessels and lungs among both healthy people and those with heart conditions, including those who had undergone coronary artery bypass surgery.

Among frail, older adults, practicing Tai Chi was associated with a lower risk of falls, and improvements in balance, strength and flexibility in all older adults. The martial art also appeared to reduce pain, stress and anxiety among healthy practitioners.

In an interview, Wang urged people with chronic health conditions to be careful if they plan to practice Tai Chi. Although the current research suggests it is effective and safe, the practice could worsen symptoms in some people with joint problems such as arthritis, she noted.

Wang added that she and her colleagues plan to conduct further studies to determine why Tai Chi works, and which patients can get the most benefit from it.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, March 8, 2004.

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http://www.utah.edu/stc/tai-chi/articles.html

Is Tai Chi the Ultimate Exercise?
by Frank Petrillo Jr.

No one disputes the importance of regular exercise. Unfortunately, there are so many fitness programs available today, the general public is often confused as to which are the best. Consequently, they are the willing guinea pigs of every fitness fad that comes along.

The Chinese have always maintained that inactivity is the major cause of illness. Thus, they have developed numerous systems of medical gymnastics both to cure as well as prevent disease. Of the many exercises they have devised, they consider the martial art tai chi chuan to be the best.

Advantages of Tai Chi

Tai chi chuan has many distinct advantages over other types of exercise. The biggest shortcoming of most systems of physical fitness is that they service only part of the body. They concentrate on certain muscles or muscle groups, while neglecting others entirely.

For example, isometric exercises tense one set of muscles against another set or an immovable object. Because this is a one-dimensional exercise, the benefits are minimal.

Another problem with isometrics is there is really no way to measure the correct amount of exercise. Unlike calisthenics or weightlifting, you cannot simply increase the number of repetitions and expect results. Recent evidence has also found that isometric exercises render joints more vulnerable to injuries.

Calisthenics produce a wide range of motion and give the muscles more staying power than isometrics. Unfortunately, calisthenics also concentrate on only individual muscles and thus have little benefit on overall health. This is also true with weightlifting.

Tai chi, on the other hand, brings into play every part of the body and benefits all bodily parts, not just the musculoskeletal system.

Other Benefits of Tai Chi

Scientific research conducted at the Medical Academy of Shanghai, the Tangshan Medical Center and Bellevue Hospital in New York City has shown that tai chi chuan stimulates the central nervous system, lowers blood pressure, relieves stress and gently tones muscles without strain. It also enhances digestion, elimination of wastes and the circulation of blood. Moreover, tai chi's rhythmic movements massage the internal organs and improve their functionality.

Perhaps tai chi's greatest attribute, however, is the fact it channels the flow of chi (intrinsic energy) through the body's meridians. According to traditional Chinese medicine, as long as this flow is uninhibited, a person will remain healthy. If the flow of chi becomes obstructed or unbalanced, illness will result. The correct practice of tai chi chuan guides the individual's chi through the meridians and restores its balance throughout the body. None of the aforementioned exercises offers any of these benefits.

Tai Chi vs. Aerobic Exercise

Many people believe that tai chi chuan does not develop the same degree of cardiovascular fitness as high-impact exercises, such as jogging, rope-jumping, cycling or aerobic dancing. This is not true, however.

In 1978, noted tai chi instructor Lawrence Galante and an associate conducted an experiment to determine whether tai chi chuan is effective in stimulating cardiovascular development. They used 25 tai chi students, ranging in age from 20 to 60 years old, as their models. The students had been studying the yang-style tai chi short form for a period of one to seven years. Galante and his assistant monitored the pulse rate, blood pressure and heart rate of all the students before and after they practiced the form. In all cases, the researchers found that if the form was practiced in a low stance, great cardiovascular stimulation occurred-between 60-80 percent of the maximum heart rate established by the American Heart Association (AHA). On the other hand, if the tai chi movements were performed in a high stance, there was very little heart stimulation (less than 60 percent of the maximum heart rate). However, for people who suffer from high blood pressure, or those recovering from heart attacks or heart surgery, the high stance is a better option. According to Galante, a person can easily meet the standards set by the AHA by practicing tai chi chuan three times a day.

Dr. John Painter, a Fort Worth, Texas based teacher of internal Chinese martial arts, claims that "When the movements of tai chi chuan are performed quickly or in a lower formed stance, they have the same beneficial effect on the cardiovascular system as jogging or high-impact aerobics, but without the stress and strain."

According to Painter, greater physical stimulation can be achieved by performing the movements slowly while wearing weights on the ankles, arms or body.

Although some doctors claim high impact physical activities are the best health-building exercises, a growing number of medical experts believe that the hazards of their long-term practice outweigh the benefits.

According to psychologist Dr. Jo Ann Hunter Farr, high-impact aerobics can produce health benefits over the short term, but the long-term implications of such exercises are irreparable damage to the joints and internal organs. Vigorous walking or tai chi practice, she claims, are much safer forms of exercise and offer the same health benefits as high-impact exercises.

Dr. Wen Zee, a retired cardiologist in Shanghai, believes tai chi is "an incomparable exercise because it never accelerates the heart rate. Exercises such as running and jogging can injure the heart."

Many other medical experts are warning that strenuous exercise may shorten a person's life. According to John Hall, who writes a medical column for an internal Chinese martial arts magazine, for a fitness program to be conducive to long life and health, it must take into account the balancing of body fat levels as well as the other necessary factors for proper exercise. "The ideal fitness program will provide some form of consistent, progressive, sustained movement of the legs, torso and arms to benefit and improve the flexibility, strength, stamina and aerobic potential of all [bodily] systems," Hall asserts. "At the same time, the exercise program must help to ward off obesity without exceeding the capacity for recovery. Tai chi chuan...more than adequately meets these requirements."

Another problem with high-impact exercises is they are incomplete physical activities. Aside from the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal gains, they benefit none of the other bodily systems. Tai chi, however, has a salubrious effect on all bodily systems. Furthermore, aerobic exercises do not have any of the other health benefits of tai chi chuan.

Finally, tai chi may be practiced by virtually anyone, regardless of age. This is not the case with high-impact exercises. In fact, doctors recommend that no one of middle or old age engage in any of these activities without first undergoing a complete physical examination.

Tai Chi vs. Yoga

The postures of hathe yoga provide many of the same health benefits as tai chi chuan. Unfortunately, most of the yoga positions are held for three minutes or longer, which can be very taxing on the body. Brief rest periods are therefore needed. Tai chi practice, on the other hand, does not require any rest period because the postures change too quickly to tire the body.

Yogic inverted postures, such as the headstand and shoulderstand, offer two advantages not found in tai chi chuan. First, they relieve the gravitational pressure on the internal organs and glands. And second, they ease the strain on the heart caused by having to pump blood against the force of gravity. Yoga exercises, however, do little to promote cardiovascular endurance.

Moreover, many people cannot perform certain yoga exercises because of health problems. Tai chi chuan, in contrast, may be practiced in virtually any state of health.

The yoga breathing techniques, known as pranayama, have many health benefits. They increase energy levels within the body, strengthen the immune system as well as the internal organs and glands, reduce stress, purify the body and improve memory. They also enhance the cellular expulsion of carbon dioxide, increase arterial circulation to the brain, reduce levels of lactic acid in the muscles, and stimulate intestinal peristalsis.

Unfortunately, if these exercises are practiced incorrectly, they can cause serious mental disturbances. Tai chi chuan does not present these problems. In tai chi, deep breathing is never imposed on the student; it is developed step by step. The student learns to gradually coordinate his breathing with the movements. This is perhaps the greatest advantage tai chi has over yoga.

One final advantage of tai chi is that it can also be used for self-defense.

Health First, Self-Defense Second!
by Robert W. Young

In these days of escalating violence, it seems that many tai chi churn proponents never stop arguing how effective the internal style can be for street defense. Meanwhile, devotees of other styles often ask if tai chi chuan is really the best choice for learning how to knock out muggers and repel rapists.

Despite the dissension, millions of people around the world staunchly believe in tai chi chuan, perhaps more for the art's intangible benefits than for its knockout power. They claim the way of the "grand ultimate fist" offers untold benefits for a practitioner's health, internal energy flow and general well-being. At advanced level, many claim tai chi chuan does bestow excellent self-defense abilities, but for the average practitioner, it would seem that the constructive side, not the destructive, promises the most.

Before we examine these somewhat lesser-known benefits of tai chi chuan practice, we should discuss the background of our source, Daniel Lee. Born in Shanghai, China, Lee learned Shaolin kung fu and chi hung from his father. He later studied Western boxing and won the welterweight division of a national boxing championship in 1948. Lee was exposed to tai chi chuan after he moved to Taiwan, but upon relocation to the United States was unable to find a teacher. Instead, he practiced judo until he broke his shoulder, then switched to kenpo karate and eventually received a black belt under Ed Parker.

In 1966 Lee met a tai chi chuan master who had just arrived from China; he immediately quit kenpo and took up the art. In 1967 he heard that Bruce Lee had opened a school in Chinatown, and the two Lees met and trained together until Bruce went to Hong Kong to make films. In 1988 Daniel Lee was named Black Belt magazine's Man of the Year. Lee, who recently retired after 38 years as an aerospace engineer for the California Institute of Technology Jet Propulsion Laboratory, still teaches tai chi chuan in Pasadena, California-as he has for the past 25 years.

Breathing

Tai Chi chuan students learn how to breathe deeply from the abdomen. "During the forms, the even movement and rhythm are predominant," Lee says. "You learn to match your breathing with the movement. [There's no need to] consciously breathe in and out; there's only a general guideline. If you want to do a lower stance or do a movement more slowly, your breathing pattern changes. But you intuitively know how to breathe."

Since tai chi chuan is a martial art, when you move forward and exert energy, you generally breathe out, Lee says, and when you move backward, you breathe in. "Your arm comes up, you breathe in, and your chest expands; your arm goes down, and you breathe out," he says. Lee does not advise students to immediately match their breathing with movement, because the movements themselves are already challenging enough to learn. Beginners often complain that when they move one arm, they forget the other arm, and when they master the arms, they forget the legs or their balance, he says. "There's really a lot of training. Do it slowly so you can maintain that total control and awareness."

Once a tai chi chuan student masters the movement, he can think about matching the breathing more closely. But in the beginning, Lee advises: "Just breathe; let the wisdom of your body tell you when to breathe. When you run, you don't tell yourself, "Now I'm running, so I must breathe faster". The body picks it up anyway. When the body needs to breathe in, just inhale. When it needs to breathe out, just exhale."

Later in a student's training, usually during the second year, breathing and movement start to work with chi (internal energy) and the mind, Lee says. "It all focuses together like a magnifying glass concentrating nice, warm sunlight into enough heat to burn paper. You can generate tremendous power."

Does tai chi chuan breathing practice have any direct application to other parts of life? "Abdominal breathing is basically a relaxed breathing," Lee says. "The basic movement of tai chi is raising and lowering the arm; it's called breathing in and breathing out. When [students] get stressed during the day, they should do some deep breathing to settle down. Immediately they can regain their calmness. Even three minutes of breathing can renew the strength. Tai chi, even without the movements, can immediately be applied to daily life.

Chi

Although the "chi" in tai chi chuan does not have the same meaning or Chinese character as the "chi" that means internal energy, many practitioners claim training in the art does enhance the flow of the vital stuff in a student's body.

"From a Chinese medical standpoint, you have two types of chi in the body," Lee says. "One comes from your parents, and the other comes from your daily nutrition." The chi from your parents provides your body with its basic constitution; thus, some babies are born weak because their parents are weak, he says. "If you inherit good chi from your parents, you are lucky. From then on, it's your daily nutrition, the air and the water you drink that provide [post-birth] chi".

Lee claims Chinese medical theory is based on the fact that chi always courses through the body's channels-even though you are totally unaware of it. To enhance the flow, tai chi chuan students should ensure their body is relaxed and their mind is quiet, and remain aware of the heaviness of the abdomen, Lee says. "The Chinese have a saying: Let the chi sink to the tan tien [area below the navel]. That does not mean breathing from the tan tien, but using diaphragmatic breathing, which changes your abdominal pressure. So if you breathe abdominally, you will sense heaviness and firmness in your body."

Lee says tai chi chuan emphasizes just that-keeping the body straight and letting the chi settle to the tan tien. "If you relax it, you'll feel the firmness near the tan tien. The Chinese say the chi sinks to the tan tien, but don't use a lot of mental force to force it down. True tai chi emphasizes letting it settle down."

Tai chi chuan practitioners have a maxim: Let the mind lead the chi and the chi mobilize the body. "So before you move the arm, there are three processes," Lee says. "First, you have to think about it. Tai chi involves body-mind training. If you want to raise the arm, you mentally visualize the arm rising, and with that visualization, your body begins to move. Under the direction of your mind, your body starts moving upward.

"Just mobilize the i [mind or intent]. A tai chi maxim says, 'If the i is there, the chi is there. If the chi is there, the jing [force] is there.' Jing is different from li, the raw force which is unfocused. [With] physical force plus mental direction, that focused raw force becomes jing. But behind that is the chi You don't want to move the chi; you move the i," Lee explains.

When muscles tense, they block the flow of chi "That's why tai chi emphasizes relaxation of mind and body-so chi can flow freely," Lee says. "In that condition, the energy starts coming through. When the chi is coursing through the body, it provides equilibrium of the yin and yang energy, and health improves." When chi stops flowing or becomes unbalanced, disease results, and when chi stagnates in a certain area, you feel pain, he claims.

Harmony

Tai chi chuan forms practice should calm the mind, but it should not empty it. "The mind is always involved," Lee says. "The mind moves the chi, and the chi leads the movement. At the first stages, you have to learn to move your left foot, right foot, arms, etc., but eventually you become very fluid. You begin to express the movement. But you don't do it totally in a state of 'no mind.'"

Lee claims the "no mind" state applies only to fighting-when you should avoid focusing your mind on a certain technique. "You come in with total openness and you respond spontaneously," he says. "That's what Bruce Lee used to talk about-using no way as way."

But students should not practice tai chi chuan automatically, Lee cautions. They must be totally aware of everything. "You are aware of the situation around you, but it does not disturb you," he says. "For example, if you are doing a tai chi form and a car backfires, people around you jump, but you have an invisible shield. You hear the sound, but it does not penetrate to your consciousness."

Tai chi chuan also helps develop an awareness of the "here-now" experience. During training, students must dwell upon the precise moment-which changes all the time. "You cannot plan ahead or worry about the movement that is coming, or about a mistake you just made," Lee says. "You deal with things right-now; you focus all your concentration on that point, and that point constantly changes. That teaches a lot for life experience-we plan the future, but we don't live in the future. We can't live in the past or cry over past mistakes. The secret is in the here and now."

Health

Lee says the health benefits of tai chi chuan stem from correctly flowing chi and balanced posture. "Tai chi creates a demand in terms of balance," he says. "It's not just balancing in one posture and the next; it's balancing throughout a whole series of postures. That's why it demands so much more in terms of placing the body in the right way and being able to move very smoothly. That smoothness provides calmness. That makes tai chi multifaceted-you learn to relax, to coordinate your body so it is balanced at any point."

In addition to physical balance, tai chi chuan practice cultivates what might be termed "mental balance," both in martial arts and in life. The tai chi chuan symbol consists of a circle with a wavy line; the two resulting shapes represent yin and yang. "The original tai chi symbol used a straight line," Lee says. "But the curved line indicates dynamic interaction. Yang is not more than yin, or vice versa. You have to have both." Together, they represent being assertive and attacking, as well as being yielding and defending.

"Through tai chi training, I have begun to realize [the importance of] additional training in the yin aspect, which is yielding or using pliable energy to avoid being hit directly," he continues. "But in reality, yielding can provide more torque. Rather than always attack, I put a little more emphasis on the yin aspect. I also began to realize how to relax and generate power from the hip and legs. The Chinese say, 'When a person who studies a hard system gets old, he worries about getting slower and weaker; when you see a tai chi master in his advanced years, watch out. He's just as powerful; he may even invoke some magic power.' There is no magic power; he's using yielding and attacking simultaneously."

Relaxing is essential in tai chi chuan practice, Lee claims. "The Chinese call it sung. It is the most important word in tai chi because of its three aspects: The body and joints have to relax, the muscles have to relax, and the mind has to relax." The tension in the forehead disappears, and the student starts breathing calmly. His internal organs are relaxed, and the relaxation penetrates more and more deeply into the whole body, he says.

But relaxation does not mean a tai chi chuan stylist is not ready to fight. "From relaxation to total tension takes only a fraction of a second," Lee says. "If you tense [your muscles], then relax and go tense again, it's so slow. It's almost like mathematics-first we learn about zero and always use the positive numbers. Relaxation which is yielding, [is like the] negative numbers. The more you relax, the more you approach the negative numbers. You now have a dynamic range from minus infinity to plus infinity. If you go from negative to positive, the explosion is unbelievable."

Best of Both Worlds

Lee says the masters of old created tai chi chuan to benefit their health and develop their combat skill. "Taoist master Chang San Feng actually had a lot of Shaolin [kung fu] training, but later converted to Taoism, which is more toward nature. So he was a fighter to begin with, but he realized that, aside from martial arts, internal development was more important. So he would journey deep into tai chi movement, which was more circular, less hostile, less blocking-but rather flow with the force." Because it is based on Taoist natural development, tai chi chuan emphasizes becoming one with nature, harmonizing oneself with the universe.

Lee acknowledges that most students choose tai chi chuan for its combination of self-defense and health benefits. "I think the majority of people have heard of tai chi's ability to help them relax, and they come for that," he says. "Middle-aged and older people come for health reasons and to develop coordination. But younger people who have had martial arts training realize the internal training of tai chi gives the ability to relax under pressure, and that is very appealing." This relaxation stills the mind and body, especially in a high pressure situation, and allows them to face the problem later with renewed strength.

"Learning the smooth body movements of tai chi can also help people in other areas-tennis, basketball, jogging or karate-anything that involves balance and not using unneeded muscles," Lee argues. He says tai chi chuan develops a skill for using only the muscles that are necessary and leaving the others relaxed; in this way, it helps conserve energy. "I have a maxim in my classes: In tai chi practice, efficiency is intelligent laziness. Don't use any muscle that is not needed; only use the muscles that are needed and only the right amount of force-no more and no less," he says.

During the first three months, Lee says his students usually begin to sense an awareness of balance and notice their legs getting stronger. They find that their aches subside and lower back pain disappears because they develop perfect body alignment and a straight, centered body. "Learning a whole form over a year provides continuous learning, and eventually the body assimilates the movements and begins to overcome the old habits and the instinct to tense up whenever something happens," Lee says. "It takes about a year to develop the idea of relaxing, centering, calming yourself, and from then on students can continue studying for the martial arts aspect." Interestingly enough, Lee says many new students are initially hostile and impatient, but a year later they are ready for tai chi chuan martial arts training because they have developed calmness and can do the movements without involvement of their ego.

So is tai chi chuan primarily a martial art or exercise? "Everybody has different goals," Lee replies. "For people who are sick or weak, tai chi is great exercise. In China, people do it every day; it's part of the lifestyle. They may not care about martial arts; they just want exercise. The whole thing is, life is based on movement. Whether you think of [tai chi] as a martial art or exercise, if you do it consistently, it will be beneficial.

"What makes tai chi unique is that beyond the exercise there is the element of self-defense," he continues. "If you don't study that aspect of tai chi, it becomes just exercise. But if you look at how tai chi movements originated-the rationale behind them-and you practice with the proper sequence and posture and with the martial art in mind, then at a later stage, when the body is ready for it, it's right there ready to be used."

Lee recites a final tai chi chuan maxim: "'What is the ultimate purpose of tai chi? To enjoy perpetual spring-a fountain of youth.' Even though you learn a martial art, later on you walk a peaceful path. You don't want to fight. You have the ability to fight, to protect yourself, but you don't go out and seek fights."

Two Techniques of Pushing Hands.
by Mark Wasson

For those who wish to master the Chinese art tai chi chuan, it is essential that they first become proficient at "pushing hands." The pushing-hands exercise, known as tui sao in Chinese, makes one's tai chi literally come alive. Pushing hands gives the student the ability to fully comprehend the power behind tai chi techniques. It teaches the practitioner how to move with and redirect an opponent's force, especially a larger adversary's energy. It also demonstrates to the tai chi stylist how the techniques in the form work, prompting him to use greater mental focus when practicing.

In North America, tai chi chuan is practiced primarily as a health exercise and not a martial art. For this reason, many students never become aware of the importance of the pushing-hands exercise and its many contributions to tai chi.

Perhaps the easiest way to explain tui sao is to say that it is an exercise performed by two people, that develops sensitivity to an opponent's intent. In some regards, it is similar to wing chun kung fu's chi sao, which is also known as "sticking hands." Both exercises teach sensitivity to, and the redirection of, an opponent's force. This, however, is all the two exercises have in common. The combat philosophy and mechanics of wing chun and tai chi are dramatically different. Wing chun emphasizes a straight-line theory of attack, while tai chi movements are circular. Wing chun is also an aggressive style, while tai chi is passive or reactive in nature. Hence, the way the two sensitivity exercises are performed is quite different.

There are three steps to learning pushing hands. The first step is referred to as the "single hand while stationary exercise." To advance to the second step, you simply add a second hand to the drill, making it a "double hands while stationary exercise." The third step, which involves stepping in specific patterns, is the "double hands while moving exercise." Some tai chi instructors add their own variations to these exercises, but these three drills are the foundation of pushing hands.

Technique #1

The first two exercises teach the tai chi student about physical rather than mental sensitivity. From birth, your eyes are the primary sense you rely on. You depend on your eyes almost exclusively for all your sensory input. Because of this dependence, your other senses become secondary and lose the ability to properly correlate sensory data. In essence, your other senses become rusty. For most people, this sensory limitation is quite normal and does not present problems in their day-to-day living. For tai chi practitioners, however, this sensory deprivation can mean the difference between fully understanding or never understanding their art. This is why the pushing hands exercise is so important. By practicing pushing hands, the entire body is trained to be ultra-sensitive and can instantly respond as a single, cohesive unit. When this level of sensitivity is achieved, it is a simple matter for the tai chi stylist to feel an opponent's intent and redirect it accordingly.

While the first two pushing-hands exercises teach physical sensitivity, the third drill, double hands while moving, enables the student to sense what the opponent will do next. This ability to predict correctly what one's opponent's next move will be is a tremendous advantage, speeding up the defender's reaction time to an attack. This is the basis for the famous tai chi adage "When my opponent moves fast, I will move faster; when my opponent moves slow, I match him." Understanding this concept is therefore an important part of tai chi.

There are two other important benefits of pushing hands that should be stressed. First, practicing pushing hands teaches the tai chi student how to move with his chi (internal energy). The tai chi form also does this, but pushing-hands practice takes it to a much more advanced level.

The second important benefit of push-hands training is that it gives the student a better understanding, in a hands-on manner, of why and how the style's fighting techniques work. By knowing the how and why of the techniques, you can better channel your chi at the appropriate moment in both the form and in selfdefense, making your techniques more explosive and powerful.

It should be noted that while performing any pushing-hands exercise, the force used in the pushes should be light, and the redirecting of energy should be smooth and continuous. When a practitioner becomes relatively accomplished at the pushing-hands exercises, he can begin to blend two of the drills during training. At this point, the exercise truly becomes free-flowing, allowing the students to relate the drill to the tai chi form and thus gain a deeper understanding of the application of the many movem ents.

Technique #2

Because pushing hands is so integral to mastering tai chi chaun, all tai chi systems include some form of it. Of course, there are slight differences in the way it is practiced from style to system, and even teacher to teacher. But, in general, it is the same exercise in each tai chi system. Such is the complementary nature of tai chi chuan systems.

http://www.physsportsmed.com/issues/1999/06_99/cheng.htm

Tai Chi Chuan

A Slow Dance for Health

John Cheng, MD

THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE - VOL 27 - NO. 6 - JUNE 1999

Tai Chi Chuan

A Slow Dance for Health

John Cheng, MD

THE PHYSICIAN AND SPORTSMEDICINE - VOL 27 - NO. 6 - JUNE 1999

Few low-velocity, low-impact exercise programs have high appeal for all ages and can be done almost anywhere. One that meets these specifications is tai chi chuan.

Pronounced "tie jee choo-on" and often simply called "tai chi," this traditional Chinese conditioning exercise combines deep breathing, relaxation, and slow, gentle, structured movement. Tai chi offers health benefits that are particularly attractive to older adults, and classes have sprung up all over the United States in recent years.

Ancient Roots

Chinese martial artist Chang San Feng is credited with developing tai chi over 700 years ago as a method of self-defense for monks. Since then it has evolved into an art that exercises the body and mind.

Tai chi literally means "moving life force." Tai chi's choreographed movements, called forms, resemble a slow, graceful dance (figure 1). These forms were designed to mimic animal movements, such as those of the snake and the white crane. Because tai chi requires concentration, some people describe it as moving meditation.

Tai chi is based on the Taoist belief that good health results from balanced chi, or life force. An imbalance in or obstruction of the chi is said to result in health problems. According to this belief, chi can be made up of varying degrees of yin and yang--yin representing qualities such as passivity, darkness, moisture, and cold; yang associated with such qualities as activity, light, dryness, and heat. In accordance with this belief system, the forms are practiced in order to stimulate and balance the body's chi. This is done through proper breathing and by learning to keep the muscles active but relaxed, the mind alert but calm, and body movements slow but well coordinated.

A Move Toward Health

A goal of health-oriented tai chi is enhancement of body awareness (proprioception) and overall well-being. Numerous claims have been made about the healing benefits of tai chi, suggesting that it can boost the immune system, improve digestion, decrease depression and anxiety, and promote relaxation. Some claims are substantiated; some are not. Recent research involving older adults has produced evidence that tai chi can help improve balance and lower blood pressure.

Balance. Tai chi can help improve motion by increasing flexibility and strengthening muscles used in posture and balance. This can lead to a significant reduction in falls (almost 50% in one study), which is thought to be due to improved proprioception and strength.

Blood pressure. Blood pressure reductions in older tai chi participants have been found to be only slightly less than those from a moderate-intensity aerobic exercise such as walking. (Aerobic exercise involves continuous, rhythmic use of large muscle groups like those in the legs for prolonged periods.)

Heart health. Elderly people who practiced tai chi about 1 hour a day, 5 days per week for 1 year showed significant improvements in the function of their heart and blood vessels. Some tai chi participants have achieved health benefits in as little as one 1-hour session per week for 12 weeks.

Aerobic exercise is the best exercise for the heart. In some studies, tai chi has yielded aerobic benefits, but not to the same extent as standard aerobic activities like walking. Tai chi, therefore, should generally be practiced along with, rather than in place of, regular moderate aerobic exercise.

Safety. Tai chi is safe. Students are trained to be aware of their physical limitations as they practice the forms, which can involve standing on one leg or walking with a narrow stance. Students are taught to recognize and maintain stable footing until they develop a firm "root," or ability to balance.

The movements of tai chi are less jarring than those of a low-impact exercise class. In two studies involving rheumatoid arthritis patients, those who practiced tai chi for 10 weeks had no increase in joint symptoms in comparison with patients who were not involved in tai chi.

Fitting It In

A tai chi program can be done at various intensity levels and modified to fit into a busy lifestyle. It can be used to complement traditional programs such as walking, jogging, swimming, and weight lifting.

Ideally, tai chi should be practiced for 20 to 30 minutes at least three times per week. A person who is inactive could start with 5 minutes once a week, but the goal is to gradually build up to the above target recommendation or to a reasonable comfort level. The most important goal is daily involvement in physical activity.

To perform tai chi correctly, students should be supervised by an instructor trained to monitor their posture and movement. Once the forms are learned, they can be practiced alone or in a group.

Tai chi classes can be found at health clubs, hospitals, martial arts schools, and community centers. (Videos are available, but there is no substitute for hands-on instruction for feedback and for realizing the full potential of tai chi.) Classes taught in martial arts schools generally place the emphasis on improving health, but it's wise to ask, because some instruction is combat-oriented. Talking with tai chi students who have seen positive results from working with a qualified instructor can be invaluable in making the decision about where to learn the techniques.

For More Information

To find out more about the health benefits of tai chi, contact the American Tai Chi for Health Association, 5 Journey, Suite 130, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656, Phone: 949-643-9268.

http://www.demko.com/m010523.htm

 Chi Exercise Empowers Elders
Professor David J. Demko, PhD
AgeVenture News Service