HEALTH BENEFITS
Stress Reduction
" T'ai Chi might well be considered the world's oldest stress reduction program. For the most part stress is understood to be a mental/emotional situation expressed through the physical body. Anxiety, worry, fear, and a host of related negative mental states can and do cause serious physical symptoms including increased blood pressure, impaired organ function, and accumulated tension in the muscles and joints which can lead to arthritis and other joint afflictions.
T'ai Chi, like contemporary Western psychiatry, understands that it is very difficult to directly influence the mental/emotional state. So what has developed over the centuries is a very simple yet highly sophisticated method of influencing mental/emotional changes through body experiences.
T'ai Chi , as a branch of Traditional Chinese Medicine,looks at the mind, emotions, and body as interconnected. Their relationship is one of constant exchange of information and influence, and so, in a very real sense, mind, emotions, and body are one and the same. Therefore if we create a positive change in one, all then receive the information of that change, and then are changed themselves. So in T'ai Chi we use a process of relaxing muscular tensions, improving posture, and a deepening of the breathing process to affect in a positive way the stress levels of the mind and emotions.
T'ai Chi also places emphasis on the development of certain life-style principles of which none is more important than that of balance. It is understood that in a very real sense all tension and stress are expressions of imbalance. Therefore the cultivation of improved balance, once again as a mind/body experience, can only have the affect of reducing stress
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Arthritis & Rheumatism
In terms of being a movement study, T'ai Chi is emphatically joint oriented. The basic idea is that the joints govern movement in the body, both physical and energetic. The joints were often referred to as "gates" which implied that they controlled how much energy would move through the body. Therefore a recognized to necessitate the need to maintain a high degree of joint flexibility and strength.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is a foundational life philosophy called the Five Elements. This is a model of the cosmos in respect to five component factors; fire, earth, metal, water, and wood. Each of these elements contribute an essential ingredient to one's complete health experience. The wood element is that which governs the joints.
If one were to imagine a blade of grass, or a bamboo shoot, one would have the perfect example of the wood quality; supple strength. In T'ai Chi as an internal art, it is recognized that this quality of suppleness can not come from muscle strength. Muscles must supply good tone, but the quality that we look for in T'ai Chi is much more joint oriented. The ancient Taoist sage Lao Tzu taught that, "It is the stiff old tree that snaps in the strong wind, while the blade of grass bends and lives to see another day". So the practice of T'ai Chi has been developed with this in mind.
The result of doing T'ai Chi is that all the joints of the body benefit. In Chinese medicine, conditions like arthritis and rheumatism are considered the result of stagnation (toxicity), or poor circulation. So T'ai Chi practice supports the improvement of circulation due to a strengthening and expanding of range of movement of the joints, especially those of the ankles and hips.
If a joint condition such as arthritis is at an advanced stage, T'ai Chi might offer some relief and improvement. If the situation is at an earlier stage, practice can be enormously beneficial as a preventative and curative therapy.
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Weight Management
The study of T'ai Chi is traditionally considered a "homeostatic" practice. This term implies that the nature of the result catalyzed by the practice is one which supports one's ability to return to balance. This quality of balance, at least in my view, is really the heart of the study, and as in the case of most aspects of T'ai Chi, it is a multifaceted experience.
There certainly are a number of major contributors to a successful approach in managing one's weight; diet, exercise, self-esteem, metabolic rate, and toxicity are all important elements of the overall program. T'ai Chi , with its gentle yet effective approach, works on all of them.
Initially, when one practices T'ai Chi , the common observation is that one's physical balance isn't very good. Recognizing this state of imbalance, using the slow, smooth exercises, one begins the work of improving their physical balance. The beauty of the art is that at the very same time the student is sending this same message of balance throughout all aspects of their body/emotions/mind.
In T'ai Chi there is an understanding and respect for each individual as a unique expression of life's creative process. The operational word here is "unique". Unfortunately in our culture, because of the media, we are imprinted with very narrow ideas of beauty, desirability, and sense of worth. In Traditional Chinese Medicine there is this basic tenet called the Five Elements; those of fire, water, metal, and wood. Each of these different elements represents a completely different body type, from tall and thin, to short and broad. None of the types are considered more beautiful, more desirable, nor healthier. The intention of the practice is to engage in the process of learning who and what you are, and then going about improving what that is to the best of your ability. This is never to be confused with the frustrating attempt to try to be someone else, or something that you're not.
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Issues of Aging
For a number of reasons I feel that T'ai Chi is one of the best possible exercise systems for seniors (defined as those 55 years of age or older). I have taught for Senior Citizen Centers for over 5 years now and never cease to be amazed at the results that seniors derive from T'ai Chi practice.
To begin with, T'ai Chi is a study that places great emphasis on balance, both physical and mental. It is very common for people, as they get older, to begin to lose their sense of balance and therefore become much more susceptible to falls and subsequent injuries. It has been documented that the fear of falling is one of the greatest concerns of Senior Citizens. In T'ai Chi practice, the principles of balance, which include joint involvement (ankle, knee, and hip), lower body awareness, and posture as it is involved in all body movements are explored and improved. This leads to a better sense of body movement and a growing confidence that permits a person of any age to live a fuller and more productive life.
Another major benefit of T'ai Chi as it relates to seniors is its emphasis on gentleness and relaxation. Truly any individual can begin T'ai Chi because the best place to start your study is right where you are. In fact one of the most valuable aspects of the practice is to better define who you are in this very moment so that, knowing that, you can then chart your course of improvement and growth. I feel that a minimum entry level ability would be that of being able to walk, although a variation of practice can be adapted even for that individual who is unable to presently accomplish this. Lastly, I feel that a major value for the senior (or for that matter any adult) is the challenge of getting involved in a new study, accepting the fact that one is a beginner, and refining one's ability to learn. In my classes with seniors I de-emphasize the importance of evaluating their practice on a physical basis. This is not to imply that the physical aspect is not important, but rather to place the emphasis where it should be, which is on the challenge of learning. Over time, with practice, one begins to see that any life experience, including health and happiness, can be a learned experience.
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Post-Operative Recovery
In recent years contemporary Western medicine has become more aware of the benefits that accompany the minimizing of a patients post-op down time, down time referring to exclusive bed time. For a number of reasons, including increased cases of pneumonia and slower recovery time, hospitals began to experiment with programs that supported post-op patients, as quickly as possible, getting up and moving in order to speed up their recuperative process. Recently a number of hospitals have included T'ai Chi as an aspect of this approach.
In many ways T'ai Chi is perfectly suited for such a situation. It's emphasis on gentleness and relaxation implies an approach that allows the student/patient to practice comfortably.This permits even a person recovery from major surgery to participate with a sense of success. The therapeutic affects of T'ai Chi have always placed great emphasis on a movement experience that strengthens the immune system by increasing circulation throughout the body. This too is well suited for the post-op patient. Lastly, on the emotional and mental level, a major and understandable concern of many patients has to do with a question of being able to function after surgery. What are the long term affects of such an experience?
The practice of T'ai Chi, if presented in a skillful and appropriate manner, can greatly alleviate many of these concerns by offering a direct body experience that permits the patient, almost on a daily basis, to experience improvement; improvement in mobility, improvement in balance, improvement in strength and confidence. All these can be great emotional/mental contributors to the overall process of recovery after surgery."
Ron Perfetti
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