Our news roundup this month starts with a unique article relating Tai Chi with economics. Apparently the basics of economic (and any universal phenomenon) can be understood through the forces of Yin and Yang. Gary Jiang, the President of American Tai Chi Association, explains:
When too many bad sub-prime mortgage loans failed, which is one of the Yin factors in the economic system, it triggered the negative chain reaction in our economic system and out-powered all the healthy economic practices, which is the Yang, as the capability to originate new mortgages from the banking system diminished.
Read the full article here.
The Mayo clinic has published a nice article on Tai Chi, naming stress reduction, balance and agility as benefits you reap from a regular practice.
And finally, the Orlando Sentinal reports on a study tracking centeniarians. What is the secret to living to 100 years of age? Emotional stability. The study concluded that “longevity was associated with being conscientious, emotionally stable, and active.” Tai Chi makes an appearance in a list of tools that type-a personalities can use to change their ways.
An article at Bella Online features a video of the Wu Shu Tai Chi performance in the Olympics opening ceremony. The second half shows 2008 Tai Chi performers moving in perfect unison. It’s quite amazing. They also have a video from the 2006 Traditional Wushu Championships in China.
In more Olympic news, taekwondo gold medalist Chu Mu Yen credits Tai Chi for helping him achieve his gold medal aspirations in this article.
And finally, an article in Tampa Bay Online says Tai Chi can help those with mobility problems.
The Web site of the National Center on Physical Activity and Disability lists several benefits of tai chi, including promoting relaxation, improving lung capacity and cardiovascular and respiratory function, improving balance and posture, increasing flexibility and reducing pain.
Read more about it here.
A new study out in the Sleep journal shows that Tai Chi helps you get a good night’s sleep.
Nearly two-thirds of people who learned the slow, gentle tai chi chih moves experienced significant improvements in sleep quality.
Read the full article here.
In other Tai Chi news for July, BlogCritics Magazine has a review of 1993 film Tai Chi Master starting Jet Li and Michelle Yeoh. It is a work of Yuen Woo-Ping who has choreographed martial arts scenes for Kill Bill: Vol 1 & 2 and the Matrix trilogy. Read the review here.
If you’re in St. Paul, MN this summer, head over to Rice Park for free Tai Chi sponsored by the St Paul Public LIbrary. Get details here.
Have you thought about getting your kid into Tai Chi? This article might convince you to do so.
And here’s yet another study showing that Tai Chi is good for arthritis. The article also has information on free Tai Chi classes in Clinton, NY.
In the latest Tai Chi news, SeniorJournal.com reports that Tai Chi helps seniors sleep better and can even be as beneficial as a shingles vaccine.
[The study] showed that practicing tai chi chi alone boosted immunity to a level comparable to having received the standard vaccine against the shingles-causing varicella zoster virus.
Read the article here.
Stuff.co.nz has an interview with Tai Chi expert Loo-Chi Hu. Loo-Chi Hu is the subject of a documentary called Huloo that is screening at New Zealand International Film Festival in Wellington and Christchurch in mid-July.
Before I learned tai chi, I learned the hard martial art and with the hard martial art your behaviour is hot and you sometimes fight with people. My father advised me to practise tai chi, and since I have never got in a fight.
Read the article here.
And lastly, GadsdenTimes.com reports on a variety of meditative practices becoming popular among psychotherapists. Mindfulness Meditation, Tai Chi, Transcendental Meditation, and Yoga are among the most popular.
The National Institutes of Health is financing more than 50 studies testing mindfulness techniques, up from 3 in 2000, to help relieve stress, soothe addictive cravings, improve attention, lift despair and reduce hot flashes.
Read the article here.
News from Hollywood (or rather Korea) has Keanu Reeves planning a new tai chi movie. From CinemaBlend.com:
[Keanu Reeves] has been talking to Matrix stunt choreographer Yuen Wo Ping about doing a new kung fu movie. The film is called Tai Chi Tiger, and Keanu would be the villain. A guy named Tiger Chen Hu would star as the movie’s hero, a Tai Chi master.
The WCFCourier of Waterloo, Iowa has a nice article on the holistic health benefits of tai chi.
First Coast News of Jacksonville, FL discusses the local hospital’s recommendation of tai chi to ease the symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.
And finally, CEE-foodindustry.com carries on the recent spate of articles linking dairy production with tai chi. Organic dairy farmers in the UK say it helps relax their cows which makes for good milk production:
Being an organic dairy farmer is hard work. I want to make sure I am as relaxed and focused as possible. My mood definitely transfers to my cows and as organic farmers we believe happier cows produce better milk.
Read the full article here (bottom of page).
Perhaps because of the Beijing Olympic Games coming up, a lot more tai chi news articles are appearing. With that in mind, we’ve decided to have a tai chi news roundup each Wednesday to keep you informed of what’s going on in the world of tai chi.
BBC News and the Straits Times of Singapore cover a report from the British Journal of Sports Medicine that tai chi can help curb the symptoms of type 2 diabetes.
The West, a West Australian newspaper, has an article about the general health benefits of tai chi.
If you happen to be in the Illinois area, there will be a World Tai Chi Day celebration April 26 in Quincy. Read more about it here.
In the truly bizarre news of the week (or rather the year), The Times Online writes about a man who swears by tai chi for putting his cows in the mood for milking. This article is complete with a picture.
Here’s an article with an interesting point: Tai Chi teaches many of the same lessons that successful Entrepreneurs should follow. Examples are:
- Warm up before you start something new
- Having diversity enriches your experience
- There is time to meditate
- Get outside your comfort zone
- Leave every encounter with a smile
Read the full article here.
Naples Daily News (that’s Naples, Florida) has a long feature article on Tai Chi and Qigong. The article includes history and styles of both Tai Chi and Qigong as well as their applications for physical and mental ailments including joint pain, immune function and mental health. Click here to read the article.
A shorter article can be found at the Fayetteville Observer about a retired Army officer who suffers from multiple sclerosis. He credits Tai Chi with keeping him mentally fit and out of a wheelchair.
“If all I did was sit at home in front of the TV or the computer, I’d probably be in a wheelchair by now,†he said.
Read the full article here.
Aaron Hoopes is the founder of Zen Yoga, a mix of Indian yoga, Japanese zen, Chinese tai chi and qigong. In his book and accompanying DVD he says that yoga and tai chi naturally compliment each other since yoga focuses on flexibility and tai chi opens the joints.
“If you combine this concept of movement and circulation through the joints with the lengthening and strengthening of the muscles in yoga, then you get what Zen Yoga is trying to accomplish in getting the whole body working and flowing with energy,” he said.
Read the full article here. You can find Zen Yoga at Amazon in DVD format or paperback.
The following is from The Seattleite–a surprisingly insightful answer to a question posed by someone annoyed by those who practice Tai Chi in public.
These men may seem laughably irrelevant to whatever important thing you’re rushing off to. They may be far removed from the glittering sideshows thrown up by the media to distract us from the true state of the world. But is it not the case that wisdom may be contained in the least comely of vessels? Next time, pause for a moment to ponder the contents of these headband-sporting gray heads. Consider that, as they slowly push at the air, they are also pushing at the limitations of our culture itself. They’re urging it, and us, to slow down and feel the quiet rhythm of a healthy spirit. Indeed, for them to practice in public is an act of generosity, offered to the world with great humility.
Read the full article here.
Also in the news, and article in the Oregonian about the benefits of ChiWalking and ChiRunning.
“Injury prevention seems to be the key for many people,” [Toni Ellsworth] said. “It’s a holistic way of moving: a way of engaging the mind and the body while walking or running.”
Read the full article here.
