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Tai Chi requires fundamental meditation skills to execute properly. There are a variety of important aspects to your martial arts and exercise workout. Issues to consider in your session include:

Proper exercise clothing

Environment

Ambiance

Disruptions

Some of the experts argue that wearing proper clothing during the exercise session is every bit as essential as the mental preparation before actual session itself. They rationalize that:

Spiritual energy Qi flows from every pore in the body

Tight and inhibitive clothing can severely diminish the flows of energy in your body. This is especially important to those who are starting to learn the skills of the ancient art. Starters tend to have more difficulty in detecting and managing Qi.

This artistic martial art is a moving meditation, tough heavy clothing like jeans and jackets are, so rigid and not as flexible, that it will hinder body movement and encumber the practitioner.

Tight or heavy clothing tends to be uncomfortable, especially in the middle of a meditation.

Properties of the right exercise clothing

The proper clothing is soft, light, and supple. For best results the clothes should be:

Soft as not to distract the practitioner

Light as not to inhibit movement

Supple enough to accommodate the postures

Made of cotton, linen, or silk

Linen pants are a favorite choice since linen is thermo-regulating, strong, durable and more resistant to wear and abrasion. Traditional Chinese martial arts masters uses silk since, silk was plentiful in china. Cotton is also an alternative if silk and linen are not easily available. Cotton is cool and is also less expensive.

Colors and Uniforms

The most common color of Tai Chi clothing is black and white, but there are no restrictions to the color of clothing that you wear. If attending a specific school there may be a specific color that is required by students.

There are many other schools that do not require specially designed uniforms. Instead, they use a printed T-shirt as the school uniform. Usually, the shirt is white and the school’s logo or Tai Chi symbols are printed on it. Trousers are the student’s responsibility.

The right clothing does not define the skill in the art. Any person interested in the art of Tai Chi can try it. It is a really a state of mind and does not require specific clothing. You can practice the meditation in the middle of Sahara wearing only a swimsuit if you wanted to.

The proper exercise clothing only serves to make you comfortable while practicing your art, so getting uncomfortable clothes defeats the purpose. Tai Chi is suppose to help you balance your mind and body so whatever cloths you decide to wear they should not distract you from your meditation experience.



By: Gregg Hall

About the Author:

Transportation

I practice Tai Chi on a regular basis and have lost fat, gained muscle, have better balance, more energy, a more balanced mind, more balanced moods and feel so much healthier. If I can do it, so can you.

You can learn Tai Chi right in the comfort of your own home with various DVDs on Tai Chi. Learning in your home as opposed to joining a dojo has many benefits, especially if you are a busy person who would not be able to make it to the dojo on the required days and hours.

Benefits of learning Tai Chi online -

1. You can learn Tai Chi on your own schedule

2. You learn when you want to and when you have spare time to do so

3. You do not need to travel, so you can save time and money on commuting

4. You have the convenience to learn when and where you want to

5. You can learn from superior teachers

This is much like studying to get an associate, bachelors or even doctorate degree all online. You get to study when you want to, learn when you have the spare time and get your degree when you so choose. The trick is to just do it!

Learning Tai Chi online is not much different than that. You will need to have some self discipline, be able to take some time each week to study, practice and put in the effort required to learn this new art. You will need the self-discipline to put that DVD in your player and to practice your Tai Chi.

You have the opportunity to learn Tai Chi on your on time, on your schedule, where you want to and how you want to. This is not an opportunity that you would have very often. This is something that can literally change your life. Practicing Tai Chi on a regular basis has many emotional and physical health benefits. In a world of diet soda, 20 ounce coffee and fast food, the need for stress reduction has never been more important.

What would you do with more energy? What would you do with better balance? What would you do with a healthier mind and body? It won’t take up much of your time and no matter what your life situation is with time you do have the time to learn this special martial art when and where you choose to.

Tai Chi has proven to help you lose fat, gain muscle, have more energy, sleep better, balance your moods, lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol, lower your risk for future health problems such as heart disease, diabetes and cancers, give you better balance for less risk of falling and so much more. You can feel healthier and happier by learning Tai Chi online just like I did. Get started today!



By: Yoshi Kundagawa

About the Author:

Adiksi – Kecanduan

According to researches, Tai Chi, a Chinese exercise that uses both mind and body, can aid in preventing the shingles virus by increasing the body’s immunity against the VZV or varicella-zoster virus. Aside from preventing it, Tai Chi can also boost the body’s response to the vaccine for old adults. VZV is the virus that is responsible for diseases like shingles and chickenpox.

 

Understanding Shingles

 

Shingles is a kind of viral infection that causes debilitating rashes that are quite painful. It appears as blisters that can be seen at the middle of the person’s back turning to one side of his chest and overwhelming the breastbone. Parts of your body like the scalp, neck and face are also affected. Shingles can be excruciatingly painful.

 

One way to identify the disease is to pinpoint where it all started because shingles usually originates at one side of the body. Shingles is a sort of long term “side-effect” of chickenpox. It is because after having chickenpox, the virus within the body becomes inactive. After years, it gets to be reactivated as shingles.

 

Shingles is not a life-threatening situation but can be severely painful and can lead to a complication in which the skin remains painful and is very sensitive to even to the softest touch. It remains at that state until all blisters are gone. This kind of condition lasts for months or worse, years.

 

Shingles is the common for adults over 50 that is why it is important the old people be protected from the virus or have in them the prescribed tool to fight the virus out of their lives. For those who have not been affected with the virus, but is susceptible to, better be more cautious and maintain the immune system on a healthy level.

 

What the public needs to know

 

Although vaccination can be an effective method to prevent acquiring shingles, it can only last long. But if the vaccination for shingles is combined with Tai Chi, the results are promising. Good news is, out of 5 persons who have undergone chickenpox, only one person will get shingles sometime in their 50s. Shingles will be very dangerous for older people.

 

Researchers and doctors said that, although more studies should be further enhanced, it is proven that Tai Chi combined with immunization was made effective as an intervention to prevent the increase of the painful condition. The positive effects of Tai Chi helped researchers determine that the height of response by the human body is incredible.

 

Study has it that Tai Chi alone can increase the patient’s immunity to the virus same with the outcome of ordinary vaccine. The moment Tai Chi is combined with the vaccine itself, it produced a significant result with a high level of immunity amounting to over 40%. Studies also show that compared to those that only acquired the vaccine, Tai Chi’s effects are doubled in the increase.

 

Aside from the increased level of immunity, Tai Chi also manifested remarkable outcome that include decrease in body pain, improved physical functioning, mental health and vitality. Groups who engaged in Tai Chi showed a decline in the symptoms of the disease’s severity.

 

Therefore, for those who are experiencing or knows someone who is at their golden years, it is better to advise them to engage in Tai Chi.

 



By: Gargi Nath

About the Author:

Finance Magazines

Tai Chi has been widely practiced as a Chinese martial art that focuses on slow sequential movements, providing a smooth, continuous and low intensity activity. It has been promoted to improve balance and strength and to reduce falls in the elderly, especially those ‘at risk’.

There are five major styles of tai chi chuan, each named after the Chinese family from which it originated:

Chen style (??) Yang style (??) (founded by Yang Lu-ch’an, 1799-1872) Wu or Wu/Hao style of Wu Yu-hsiang (Wu Yuxiang) (??) Wu style of Wu Ch’uan-yü (Wu Quanyuo) and Wu Chien-ch’uan (Wu Jianquan) (??) Sun style (??)

The order of verifiable age is as listed above. The order of popularity (in terms of number of practitioners) is Yang, Wu, Chen, Sun, and Wu/Hao. The first five major family styles share much underlying theory, but differ in their approaches to training.

Because tai chi is low impact, experts say, it’s a good choice for people carrying extra weight, who often have knee and hip limitations. If you can’t walk or do traditional exercise without pain, tai chi may be gentle enough to get you moving. And with regular practice, they say, you will begin to burn calories and lose weight.

Research indicates Tai Chi burns about 280 calories per hour, nearly as much as downhill skiing. It may also stimulate metabolism in regular practitioners.

When you’re overeating and not moving enough, your body becomes stressed. Practicing tai chi gets you in touch with your body and makes you more aware of its needs.

Tai chi may also help you deal with emotions that can trigger overeating, experts say.

Take 20 minutes to do a little tai chi,  and ”your palate has a whole different need. You’re not denying yourself; you’re just more in tune to what the body is really asking for.”



By: windflow

About the Author:

Majalah Gratis

Tai Chi is an excellent form of exercise that offers many benefits for people seeking to look and stay younger.

It is a very powerful form of stress management and that in itself can have a positive effect on your youthful look as stress can change the choices we make in food and drinks and also cause wrinkles from frowning.

Tai Chi is a low impact form exercise and is suitable for older people. The exercises help to build strength in the muscles and that is very important as people age and lose muscles mass through a lack of use.

Tai Chi also helps people to become more balanced and to be steadier on their feet which reduce the chances of falls as people age.

Posture is another area that is improved through the exercises that are performed in Tai Chi and this helps people to look younger as the ability to stand tall rather than stooped as many older people become will give the impression of being somewhat younger.

The strength that you can build through the exercises will improve many areas of health and that will slow the aging process and improve the chances of living a longer life and having the ability to enjoy that life better.

Many Tai Chi instructors will adapt programs to suit the various age groups and levels of fitness and there are moves underway in many areas of the country to encourage more elderly people to start doing Tai Chi as it has been shown to improve the quality of life for elderly people.

It can also help to reduce the impact that old injuries can have on pain management and the enjoyment that can be lost when injuries affect sleep and other areas of aging.

The social interaction of joining in with others to do Tai Chi helps people to stay alert and coordinated and the positive attitude that this brings with it enhances their life keeping them younger for longer.



By: Carson Danfield

About the Author:

Insurance Magazines

 

4. Tai Chi for Stress-related Symptoms

Control of Hypertension

In Wang et al.’s recent review (4) of Tai Chi, four studies (two with randomized control) were discussed in terms of its effects on hypertension, and all of them reported that it significantly decreased blood pressure among hypertensive patients.

The results in (11) suggest that light activity and moderate intensity aerobic exercise have similar effects on BP in previously sedentary elderly individuals. If future trials with large sample size and a no-exercise control group confirm these results, promoting light intensity activity could have substantial public health benefits as a means to reduce BP.

This study (13) examined the effects of Tai Chi vs. aerobic exercise for victims of heart attacks, comparing them to a cardiac support group as control.  Resting heart rate declined in the Tai Chi group, but curiously, not in the aerobics group in this study. Both the Tai Chi and aerobics groups showed a drop on systolic blood pressure, but only the Tai Chi group showed a drop in diastolic blood pressure.

Improvement of Cardiovascular Conditions

Wang et al. (4) reviewed 16 studies of Tai Chi in patients with cardiorespiratory conditions and reported that its regular practice will delay the decline of cardiorespiratory function in older adults and might be prescribed as a suitable exercise.

One of the few studies to focus on serious Tai Chi practitioners, mostly people in their 60’s, who had been practicing the new Yang Long form for 3-10 years, appears in (10). They practiced 3-7 times a week, with an average frequency of 5 times a week. A fairly rigorous practice: 20 minutes of warm-up exercises, 24 minutes of practicing the form paced by the Master, and 10 minutes of cool-down. This study compares these Tai Chi practitioners to a group of sedentary peers matched for age and body size, and looks at cardiorespiratory declines over a two-year period. It has some heart rate profiles that seem to indicate moderate aerobic benefit in older practitioners (this benefit has not been demonstrated in younger subjects).

In (12), changes in heart rate and electrocardiogram were recorded by telemetry in 100 volunteers who were regularly doing a Yang simplified (short) form. During the exercise, the change in heart rate was not very marked and no important electrocardiographic changes were recorded. Thus, it was speculated that the possible beneficial effect of Tai chi on the cardiovascular system cannot be attributed solely to the amount of exercise provided by Tai Chi and additional mechanisms must be sought. The author notes that “16 male and 10 female hypertensives reported a gradual normalization in blood pressure cutting the need for medication entirely or reducing the doses.”

The study (18) concluded that Tai Chi was a culturally appropriate mind-body exercise for older adults with cardiovascular risk disease factors. Statistically significant psychosocial benefits were observed over 12-weeks. Further research examining Tai Chi exercise using a randomized clinical trial design with an attention-control group may reduce potential confounding effects, while exploring potential mechanisms underlying the relaxation response associated with mind-body exercise. In addition, future studies with people with other chronic illnesses in all ethnic groups are recommended to determine if similar benefits can be achieved.  The authors were unaware of an earlier study (19) on the beneficial effects of Tai chi for dialysis patients.

This research (21) compared the effects of a short style of Tai Chi versus a brisk walking training program on aerobic capacity, heart rate variability (HRV), strength, flexibility, balance.  They found Tai Chi to be an effective way to improve many fitness measures in elderly women over a 3-month period  It was also significantly better than brisk walking in enhancing certain measures of fitness, including lower extremity strength, balance and flexibility, psychological status, and quality of life.  

Reduction of Chronic Pain Syndrome and Arthritis Symptoms

Pain and fatigue significantly decreased in the experimental group in (14).  However, the improvement in daily life performance of the rheumatoid arthritis patients was not statistically significant but their sense of balance was enhanced significantly.

Sun-style Tai Chi exercise (6) was found as beneficial for women with osteoarthritis to reduce their perceived arthritic symptoms and to healthier behavior.

In the short term study (15), the beneficial outcomes for Tai Chi group and aquatic group were significantly better than the self-help group. Tai Chi may be more suitable than aquatic exercise for osteoarthritis. Further longitudinal studies are necessary to confirm these results.  Similar conclusions were reached in another study (16) comparing Tai Chi and an aquatic group for rheumatoid arthritis.

The results (17) suggest Tai Chi does not exacerbate symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, Tai Chi has statistically significant benefits on lower extremity range of motion, in particular ankle range of motion, for people with RA. The included studies did not assess the effects on patient-reported pain.

The objective of this systematic review (25) is to evaluate data from controlled clinical trials testing the effectiveness of Tai Chi for treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Systematic searches were conducted on Medline, Pubmed, AMED, British Nursing Index, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycInfo, The Cochrane Library 2007, Issue 1, the UK National Research Register and ClinicalTrials.gov, Korean medical databases, Qigong and Energy Medicine Database and Chinese databases up to January 2007. 

Collectively this evidence is not convincing enough to suggest that Tai Chi is an effective treatment for RA. The value of Tai Chi for this indication therefore remains unproven.

Reduction of Anxiety and Depression

In (20), significant improvements in trait anxiety, pain perception, mood, flexibility, and balance were obtained.  These may have a profound effect on the incidence of falls, injuries, resulting disability, and overall quality of life.

The study (22) aimed to assess the usefulness of two interventions in a group rehabilitation medicine setting and to determine strategies and exercise guidelines for long-term care of the HIV/AIDS population with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and/or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).  It concluded that that Tai Chi and exercise improve physiologic parameters, functional outcomes, and quality of life. Group intervention provides a socialization context for management of chronic HIV disease. Further long and short term studies are required.

The effects on blood pressure, lipid profile, and anxiety status on subjects in a 12-week Tai Chi Chuan exercise program were studied (23).   It concluded that Tai Chi exercise training could decrease blood pressure and results in favorable lipid profile changes and improve subjects’ anxiety status. Therefore, Tai Chi could be used as an alternative modality in treating patients with mild hypertension, with a promising economic effect.

Another paper on the  beneficial effect of Tai Chi on depression in older individuals appears in (26).

Immunity

At rest the total number of T-lymphocytes and the number of active T-lymphocytes were increased significantly in the exercise group compared with the controls (8). Immediately after a bout of Tai Chi (88 style), a marked increase of active T-lymphocytes occurred. In conclusion, the results indicate that frequent Tai Chi exercise causes an increase of T-lymphocytes in the blood.

According to a new study (24), Tai Chi may help older adults

avoid getting shingles by increasing immunity to varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and boosting the immune response to varicella vaccine in older adults.  Tai Chi alone was found to increase participants’ immunity to varicella as much as the vaccine typically produces in 30- to 40-year-old adults, and Tai Chi combined with the vaccine produced a significantly higher

level of immunity, about a 40 percent increase, over that produced by the vaccine alone. The study further showed that the Tai Chi group’s rate of increase in immunity over the course of the 25-week study was double that of the health education (control) group. The Tai Chi and health education groups’ VCV immunity had been similar when the study began.  In addition, the Tai Chi group reported significant improvements in physical functioning, bodily pain, vitality and mental health. Both groups

showed significant declines in the severity of depressive symptoms.

Previous studies have suggested that Tai Chi may improve immune function. This study (27) was intended to examine whether 5 months of moderate Tai Chi and Qigong (TQ) practice could improve the immune response to influenza vaccine in older adults. It concluded that traditional TQ practice improves the antibody response to influenza vaccine in older adults.  However, further study is needed to determine whether the enhanced response is sufficient to provide definitive protection from influenza infection.

 



References



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2. Achiron A., Barak Y., Stern Y., Noy S. Electrical sensation during Tai-Chi practice as the first manifestation of multiple sclerosis,” Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery, 99, 280-281, 1997.

3. Sandlund, E. S., & Norlander, T. The effects of Tai Chi Chuan relaxation and exercise on stress responses and well-being: An overview of research. International Journal of Stress Management,7(2), 139–149, April 2000.

4. Wang, C. C., Collet, J. P., & Lau, J. The effect of Tai Chi on health outcomes in patients with chronic conditions. Archive of Internal Medicine, 164, 493–501, 2004.

5. Kuramoto, A. M. Therapeutic benefits of Tai Chi exercise: research review. WMI, 6, 105(7), 42-6, Oct. 2006.

6. Song, R., Lee, E.O., Lam. P. Bae, S.C. Effects of a Sun-style Tai Chi exercise on arthritic symptoms, motivation and the performance of health behaviors in women with osteoarthritis. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi, 37(2),249-56, March 2007.

7. Jin, P.. Changes in heart rate, noradrenaline, cortisol and mood during Tai Chi. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Vol. 33, No. 2, 197-206, 1989. Sun, X., Xu Y., Xia Y. Determination of E-rosette-forming lymphocytes in aged subjects with Taichiquan exercise. Int J Sports med, Vol.10, No 3, 217-219, 1989.

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9. Jin, P. Efficacy of Tai Chi, brisk walking, meditation, and reading in reducing mental and emotional stress. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, Vol. 36, No. 4, 361-370, 1992.

10. Lai, J., Lan, C., Wong, M., and Teng, S. Two-year trends in cardiorespiratory function among older Tai Chi Chuan practitioners and sedentary subjects. Journal of the American Geriatric Society, Vol. 43: 1222-1227, 1995.

11. Young, D.R., Appel, L.J., Jee, S. The effects of aerobic exercise and T’ai Chi on blood pressure in the elderly,”, Circulation v. 97(#8), 54-P54, March 3, 1998.

12. Gong, L, Qian J., Zhang J., Yang Q., Jiang J., and Tao Q. Changes in heart rate and electrocardiogram during Taijiquan exercise; analysis by telemetry in 100 subjects. Chinese Medical Journal 94(9), 589-592, 1981.

13. Channer, K.S., Barrow, D., Barrow, R., Osborne, M., and Ives, G. Changes in haemodynamic parameters following Tai Chi Chuan and aerobic exercise in patients recovering from acute myocardial infarction. Postgraduate Medical Journal, 349-351, 1990.

14. Lee, K.Y. and Jeong, O. Y. The effect of Tai Chi movement in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi, 36(2),278-85, 2006.

15. Lee, H.Y. Comparison of effects among Tai-Chi exercise, aquatic exercise, and a self-help program for patients with knee osteoarthritis. Taehan Kanho Hakhoe Chi, 36(3), 571-80, 2006.

16. Kirsteins, A.E.; Dietz, F.; Hwang, S.M. Evaluating the safety and potential use of a weight-bearing exercise, Tai-Chi Chuan, for rheumatoid arthritis patients. Am. J. Phys. Med. Rehabil., 70(3), 136-41, 1991.

17. Han, A., Robinson, V., Judd, M., Taixiang, W., Wells G.; Tugwell, P. Tai Chi for treating rheumatoid arthritis. Cochtane Database Syst. Rev., (3), CD004859, 2004.

18. Taylor-Piliae, R.E., Haskell, W.L., Waters, C.M.; Froelicher, E.S. J. Adv. Nurs., 54(3), 313-29, 2006.

19. Mustata, S., Cooper, L., Langrick, N., Simon, N., Jassal, S.V,; Oreopoulos, D.G. The effect of a Tai Chi exercise program on quality of life in patients on peritoneal dialysis: a pilot study. Perit. Dial. Int., 25(3), 291 – 4, 2005.

20. Ross, M.C., Bohannon, A.S., Davis, D.C.; Gurchiek, L. The effects of a short-term exercise program on movement, pain, and mood in the elderly. Results of a pilot study. J. Holist. Nurs., Jun;17(2):139-47, 1999.

21 Audette, J.F., Jin, Y.S. , Newcomer, R., Stein, L. Duncan G., Duncan, G.; frontera, W.R. Tai Chi versus brisk walking in elderly women. Age Aging. Jul;35(4),388-93, 2006.

22. Galantino, M.L., Shepard, K., Krafft, L., Laperriere, A., Ducette, J., Sorbello, A., Barnish, M., Condoluci, D.; Farrar JT. The effect of group aerobic exercise and t’ai chi on functional outcomes and quality of life for persons living with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. J. Altern. Complement. Med. Dec;11(6),1085-9, 2005.

23. Tsai JC, Wang WH, Chan P, Lin LJ, Wang CH, Tomlinson B, Hsieh MH, Yang HY, Liu JC. The beneficial effects of Tai Chi Chuan on blood pressure and lipid profile and anxiety status in a randomized controlled trial. J Altern Complement Med. Oct;9(5):747-54, 2003.

24. Irwin, M.R., et al. Augmenting immune responses to varicella zoster virus in older adults: A randomized, controlled trial of Tai chi for rheumatoid arthritis: systematic review 25. Lee et al. Tai chi for rheumatoid arthritis: systematic review. Rheumatology (Oxford), Nov., 46(11),1648-51, 2007..

26. Chou, K.L., Lee, P.W., Yu, E.C., Macfarlane, D., Cheng, Y.H., Chan, S.S.; Chi, I. Effect of Tai Chi on depressive symptoms amongst Chinese older patients with depressive disorders: a randomized clinical trial. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry, Nov;19(11):1105-7, 2004.

 



By: Martin Eisen

About the Author:

Insurance Magazines