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Introduction to Simplified Tai Chi
Tai Chi Demonstrations
Tai Chi is a moving form of Qigong. For more information on Qigong, see Qigong for Health.
Introduction to Simplified Tai Chi
Tai Chi is a moving form of Qigong that can be done as a martial art or for health. Today, most people practice Tai Chi for health maintenance and improvement or for mitigating the effects of chronic conditions such as arthritis. Traditional forms of Tai Chi can take years to learn. In order to make the health benefits of Tai Chi more readily accessible to the population, shortened and simplified versions of it are being created. To this end, a National Expert Meeting on Qigong and Tai Chi was held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on November 14-16, 2005. The National Blueprint Office at the University of Illinois, in conjunction with the National Council on Aging (NCOA), received funding from the Archstone Foundation to explore the opportunities, issues, and challenges of integrating Qigong and Tai Chi into the Aging Network. Experts came from three areas: 1) Physical activity and the Aging Network; 2) Qigong/Tai Chi research; and 3) Qigong/Tai Chi practice to provide insight into the challenges of translating existing research models into effective community-based programs for the health benefits of older adults. The meeting was a milestone in the long-term vision to make Qigong and Tai Chi as popular among older Americans as Yoga has become in community fitness centers and exercise programs today.
The full proceedings of this meeting are available in the Consensus Report which includes a description, the process, participants, sponsors, and documents. In addition, an article in The Journal on Active Aging, Volume 5, Issue 5 (September/October 2006) entitled Qi Gong and Tai Chi: promoting practices that promote healthy aging provides an overview of the recommendations and outcomes of the National Expert Meeting. Also see the Qi Gong and Tai Chi Project Update: Spring 2007.
Easy to learn and practice versions of Tai Chi are being created to meet the recommendations of the National Expert Meeting. These forms of Tai Chi can be done sitting, standing, or walking, and movements may be done individually or in combinations. For an example approach to simplified Tai Chi visit the Tai Chi Easy website.
Tai Chi Demonstrations
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Click on the image or the name of the form to see a short demonstration.
Note: Videos may take a few moments to load.
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Click here to see an example of Standing Tai Chi by Roger Jahnke, OMD. Three movements are shown in succession: "Harmonizing Yin and Yang", "Brush knee, send Qi", and "Cutting the Path to Clarity" |
Click here to see an example of Walking Tai Chi TEST1 by Roger Jahnke, OMD. "Wave Hands in Clouds", "Dragon Tiger Mouth", "Placing the Sun and Moon", and "Gathering from Yin and Yang" are shown together in one continuous movement. |
Tai Chi Research
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The popular press, Time magazine for example, has called it "The Perfect Exercise". T'ai Chi Magazine, for Tai Chi practiced as a martial art, discusses the myriad health benefits of Tai Chi in its August 2006 issue. Newsweek's September 27, 2004 issue reports on the increasing use of Qigong in hospitals and cancer centers across the country. Lorenzo Cohen, head of integrative medicine at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, predicts that mind-body techniques will soon become as much a part of standard cancer care as chemotherapy or radiation. An MSN article Stay Young with Tai Chi explains how doing Tai Chi "offers cardiovascular benefits similar to brisk walking or low impact aerobics, but it's much easier on the body", lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, and improves balance.
There have been some excellent publications on the health benefits of Tai Chi in the medical press as well, such as in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Also, Yang Yang at University of Illinois Kinesiology Department has published a very compelling book on the medical benefits of Tai Chi. Tai Chi has been shown to increase balance control with resulting self-confidence and reduction in falls, especially among the elderly. Studies show it is effective for arthritis and pain, osteoporosis, strength and flexibility. Cardiovascular functioning is also improved. Research has found Tai Chi to be equivalent to moderate aerobic exercise. Tai Chi reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, and increases the capacity of the immune system. The American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation reported a study showing that Tai Chi is safe for rheumatoid arthritis patients.
There is a wealth of research on the benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong:
Selected Research on the benefits of Tai Chi - A Martial Arts and moving form of Qigong (PDF 78KB) From: Taijiquan - The Art of Nurturing, The Science of Power. Yang Yang. Zhenwu Publications. Champaign, Illinois. 2005. Contact: zhenwu@chentaiji.com.
More Tai Chi Research References.
Qigong Institute: Scientific Papers, Abstracts, and Reviews
Qigong and Energy Medicine Database
Qigong Institute: Qigong Dissertations
The Different Forms of Tai Chi
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There are two main types of Tai Chi (also spelled "T'ai Chi" or "Taiji" and also referred to as "Tai Chi Chuan" or "Taijiquan"). The first type is traditional, or lineage Tai Chi, such as Chen style, Yang style, and Wu style. Traditional Tai Chi is learned from masters and is handed down as an oral tradition from generation to generation. Qigong also has some lineage forms, such as Wild Goose. Generally, a Tai Chi form done for martial arts and not health has the "Chuan" on the end of it. Otherwise, it's often just called Tai Chi (or the newer taiji -- see an overview of Chinese character translation ), although the terms are often interchangeable. Note that Tai Chi magazine is called "T'ai Chi" magazine. Then in much smaller print below that, it's "The International Magazine of T'ai Chi Ch'uan". "Tai Chi" is the "marketing" term that you see in the popular press.There is also the second type, the newer non-lineage Tai Chi forms such as Beijing 24 Form, Tai Chi Chih, Tai Chi for Arthritis, and Tai Chi Easy. These shorter forms are based on the traditional forms, but are easier to learn, especially for older adults.
The term "form" can be a little confusing: It can refer to both individual movements (e.g. hand movements, a foot movement, a combined hand and foot movement, or several combined hand/foot movements) as well as a complete set of movements (e.g. Chen style 48 Form). People get excited by the popular media and want to do "Tai Chi". It looks cool and old people do it, so it must be good for you. They have no idea of what they are getting into when they sign up for their first Tai Chi class and don't know the difference between lineage and non-lineage forms. This distinction usually doesn't matter until the person has been practicing a while and wants to understand the practice at a deeper level. Regardless of whether a form is lineage or non-lineage, it is constructed from a number of individual movements and conforms to the fundamentals of Tai Chi, such as ground connection and knee alignment. Furthermore, the strength, flexibility, confidence, stress reduction, etc. benefits (i.e. the published benefits of Tai Chi) are the same. The main difference is the amount of time it takes to learn the form and how the form is taught. It can take years to learn a traditional form as opposed to one session, a few weeks, or just a few months to learn enough Tai Chi to be beneficial from a health standpoint. This is especially noteworthy for seniors. The benefits of Tai Chi are more readily available with the easier forms because people can learn them faster and are less willing to give up in the face of a long-term commitment to learning a full form. So for many people, doing a simpler form is the right answer for their health. For others, starting with the easier forms and moving to the lineage forms when comfortable is the best solution. Still others will immediately fall in love with doing the longer lineage forms. Note too, that some "easier" forms such as the new Beijing 24 Form are getting to be as long as some of the shorter traditional forms. Regardless of which type of Tai Chi you practice and enjoy, the health benefits are enormous and well documented.
The Beijing 24 Form (watch The 24 Forms video) is the non-lineage version of Tai Chi that has be standardized by the Chinese government to be taught in schools. For more information on Tai Chi see the video shorts Tai Chi for Beginners and T'ai Chi Daily Practice DVD Trailer or visit World Tai Chi and Qigong Day. People who have trouble getting enough cardiovascular exercise because of injuries, e.g. they can't run or jog anymore, may find Cardio Tai Chi useful. Also, click here to see samples of many different types of Tai Chi or watch a truly amazing demonstration of tai chi by thousands of people.
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day
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Celebrate Tai Chi and Qigong by participating in a global event of cooperation, health, and healing on the last Saturday in April. For more information, go to www.worldtaichiday.org
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WORLD TAI CHI AND QIGONG DAY - THE LAST SATURDAY IN APRIL (EVERY YEAR)
WORLD T'AI CHI & QIGONG DAY was started in the late 1990's by Bill Douglas, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong, as a way to introduce people to the profound healing and health maintenance benefits of Tai Chi (a moving form of Qigong) and Qigong. The event has grown into a worldwide phenomena, practiced in over sixty countries. It starts at 10 AM in the earliest time zone the last Saturday every April, and flows as a gentle wave across the entire planet. People feeling the incredible stress management benefits of these ancient tools realize what they offer humanity, and have begun to come together to share that awareness with society at large . . . and at a time when the world needs it the most.
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day Online Media Resources
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day web site – www.worldtaichiday.org
More information on WTCQD, including example proclamations by various levels of government, can be found on www.worldtaichiday.org
This site also has a "5-minute-Power-Point-Presentation" on the History of World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day. This presentation has caused a flurry of interest from media. Look on the home page of www.worldtaichiday.org and click on the "View a Power Point Presentation on the History of World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day" or at: http://worldtaichiday.org/HistoryofWTCQDPowerPoint.html
Open letter to World Tai Chi and Qigong Day Supporters and Participants from the Founder:
Dear World Tai Chi & Qigong Day Supporters & Participants,
This global wave of goodwill provides a vision of hope and healing to a world hungry for such visions. Each year to view the photos of people from different cultures, religions, and every corner of the earth . . . breathing together . . . in this global Tai Chi & Qigong movement . . . is profound.
When you look thru the photographs and videos you see that "look" on people's faces, a look that conveys a feeling that all of us who've experienced the well-being that Qi, or life energy, expands through our mind and body when we make the space to breathe . . . and to let, calm, and wellness expand thru us.
When you see that look in all these diverse faces, from so many different lands, you can't help but deeply realize that we are indeed "one world . . . and, . . . one breath."
We are all connected by the field of life energy that physicists are now discovering permeates all existence. By immersing ourselves in the field of life energy again and again, we become more and more grounded in the absolute reality that . . . we are all connected . . . all part of the web of life. And, by cultivating and growing the realization personally and globally, we may help in a subtle quiet way to usher in a more elegant future that nurtures us all in ways we cannot yet even imagine.
Again, thank you for making this extraordinary event and health movement possible thru your organizing and participation each year.
Sincerely,
Bill Douglas & Angela Wong Douglas, Co-Founders of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
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The Qigong Institute and Northwest YMCA receiving a proclamation of "World Tai Chi and Qigong Day" in Cupertino, CA. from the Mayor of Cupertino. |
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