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A**N
Excellent review on Tai Chi research
The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai ChiThis book may not be the right book for everyone, but it is exactly what I was looking for.I have been practicing traditional Chinese martial arts (Kung Fu) for the past 30 years. For the past several years, I had been practicing solely Tai Chi Chuan (Chen style), and made an enormous effort to find out why it was call the "Grand Ultimate" by practicing daily and studying many books on the subject written in Chinese.Recently, a few of my friends (mostly middle-aged professionals) asked me to teach them Tai Chi. First I was very skeptical that I would be able to teach such a complicated and esoteric art. Although many people practice and I think only rarely one understands the principles of the Tai Chi classics written by Wong Zungyue, Wu Yuxiang, Chen Xin, and etc. Also, not only difficult to understand, Tai Chi is also risky if one does not practice correctly. From experience, errors in training would lead to bad habits and injury in various parts of the body. At first, I politely refused them and told them I did not have enough knowledge to be a teacher.Around the same time, one of my colleagues, a rheumatologist, told me some of his patients asked him about Tai Chi as a means of rehabilitation. He also showed me an Arthritis Foundation Pamphlet that offers Tai Chi classes. This aroused my interest in finding out more about Tai Chi for health and wellness. Search into the internet first yielded information from the NIH, along with many studies published in Western medical journals; an Australian family doctor with a large enterprise on Tai Chi for health and various different disease conditions, who gives world wide work shops, certifications, and sells books and DVDs. At last, I found this book, "Harvard Medical Guide to Tai Chi" by Dr. Peter Wayne.This ancient fighting art has coming a long way and started to connect with the Western culture. This book may be just what I needed to connect my profession (Western medicine) and my life time passion (Chinese martial arts). I envision teaching a Tai Chi class at work and in the community where I live in.I ordered the book immediately. I was hopeful that this would be the book that would show me the rope. At the same time, I was also very skeptical. Once I received the book, I wrote down the following questions before I started reading:Does it:1. live up to the big names (Harvard Medical School) and the big promise (12 weeks to a healthy body strong heart and sharp mind)?2. correlate the ancient martial art to modern science?3. interpret Tai Chi with the classic Tai Chi principles?4. describe a safe, easy to learn, and effective program for beginners or patients?First, this must be the first time ever that someone (Dr. Wayne) exhaustively compiled and reviewed the scientific research on the subject of Tai Chi and related mind-body topics. There are over fifty pages of references at the end of the book. This feat alone deserves the big names. This is the most extensive review on the topic of Tai Chi health effects to date.Second, Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art. Understanding of this original intention leads to correct practice. Dr. Wayne uses the Western reductionist approach to boil the art down to the modern day emphasis on health and exercise. Although this book did not discuss martial meaning of the movements, sinking of "Kwah' was mentioned many times in his book. To me, this "sinking of kwah" is the most import point in all movements. If this is not done correctly, all other effort would be pointless.Third, I would like to correlate the eight active ingredients with the classic Tai Chi writings. Since these classics were written in simplistic but archaic language (old style Chinese), they are difficult to understand. Fortunately, there are many books written by contemporary masters who had made commentaries. From my experience, a point in the classics is not easy to understand until one experience it physically. Then it confirms my understanding of that point. The following is the correlation of the eight ingredients with the classic Tai Chi terminologies (in Chinese):1) Awareness, mindfulness, focused attention - 心靜 a calm, concentrated mind is needed to perform the complicated moves, paying attention to every part of the body, in movements and breathing.2) Intention, belief, expectation - 意 this is the work of the mind (heart) that governs the action. Tai Chi is not like other exercises that simply move the limps without purpose.3) Dynamic structural integration - 貫串 the strength is transferred from bone to bone, joint to joint smoothly without any wasted energy. Training in Tai Chi will teach one to move in the most energy efficient way.4) Active relaxation of mind and body - 鬆 the purpose of relaxation is to deliver strength smoothly with out obstacle and stiffness. This requires coordination between agonist (contraction) and antagonist muscle (relaxation).5) Aerobic exercise musculoskeletal strengthening and flexibility - 勁 True strength is not contraction of a single muscle or movement of a single joint. One moves and all moves synchronously. Core muscle strength will develop from Tai Chi postures. Flexibility will develop from the Tai Chi circular movements which stretch the joints.6) Natural, freer breathing - 氣 the abdominal breathing is a key feature of meditation, and Tai chi. As we grow up, we pick up bad habits even in basic things such as walking, posture and breathing. Practicing the deep abdominal breathing will rejuvenate us back to infancy (that is, breathe like the infant).7) Social interaction and community - 師友 this point can be found in the book by Chen Xin, which described to gain knowledge and understanding in Tai Chi, one may seek a teacher or practice with a friend. From my own experience, I learned the basics from my teacher (sifu), and then I practiced push hand with a friend.8) Spirituality, philosophy and ritual - 神 usually, Chinese philosophy includes references of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism. In Tai Chi Chuan is organized according to I Ching and Chinese Medicine. Jin (essence extracted from food and air) converts to Chi (life force that gives function and support of organs), and Chi creates Shen, the liveliness or spirit of the person.3, 4, 5 and 6 are physical (external yang) and 1, 2, 7, and 8 are psychological (internal ying).Fourth, the program described in the book appears promising. It does not contain the traditional choreographed form but included five Tai Chi movements from the form. To do Tai Chi movement is to move in circles. It is more important for a student to know the circles than to be able to remember set and forms. Too often I've seen people learning forms after forms (24, 48, 64, 108, Chen, Yang, Wu, Wu, Sun, big frame, small frame, slow frame, fast frame and different weapons, etc), without knowing the circles inside. Therefore, I believe knowing the circles will be able one to experience the health effects of Tai Chi. However, reading the book does not replace going to a class and learn from a qualified teacher. A teacher will point out mistakes, where as one may misunderstand a message from a book.My thoughts after reading the book are that this book indeed answered all of my initial questions. Since I practice Chen Style, I have designed a slightly modified program based on this book. I hope to use it in a class for our doctors/hospital employees, a beginning class for the community, and rehabilitation program for patients. I will follow up with the results.
C**Y
And now for something completely different
Let me begin with a disclaimer, or sorts, I returned to the practice of Tai Chi four years ago after a break of too many years. I had read many interesting accounts of people who experienced greater energy or a recovery from a wide variety of medical conditions as a result of Tai Chi. But all these accounts are anecdotal with no objective evidence to support the claims. Part of my personal bias includes the fact that in the six years I have been retired, I have lost forty pounds and lowered my blood pressure 20 points.Now for the completely different part of this book by Dr. Peter Wayne. He wears two hats in this book, first he is Assistant Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Second he is Sifu Wayne with more than 35 years of training experience in Tai Chi and Qigong and is internationally recognized teacher of these disciplines. It is the first hat which makes this Tai Chi book different. As the Director of Research for the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, jointly based at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital he brings a scientific research based approach to the benefits of Tai Chi whic has been lacking in any other book on the subject to date. At the end of the book there are 52 pages of citations of peer reviewed studies in multiple disciplines showing the positive health results from the practice of Tai Chi. But before anyone would dismiss this as a dry scientific study, Dr. Wayne includes a 12 week simplified program which gradually increases your time to about 35 minutes per session. He includes photographs to supplement the written description of the movements and what makes this book a real treat is that you do not need a gym or any special clothing or equipment to perform the program.Tai Chi has already been recommended by AARP, the National Arthritis Association, Harvard Medical School (hence the title of the book) and many hospitals across the U.S. When someone asks me what Tai Chi is like I explain that it is like a form of slow motion yoga, but this description only scratches the surface. This is a great book for some one with a chronic health condition who is looking to improve their quality of life, but it is also a wonderful resource book for health care providers who want to have some research based information to share with patients who may be skeptical about a new modality of treatment. I give The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi my highest recommendation and thank Dr Peter Wayne for bringing this ancient practice into the twent first century with an evidence based approach to the study of Tai Chi.
D**N
take a deep breath.
Read this book, and you will be glad that you did.Fun, sensible and warm. The author is an excellent teacher.
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