Instagram video of yours truly using a resistance band for form training. Informative for structure, sensitivity, speed, and strengthen.
Tai Chi vs. Crossfit
Times has an article comparing tai chi to crossfit.
“It holds up when compared to other more strenuous types of exercise. “Over time, we see people who do tai chi achieve similar levels of fitness as those who walk or do other forms of physical therapy,” Irwin says. One study in theAmerican Journal of Epidemiology concluded that tai chi was nearly as effective as jogging at lowering risk of death among men. Another review inPLOS One found that the practice may improve fitness and endurance of the heart and lungs, even for healthy adults.”
The Giving Way: Sun Style Tai Chi Notes
The Giving Way
Still mind
Steady feet
Breathe, sink
Time the beats
All doors a trap
Desire the map
Give, facilitate
Occupy the back
Gifts freely given
Cannot be taken
Offered options
Limit choices
Show the way
They want to go
Feeling strong
In a disappearing hand
Extend their range
Let them reach
Make them long
Support what they seek
Corrupt the balance
Change the target
Seeking strength
Opens the gates
Catch them
As they tumble
Stable them
Humble
Striking a gift
Rare, swift
Creating space
Where none exists
Mind Hopeful
Body Supple
Beyond the target
The goal waits
16-min Documentary kinda about Taosim that has lots of Tai Chi
In a short film, Pamela Hiley shares her thoughts and insights from studying Taoism and Chen style Tai Chi. Her form is beautiful and her comments more than worth while.
Tai Chi notes: On Power
People seek to be powerful. They seek the feeling of power so they can take, so they can push and not be pushed. Seeking power limits power. Power exists already, you are power. Feeling is power, not feeling of power. If you feel power, you are feeling too much. Somewhere in your body you are holding to feel such a push, such pressure. To feel power is to feel power over, and what are you desiring power over. Yourself? This is a strain. It assumes limits. Real power is the power to give, to hold, to wait, to have no intention but to be present. The abundant mind, changes the frame and aligns the body. The spirit of giving is not a weakness, it is a strategic advantage. Giving space comes from abundance, holding ground comes from the ego, which is afraid to give up, which is afraid to lose something it does not have. Control. The Giving advantage allows for movement and stillness.
Something you have to push by definition isn’t meant to be moved. It desires to rest. Using force to change things reduces your energy. I am forcing nothing, I am allowing and filling the empty space. This costs me less energy. You not wanting to move, to hold your space that is the ego trying to control. This comes at an unnecessary cost in time and energy. Control requires thought, one must device, design multiple ways to remove resistance. Giving there is no other strategy, it does many things by doing nothing that does not want to be done. It does not try to move things that do not want to be moved, and it does not try to stop that which needs to move.
Tai Chi: Stroke Prevention and Recovery
Research on benefits of tai chi in reducing strokes…
“The researchers analysed 26 studies published between 1985 and 2017 which examined how yoga and tai chi moderated key stroke risk factors, including blood pressure, cholesterol, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, smoking and alcohol consumption, obesity, anxiety and depression. “
Tai Chi for Strength
NYT article on the benefits of tai chi…
“Even if you do fall, tai chi, as a weight-bearing but low-stress exercise, can reduce your chances of breaking a bone. Four well-designed clinical trials showed that tai chi has positive effects on bone health. For example, in a yearlong study in Hong Kong of 132 women past menopause, those practicing tai chi experienced significantly less bone loss and fewer fractures than those who remained sedentary.”
Yang 24 Posture
Yang 24 posture...for your reference.
How Tai Chi Helps Anxiety
Mindful movement and anxiety reduction study...
“When people were both more mindful and more active than usual, they seem to have this extra decrease in negative affect,” Yang said. “Being more active in a given moment is already going to reduce negative affect, but by also being more mindful than usual at the same time, you can see this amplified affect.”
Mobility Research: Legs and the Brain
How important are leg exercise? This article discusses recent findings on how metabolism, neurogenesis, and mitochondrial health are transformed or corrupted due to lack of exercise.
Tai Chi- strength and balance
Balance... Time's article discussing research on fall prevention.
"After reviewing these studies, researchers from the University of Jaén in Spain concluded that there was “high-quality evidence” that tai chi reduced the rate of falls by 43% within the first year of learning the practice—and 13% after the first year—compared to other interventions."
Chronic Pain Relief and Tai Chi
Tai Chi and Pain Relief...this article from the Times talks about treating fibromyalgia and other chronic pain syndromes with Internal martial arts techniques.
Slow Movement Builds Coordination
Slow is better...bettermovement.org has a nice article on how slow movement builds better coordination.
Tai Chi for Pain and Anxiety
Treating pain, PTSD, and more...with Tai chi!