An Apple a Day, the Tai Chi Way

Haiku

an apple a day —
tai chi, the peach of qigong
its roots spreading, hundreds of years

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1️⃣ The AARP article, “8 Surprising Reasons to Try Tai Chi After 50,” contains several unexpected pieces of information, shown below, related to what patients had said at an American Geriatrics Society conference where they had shared “how tai chi had changed them.”

“One woman who spoke was able to walk again after using a wheelchair for years. Another patient was able to stop using supplemental oxygen after just six months of regular tai chi.”

That is not the first time I have read a story like that. It has been written that tai chi helped Cheng Man-Ching recover from what had been diagnosed as tuberculosis while he lived in China.

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2️⃣ More Reasons to Try Tai Chi

An article linked with the BBC podcast, “Try Tai Chi” on Just One Thing, contains this:

The ancient practice of Tai Chi is particularly popular in Hong Kong, where residents have one of the highest life expectancies in the world. Is this connected? Quite possibly. Those who practise Tai Chi regularly live significantly longer than those who don’t, according to a 2022 Shanghai study which followed 60,000 men for five years.

The podcast, just under 15 minutes, is worth listening to. Its host, Michael Mosley, is a British doctor.

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3️⃣ Finally, a story about tai chi practiponer and teacher, Master T. T. Liang. The quote below is from the book, Steal My Art.

In 1945 Liang was placed in a hospital because he had contracted pneumonia-which was complicated by the fact that he also had syphilis, gonorrhea, and a dysfunctioning liver. The diagnosis was very bad, and he was given no more than two months to live.

T. T. Liang recovered, the hospital releasing him after a 45-day stay. To fully restore his health, he decided to study tai chi. Master Liang passed away in 2002 at age 102.

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4️⃣ I would like to share with you a poem Liang wrote.

At first I take up T’ai Chi as a hobby,
Gradually I become addicted to it,
Finally I can no longer get rid of it.
I must keep on practicing for my whole life—
It is the only way to preserve health.
The more I practice, the more I want to learn
from teachers and books.
The more I learn, the less I feel I know.
The theory and philosophy of T’ai Chi is so
profound and abstruse!
I must continue studying forever and ever . . .
It is the only way to improve and better myself.

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Discussion of Haiku at Top of Page

1. “An apple a day”— This line is a familiar saying that tells us eating an apple every day is good for our health. It sets the idea of something healthy and regular, just like practicing Tai Chi.
2. “Tai chi, the peach of qigong”— Here, Tai Chi is compared to a peach, which symbolizes health and strength. Just like how a peach grows from a tree with strong roots, Tai Chi comes from Qigong, an ancient practice that helps us build strength inside and out.
3. “Its roots spreading, hundreds of years”— This line shows that Qigong and Tai Chi have been practiced for a very long time. The “roots” represent the deep history and traditions that support Tai Chi, like how a tree’s roots spread out under the ground for many years.

In simple terms, this haiku compares Tai Chi to a peach, which grows from strong roots and has been around for hundreds of years, just like Tai Chi’s long and deep history. It’s saying that, like healthy habits (like eating an apple), Tai Chi is good for you and has deep roots in ancient traditions.