Category: Age

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
```
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.

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.

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.

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.

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.
February 22, 2025
Cheng Man-Ching, Ben Lo, and Young Lee

It’s uncommon to read about an 87 year old who does tai chi. It is even rarer to learn about a person that age who teaches tai chi, but that is what Young Lee does in Maryland.

In this Mayo Clinic Minute video, a doctor shares why “Mayo Clinic Minute: “Tai chi keeps seniors on their feet.”

I found another excellent video of Cheng Man-Ching doing tai chi. When watching it, pay particular attention to how precisely he does the turns.

A tai chi teacher who is not as well known as Cheng Man-Ching is Benjamin Lo. He was a student of Cheng Man-Ching in Taiwan. This short video is about both tai chi and Lo who, in the video, is in his late 70s.

February 7, 2025
Gentle Tai Chi: Boost Your Breathing

Occasionally, a health-related article draws my attention. The latest one to do that is “Tai Chi and Your Lungs: The Benefits of Low Impact, Deep-Breathing Exercise.” It is on the American Lung Association website.

According to the article,

“there are safe exercise options that people living with a chronic lung disease like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma or lung cancer should consider. One that has been found to have health benefits is tai chi. Rooted in Asian martial arts and traditional Chinese medicine, tai chi focuses on slow, gentle, repetitive movements. This allows you to focus on integrating your breath, having bodily awareness and increasing mental focus through visualization.”

The article relates to what is in my blog post titled “Standing in the Tai Chi Preparation Posture.” That post also contains content about breathing, body awareness, and visualization.

In another part of the ALA article, it is asserted that “Particularly for patients with COPD, a 2021 review of 23 studies by The National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health concluded that tai chi may help improve lung function, and in turn exercise capacity and quality of life.”

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), “Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, causing 3.5 million deaths in 2021, approximately 5% of all global deaths.”

Tai chi has also been shown to help children with asthma.

While the Yang style tai chi we do may not offer the same aerobic benefits as walking, which seniors should also do, it is a positive to know that it’s even recommended for people with asthma and COPD.

👩‍⚕️ More information on tai chi’s health connection

If you found this article of interest, please click the Like button below.

January 29, 2025
Too old for tai chi?

When I first started learning tai chi, I don’t ever remember either a class for children or seeing a child in any class. Did that mean they were too young to do tai chi? Not at all.

Children in the United States seem more interested in running, jumping, and exerting themselves by playing sports like baseball, basketball, tennis, and hockey. They likely don’t have the patience for tai chi. The tai chi movements they likely saw and that new learners started with were too slow. Even more important, they don’t have the role models.

I know that when I was in elementary, junior high, and high school, if I had watched someone doing tai chi, which I don’t remember happening, I would not have been interested. I only enjoyed playing action sports.

In China, tai chi is considered a significant part of Chinese culture, and children are often introduced to it at a young age. Some schools integrate Tai Chi into their physical education classes. The gentle movements and focus on breathing in tai chi are seen as beneficial for children’s physical and mental development. Many children can be seen practicing Tai Chi in public parks and community centers.

Many adults in the United States today also view tai chi as too slow, as not being a suitable exercise because it does not overtly involve cardio activity. How can a person gain anything by doing something that does not involve exertion, strain, and sweat?

Could be that in the American culture, doing something slow for many is a no. How many Americans have learned a form of meditation, one done in a sitting position, sometimes in which the legs are crossed in an uncomfortable one, such as the lotus position? That seems even more “inactive” than tai chi.

However, while tai chi often is done slowly, how it’s done does not prevent its doer from gaining health benefits.

Many who played sports such as baseball, basketball, and tennis when young no longer do so because they’ve “aged” behind the “playing age” and their skills have declined, often significantly. In contrast, tai chi is an activity whose practitioners’ skill level often improves with age, so that being in the 50s or 60s or older isn’t the barrier it becomes in any of the overtly physical sports they may have played in their youth.

Further, tai chi, when done skillfully and with persistence, can be a fountain of youth. When I was younger and attending tai chi events and competitions, I was often amazed at how young tai chi masters in their 50s and beyond looked. Their faces were wrinkle-free; their movements still flowed in a fluid, soft, and young way.

Take a minute to watch this video from the Mayo Clinic titled “Mayo Clinic Minute: Tai chi keeps seniors on their feet.”

Now, respond to the following assertion:

True or false: “Tai Chi exercise is more effective than brisk walking in reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors among adults with hypertension.”

How did you respond? Why?

For the answer, click here.

January 12, 2025