Tai Chi

The spine is the rack that the rest of the body hangs on and problems with the spine will always radiate out to the rest of the body and cause problems. Western medical experts have always had problems applying their paradigm (cut first, ask questions later) but have been recently recognizing the benefits of using Qigong to not only prevent injuries but to help correct existing injuries. Fortunately, for those of us that do not read the New England Journal of Medicine while we are drinking our morning coffee, there are plenty of spinal Qigong articles for health and martial power on the internet and people with back and spine problems can get a better idea about how this programs can help build, or rebuild, a healthy spine. ...

The New England Journal of Medicine recently reported on a study conducted by Johns Hopkins School of Medicine (one of the world´s top medical research hospitals) that found direct benefits from practicing Tai Chi in the prevention and treatment of Parkinson´s Disease. While the study has yet to be subjected to peer review, the results are impressive enough that if they are confirmed it could radically change treatment paradigms for this, and several other conditions, like Multiple Sclerosis. ...

There has been a great deal of confusion about contrasting movement arts such as Qigong and Z-Health. Some people, especially those interested in beginning some form of movement based exercise program, are asking which form is "better". This is a difficult question to answer, since they are both used for different purposes, comparing their quality is nearly impossible. We first need a simple description of the two forms: Qigong is an ancient Chinese martial art that teaches students to focus the bodies energies to specific points, creating a balance, by harmonizing the breathing, movements and attention. Z-Heath often starts with the practice of directing conscious attention to specific joints and sensing weak points and then targeting those points with exercises designed to improve them. So, Z-Health versus Qigong: While both practices may look similar on the surface, as you go deeper into the practice, the methods do diverge. Qigong practice is designed to upgrade your energy system, sometimes through movement, but also the breath and the attention as well. Z-Health on the other hand, often begins with a focus on the joints, but then you will go into more sophisticated movement patterns and work directly with your other postural systems, like your eyes and your ears. ...

When many of us think of "immune system" problems we usually thing about conditions like HIV or AIDS, But our immune systems actually protect us from all opportunistic infections, from influenza to Ebola. When invaders enter the body they are sensed by the immune system, which then prepares the appropriate response to deal with the problem. Fevers and congestion are the bodies attempt to kill or expel the invaders. If this system of protection is not functioning efficiently the invaders enter easily and take hold. AIDS never killed anyone: The opportunistic infections that are allowed to run out of control because of a suppressed immune system are the real killers. ...

Most people are familiar with the benefits of basic Tai Chi: relaxation, better balance, relief from stiff joints. As you get more internally connected and learn to listen to the inside of your body as you practice, there are whole other layers of benefits, hidden beneath the surface of the graceful, flowing movements typically associated with Tai Chi. In this video, Robert Tangora explains one of the more interesting ones, that is rarely taught with the precision he is outlining: how to use specific Tai Chi movements to target and massage individual organs in your body, like your liver, spleen, heart, and lungs. ...

I get the question all the time, or at least it’s always implied, “When am I going to get it?” Or, “how do I know if I’m getting good at this?” Now, let’s unpack a little bit of what’s behind this question and then I want to share some different ways that I think you can answer this question on your own, without even asking your teacher. Practice Goals I’m on a training trip this weekend out in New Mexico with Robert Tangora. Robert is teaching to six of us, twice a day, for two hours each session and the only agenda is giving personal feedback. ...

Try this follow-along practice on Emptying the Leg. We’re combining principles from Standing Qigong and Tai Chi to create a blend of stillness, movement, and internal contrast. The progression includes: Varying your stance, increasing in complexity and physical demands. Increased contrast over time between empty and full or unweighted and weighted legs Heightened sense of sinking as you stabilize in each posture Perhaps the most surprising element of this exercise is the way that it’s going to help you build flow. Once you’ve set up the yin/yang contrast in the legs, you begin to search it out in your moving forms. Instead of thinking of shifting the weight, you dial in greater contrast between the legs, and that leads you to movement.

Every six months or so, one of our Senior Instructors at Brookline Tai Chi tells me that he’s had an amazing revelation about how to do the kwa squat. The kwa squat is one of the very first things we teach, he’s been doing Tai Chi for 40 years, and he gets new insight into it all the time. Amazing, right? Tai Chi and Back Pain One of the reasons we get so interested in this exercise is its power to relieve pressure on the spine and open up important joints of the body. ...

We’re borrowing a technique from Dragon and Tiger qigong to try and get a better sense of the lower tantien. The lower tantien (“dan-tee-en”) is the energetic center of your physical body, located just below your navel, on the central axis of the body. If you dropped a line down from the crown of the head, through the body, and out the bottom of the pelvis, it would pass through the lower tantien. ...

In April, we will host Energy Arts Senior Instructors Eric Peters and Craig Barnes for the Wu Style Tai Chi Immersion Week at Brookline Tai Chi. As Craig and Eric have been preparing for the event and planning their curriculum, I’ve been thinking about all the different ways you practice Tai Chi. Sometimes, it depends on your stage of learning. Sometimes it comes down to the kind of day you’re having or your overall practice goals. ...