Tai Chi Featured on NBC News

NBC is running a series this week The Mind-Body Connection" on the Nightly News. The series features tai chi, acupuncture, food, massage and more. Dr. Shin Lin of UC-Irvine discusses with them researcch he is doing about the efficacy of tai chi practice in the areas of complementary and alternative medicine, mind/body signaling, qigong, tai chi, acupuncture, and exercise physiology.

For further information on research about tai chi, see our links column at the side.

Taijiquan Journal at Twin Cities World Tai Chi Day Event

Taijiquan Journal will be at the Minneapolis-St. Paul-area World T'ai Chi Day celebrations at Normandale Community College on Saturday, April 26th, 2008, from 9–1. Editor Barbara Davis will give a talk on the I Ching (Yijing), the Chinese Book of Changes. Come visit Taijiquan Journal's booth, where you'll be able to purchase back issues, books, and other items, including "I Love Tai Chi" bumperstickers. See the website for the program schedule.

Tai Chi Caught in Olympic Torch Political Crossfire

A conflict erupted between Tai Chi enthusiasts promoting Olympic good will on the San Francisco leg of the Olympic Torch Relay and pro-Tibetan protesters. For the complete story, see Mercury News.

Farmer Ch'i? Tai Chi Practice Helps Cows Produce Milk

Reminsicent of Chinese health exercises for farmers developed in the early PRC, the Federation of Organic Milk Groups through their website "Love Om" in the UK has posted instructions for tai chi exercises that farmers claim increases by 10% a cow's milk production. As one of the farmers says, "The happier I am, the happier the cows are. And the happier they are, the more milk they produce."
The movements, grouped by day of the week, are adapted to Western sensibilities using such names as ‘Lazily Buttoning Overalls', adapted from ‘Lazy about Tying Coat' (Lan Zha Yi).
The accompanying music however, is thoroughly Chinese, rather than fiddle and fife or bagpipe. BBC News, 4/14/08

Tai Chi Helps With Parkinson's Disease

"Tai Chi improves balance and mobility in people with Parkinson disease" is the title of an article in Posture and Gait M. E. Hackney, and G. M. Earhart that describes the use of tai chi on balance, gait, and mobility for helping people with Parkinson's disease. Subjects showed improvement on numerous tests, including backward walking. An interesting thing to note is that neither the tai chi group or the control group improved on forward walking or one leg stance test. (April 1, 2008). Author Hackney has also done research on the use of tango dancing for the same population.

All the Chi in China

An admirably indepth and lengthy look at the morning taiji scene in Beijing's parks by Stanley Stewart of the Sunday Times in London:

"T’ai chi is illustrative of what is so different about Chinese exercise. There is lots of mental concentration and very little sweat. Exercise is elegant, graceful, almost sedate. Not for the Chinese the muscle-pumping of the gym, the slog of the jogging track. Nobody here is going for the burn. Instead, it is all about balance and concentration and flexibility. In a western fitness programme, t’ai chi would register only as an elaborate warm-up, a series of stretching exercises. In China, it is the main course, because it involves thought as well as movement." (See the full article at Times UK Online edition 3/08/08).

Taiji for Parkinson's

Doctors at Mass General Hospital are warming up to taiji as a therapy for their patients with Parkinson's disease.
Over 1.5 million Americans have the disease which causes involuntary and rigid movements. Taiji helps by keeping the muscles relaxed and loose, and improving balance. Read more....