TableofContents

Table of Contents .........................................................2 HEALTH BENEFITS OF Tai Chi ...............................3 Tai Chi & Immunity.....................................................8 T-Killer Cells........................................................9 Tai Chi research on Immunity................................10 Tai Chi Boosts Immunity and Improves Physical Health in Seniors ................................................10 Tai Chi Tip .........................................................11 TAI CHI AND YOUR BODY ...................................13 Medication in Movement....................................13 Back Pain................................................................14 Arthritis ..................................................................15 Brittle Bone Syndrome...........................................16 Tai Chi Tip .........................................................17 Cardio Vascular Health ..............................................20 John Hopkins University........................................20 Tai Chi Tip .........................................................21 Mental And Spiritual Benefits of Tai Chi ..................23 What is Stress? .......................................................24 Relaxed...............................................................26 Resourceful.........................................................26 Doubtful .............................................................26 Despair ...............................................................27 SLEEP ....................................................................28 Tai Chi Tip .........................................................28 Getting Started............................................................29

HEALTHBENEFITSOFTaiChi
TaiChicanhelptoalleviatethesymptomsof manydiseasessuchasshingles,Parkinsondisease, arthritis,highbloodpressure,diabetesandimprove posture,weightloss,balance,memoryand concentrationtoo.TheMayoclinicliststhe followingbenefitsonitswebsite.1 Reducing anxiety and depression Improving balance and coordination Reducing the number of falls Improving sleep quality; such as staying asleep longer at night and feeling more alert during the day Slowing bone loss in women after menopause Lowering blood pressure Improving cardiovascular fitness Relieving chronic pain Improving everyday physical functioning

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/taichi/SA00087

Buthow?Howcanoneslow,simpleexercisedo allthis? Tounderstandtheanswertothisquestion,let usfirstunderstandalittlebitmoreaboutthisform ofTaiChi.TheTaiChihealthformisperformed slowlyandasperfectlyaspossiblewhilsttryingto relaxintothemovesasmuchasyoucan.This,of course,takespractise.But,likewalkingupthe stairsorbrushingyourteeth,itbecomessecond natureovertime.Themorepractiseyouputinto repeatingthemovestheeasiertheybecometo rememberasyourbodytakesoverfromyourbrain. Althoughyoudohavetouseyourmusclesto performtheseexercisestherearenoexternalor additionalweightsused.Thistonesthebodyand, withthecorrectposture,allowsthemusclesto buildupwithoutjerkingorstrain,supportingthe softcartilageandtissueswithinthejoints.Those witharthritisorrecoveringfrominjuryfindTaiChi beneficial,asitissuchalowimpactexercise program. Themovementsalsomassageyourinternal organsbystrengtheningtheirstabilizing

membranesandhelpingthemtofunctionmore effectively. Whenyourbodyslowsdownsodoesyourmind. Yourbreathingslowsandbecomesdeeperwithout youeventrying.Whilstyouareconcentrating solelyonthemovementsinvolvedyoucannotthink aboutanythingelse,especiallyanyproblemsyou mighthave.Thisreducesstressandthebenefits lastlongafteryouhavefinishedpractising.You createavirtuouscirclewhichjustgetsbetterand better.Asyourmindbecomesclearersodoesyour thinking.Answerstoproblemspresentthemselves toyou;youdevelopdeeperconcentrationand remembermanymoreitemswithmuchlesseffort. Therepetitionofthisvirtuouscirclebeginsto makethisrelaxedstateyournormalstateofbeing ratherthanaconstantstateofstress.Theperpetual stressandlowlevelanxietythatquietlyplagues mostpeople,depletesthemofenergyenergyto think,toheal,andtolive.And,evenmore destructively,itdepletestheirimmunesystems.On theotherhand,thedeepbreathingofTaiChiallows toxinstobeclearedfromthelymphglandsthereby

aidingandstrengtheningtheimmunesystem. ThereispreliminaryevidencesuggestingthatTai Chimayimproveimmunefunctionandhealthin olderadultsatriskforshingles. Inonestudy,36menandwomenaged60and over,tooka15weekprogramofTaiChi(three45 minuteclassesperweek)orawaitlistcontrol. After15weeks,therewasanincreaseinvaricella zostervirusspecificimmunityandhealth functioninginpeopletakingTaiChi.2 Asyougainmoreenergyyouwillseean improvementinthequalityofyoursleep,too. CombinedwiththeactualexercisesinvolvedinTai Chi,animprovedsleeppatterncanencourage weightlossandminimizetheriskofobesity.A teamatColumbiaUniversityhasreportedthat people,whogetfourhourssleeppernightorless, are73%morelikelytobeobese,thanthosewho sleeptherecommended7hours.Theresultcame fromastudyof18,000people.Overtimeblood pressurecannormalisetoo.
2www.americanchronicle.com/articles/viewArticle.asp?articleID=42696

Backpaincanbealleviatedbybetterposture andimprovedmuscletone.InTaiChiyouholdthe headdirectlyontopofthespineandflattenthe spine.Thisallowsthetwocolumnsofmuscleson eithersidetotaketheweightofyourbodyrather thantheL4andL5vertebraacommonsiteof backacheandallowsyoutostandstraight.With improvedpostureyouwillnotleanforwardor backwards,againtakingthepressureoffofL4and L5. TaiChiincreasestheflowofchiorvitalenergy withinthebody.Chiflowswhereblooddoesnot andsomestudentsreporttinglingsensationsinold injuriesasthechibeginstoflowagain. ParkinsonDiseaseaffectsthebalanceandco ordinationcentersofthebrain.TaiChiactually improvesbalance.3Ina1996studybytheNational InstituteonAging,adivisionoftheU.S.National InstitutesofHealth,TaiChiwasfoundtoreduce fallsintheelderlyby47.5%.4
3 4 www.mayoclinic.com/health/parkinsonsdisease/DS00295/DSECTION=9 www.nia.nih.gov/NewsAndEvents/PressReleases/PR19960502TaiChi.htm

TaiChi&Immunity
Tohavegoodhealth,youneedastrongimmune system.Withoutityouareatthemercyofevery bugandnastygermthatspassedaround.The growthoflargecitieshasincreasedthelikelihood thatyouareconstantlyexposedtoinfectionsofall sorts.Addtothatourdesireforinternationaltravel andthishasalsobroughtusexposuretoforeign peskies,too.Howevertheimmunesystemhasthe abilitytoconstantlyupitsgamewhendealingwith newthreatsandhasdonesoforthelasttwomillion years.Ourjob,ashumanbeings,istomakesure thatwekeepourselvesasfitaspossiblebyeating therightsortsoffood,havingenoughrestand doingtherightexercise.Youguessedit;Iam talkingaboutTaiChi! Goodhealthrevolvesaroundtheideaofbalance, nevertoomuchortoolittleoftheessentialsoflife. Justenoughhighqualityfood,soyoudonotbecome overweight.Atleastsevenhoursofsoundsleep and,whenitcomestoexercise,youknowwhatIam goingtosayTaiChi.

ThewholeconceptofTaiChiisalsocentredon balancethebalanceofforces.Ontheoutsideyou moveslowlywithgreatcontrol,whileontheinside youarefocusedoncoordinatingalltheshiftsof balanceandchangesfromonetechniquetothe next.Thebodylovesit,givingyourobustgood healthandacalmandsteadymind.EvenifyourTai Chiisnotthebest,youcanstillgetresults.Now thereisnotmuchyoucansaythataboutisthere?

TKillerCells
Manyyearsagoapieceofresearchwascarried outtomeasureTKillerCellsontwocontrolgroups. TKillerCellsareanessentialpartoftheimmune system.Oneofthegroupswascomposedof athletesandtheotherwasmadeupofexperienced TaiChiplayers.Atthebeginningoftheexperiment testsweremadeonbothgroupstocreateabase lineforanychanges.Therunnersweretorun1500 metres(justunderamile)andtheTaiChiplayers wouldperformtheirTaiChiroutinecalledthesolo form.Attheendoftheexercisethetestswere repeatedonbothgroups.

TherunnersTKillerCellshaddropped markedly.HowevertheTaiChigrouphad significantlyincreasedtheirTKillercellcount!Not badfor15minutesofgentleexercise,dontyou think? Donot,however,thinktheexerciseisbad;itis not.Itisjustaboutgettingthebalanceright. Vigorousexerciseburnsfat,strengthensyour muscles,heart,jointsandmakesyoufeelgood,but itisgettingthebalancerightsoyoudonotdotoo much.Or,evenbetter,ifyouareveryfitwhynot addTaiChitoyourtrainingandbedoublyblessed?

TaiChiresearchonImmunity
TaiChiBoostsImmunityandImprovesPhysical HealthinSeniors
ResearchersattheUniversityofCalifornia,Los Angeleshaveshownthatintegrativeexercise programssuchasTaiChicanhaveapositiveeffect ontheimmunesysteminseniors.Theresearch waspublishedintheJournalofPsychosomatic Medicine.Thestudyfoundthatextendedpractise ofTaiChiappearedtoboosttheimmunesystems responsetocommonviruses.

IntheTaiChigrouptherewasarobust increaseinTKillerCells.Theynoteda50% increaseinvaricellavirusrespondercells.This wouldbeenoughtopreventseniorsfrom contractingShingles.Shinglesisapainfulcondition primarilysufferedbyolderpeople.Itiscausedby theChickenpoxvirus,whichneverreallygoesaway.

TaiChiTip
Aswehavenotedpreviouslyeatinggoodquality foodisveryimportanttotheimmunesystemand robusthealth.Thatdoesnotmeanyouhaveto spendmoremoney,justbeconsciousofwhatyou areeating. Nowforsomeofthebighittersinthefood world:Vegetablesofallsorts,especiallythegreen ones.Thebigdaddiesofthegreenleafyvegetables areBroccoliandBrusselssprouts.Yes,Iknow everyoneisthinkingughtoBrusselssprouts,but theyareprobablythemostpotentofvegetablesfor yourhealth.Thesesproutsareveryhighin Sulforaphaneanantioxidantandstimulatorof naturaldetoxifyingenzymes.Sulforaphanecan reducetheriskofbreastandprostatecancer.A

closesecondintheSulforaphanestakesisBroccoli. WhenyoucookBroccoliandBrusselsdonotboilthe lifeoutofthem,eithersteamthemorstirfrywith garlicandalittleoliveoil. ThehighlycoloredrootvegetableslikeCarrots andBeetrootareespeciallybeneficialtoyour immunesystem.Tomatoesaregoodfortheguysin thattheyhelptopreventProstateproblems, especiallywhentheyhavebeencookedasinPizza, pastasauceandketchup. Theblackandredskinnedfruitslikeblueberries, Concordgrapes,strawberriesandraspberriesare heavyweightsfortheimmunesystem.Orangesand grapefruitsareimmuneboosterstoo.Becarefulwith grapefruitsifyouareonmedicationastheycan,in someinstances,boostthepotencyofthedrugsyou aretaking,soaskyourphysicianfirst. Nuts,seedsandwholemealproductsalladdto yourimmunesystemsfightingability.Probablyless wellknownarethemushroomfamily.Shiitake,for example,whichhasastrongertastethanmost westernmushrooms,hasbeenassociatedwith buildingtheimmunesystem.

TAICHIANDYOURBODY
MedicationinMovement
Overtheyearsagreatdealofresearchhasbeen carriedoutontheeffectivenessofTaiChifor improvingbothmentalandphysicalhealth.Sofar, wehavelookedathowitaffectsthecardiovascular system,themindandimmunesystem.Nextweare goingtolookatarthritis,chronicpain,backpain, brittlebones,fallsandtheproblemsassociatedwith thedecreaseofsexhormoneswithage. Iamsureyouhavegatheredbynowthatwhen TaiChiispractisedconsistentlyanddonecorrectly amazingthingscanhappentoyourhealth.This washighlightedrecentlywhenoneTaiChi researcherexclaimedthat; TaiChiissometimesdescribedasmeditationin Movement,butshouldbecalledMedicationin Movement,asitseemstobenefitsomany conditions. Nowthatisnotabadendorsement!

BackPain
Oneofthebiggestcausesoftimeofffromwork intheU.S.isbackpain.Infact31millionpeople sufferfromthisveryproblem.Researchatthe GeorgeInstituteforInternationalHealthhas begunontheaffectsofTaiChionbackpain.This followsonfrompreviousresearchattheinstitute, whichfoundthatTaiChihaspositivehealth benefitsformuscleandjointpainincludingarthritis sufferers. IthasbeenknownforalongtimethatTaiChi canhelpbackpain.OneofthefoundationsofTai Chipractiseistoholdyourbackstraightduringthe exercise.Bymaintainingyourstraightbody positioncausesthecoreposturalmusclestoengage andhelpprotectyourspine.Withthelowerback heldinplacethemusclesbecomestrongerandhelp totakethepressurefromtheback,allowingfor inflammationtosubsideandthebodytostartto workproperlyagain.Ofcourseifyouareaback suffereryoushouldconsultyourmedicaladvisor beforebeginninganexerciseregime.

ResearchatUniversityofSouthernCalifornia discoveredthatregularTaiChipractiselowersback pain.TheyreportedthatintrialsusingTaiChiwith 50volunteersagedfrom1865withback problems,halffoundthatpainwasreduced. AfteracoupleofmonthspractisingTaiChiyou willbegintofeelthemusclesinyourlowerback strengthenduetothenatureoftheexercise.Thisis notonlygoodforyourbackbutalsoyourenergy levels,whichcanbedepletedduetobadposture. Itisamazinghowjustchangingthewayyou holdyourbodycanmakesuchagreatdifferenceto youroverallhealthandwellbeing.

Arthritis
Thisconditionisthebaneofsomanypeoples livesintheirlateryears,causingdiscomfortand stress.Somebelievethatjointpainisunavoidable anditissimplyaproductoftheagingprocess.Or, asoneresearcherobserved,toageistobe inflamed. HoweverIbelievethatthereisgreatdealthat youcandotohelpyourselfifyoualreadyhavejoint

painandevenmoreifyouarecurrentlyfitand healthy. Therearemanyfactorsthatleadtojoint problems,includingbeingoverweight,lackof exercise,stressandpoornutrition.Itistruethat somepeoplearemorepronegeneticallytojoint problems,butthatisnoexcusetonotdothevery bestforyourbody.Aroundtheworldthereare manygreatexponentsofTaiChiandthemartial artswhoweresicklyintheiryouth,butthrough consistentpractiseandgoodnutritionthey completelyturnedtheirlivesaround.Youtoocan helptotransformyourbodyandmindbydoingthe rightthings.Seethetipofthedaybelow. ResearchersatUniversityofMarylandMedical centre,MayoClinicandUniversityofSouthern Californiahaveallobservedbeneficialresultsfor thejointsbyTaiChipractise.

BrittleBoneSyndrome
BrittleBoneSyndromeisanothercommon problemforseniors,especiallytheladies.As hormonalchangestakeplaceinwomenastheyage,

itleavesthemmorepronetoBrittleBone Syndromeandthepossibilityoffracture. TheNationalInstituteofMentalHealth reportedthatstresshormonesfoundindepressed womencausedboneloss.Infact,theyobserved thatitgavethemthebonedensityofwomennearly twicetheirage. TaiChiistheexercisesupreme,forrelieving stressandcalmingyourmind.Withoutallofthose nastystresshormonesrunningamok,yournatural healingprocesscanhelptorebuildyouhealth.In addition,TaiChiexercisegentlychallengesthe bonesandjointshelpingtomineralizeand strengthenthem.

TaiChiTip
Havingcomethisfar,itgoeswithoutsayingthat youwouldbenefitfromdoingyourTaiChievery day.Inaddition,hereareafewsuggestionstohelp makeyourbodystrongandhealthy.Getyourselfa pedometer;theyarethoselittlegadgetsthat measurehowmanystepsyoutake.Cliponeon yourbeltandstarttowalk.ResearchinJapan

severalyearsagosuggestedthatifyouwalk10,000 stepsperdayyouwillloseweightandhaveallof thebenefitsassociatedwithit.Justwearthe pedometerforafewdaysandseehowmanysteps youtakeeachdayyoumightbesurprised.Once youknowhowmanyyouaretakingyoucando somethingaboutaddingafewmorestepseachday. Forexampleyoucouldgoforabriskwalk duringyourlunchbreakandgetyourwork colleaguesinvolved.Exerciseismuchmorefunifit doesnotfeellikeexercise.Howaboutwalkingto work,ifitiscloseby,andmaybetakingthestairs ratherthantheelevator?Youwillfindthatasyou starttoseeyourstepsrisetowardsthe10,000 markyouwillwanttowalkmoretoachieveyour goal. 10,000stepsmightsoundalot,butyoudonot havetodoitstraightaway.Graduallytryto increasetheamountyoudoeachday.Dontforget togetyourselfagoodpairoftrainersorwalking shoestheymakewalkingapleasureandprotect yourjointsintheprocess.Obviously,ifyouhave

healthproblemsspeaktoyourhealthprofessional beforetakinganexerciseprogram. Takeagoodmultivitamineachday,alongwith thedoctorrecommendeddosesofvitaminC, vitaminD,magnesiumandcalcium.Codliveroilhas beenfoundbymanypeopletonotonlyhelprelieve theirjointpains,butalsoliftsyourmood.

CardioVascularHealth
So,howdoesTaiChiexerciseyourcirculatory system?ThepostureinTaiChiisofparamount importance.Whenyoustandcorrectlyyour musclescanfunctionastheyweremeanttodo, makingyourmovementsstrongandflexible.The continousshiftingofyourweightfromonemoveto thenext,gentlysqueezesthemusclesintoaction andmakesyourheartworkabitharder.The constantsqueezingoftheyourmusclesmovesthe bloodthroughyourbody,oxygenatingeverycell andhelpingremovewasteproductfromyour system.Thisgentleexercisealsocausesyouto breathemoredeeplywithouteventrying.Withan increaseinyourrespirationyouhelptomovethe lymphaticsystemwhichalsoisvitallyimportantto yourgoodhealth.

JohnHopkinsUniversity
SeveralstudiesconductedbytheJohnHopkins UniversitySchoolofMedicineconcludedthatTai Chireducesbloodpressure,easeshypertensionand improvescardiachealth.Intheresearchprojectthe participantsweresplitintotwogroups.Onegroup

engagedinbriskwalkingandtheotherinTaiChi alone.Aftertwelveweekstheirbloodpressurewas takenandcomparedtothereadinginthebeginning ontheproject.Thedroponsystolicbloodpressure intheTaiChigroupwasonlymarginallylowerthan intheexercisegroup.Theaddedadvantageof TaiChiisthatyoudonotneedtobeactiveinthe firstplacetogainsignificantbenefitforyour bloodpressure. Anothercauseofraisedbloodpressureis chronicanger,whichstimulatestheAdrenalglands. Inthedaysofthecavementhisfightorflight instinctwasveryusefulindealingwithrealthreats. Today,however,peoplecanbefearfulofthings whichtheyshouldnotbeandreactangrilywhen thesituationdoesnotwarrantit.TaiChi,when regularlypractised,calmsthewholesystemdown allowingyoutoreturntoastateofpeacefreeing youfromthechronicoverstimulationofthe Adrenalglands.

TaiChiTip
Whenyoufindyourselfbecomingangry,try taking6deepbreaths,rightdownintoyourbelly.

Breatheinandoutslowlyandsmoothlyandreally relaxasmuchaspossibleontheoutwardbreath. Thisaffectsyouremotions(byslowingyou downandbringingyoubacktothehereandnow), andyourbrainchemistry(byreleasinggood hormonesandgivingyousometimeandspaceto stepbackfromthesituation,ratherthanbecoming overwhelmedbyit.)

MentalAndSpiritualBenefitsofTaiChi
Stress,AnxietyandDepressionhavereached almostepidemicproportionsinlargecitiesall aroundtheworld.Itseemsthatthisisamodern phenomenacreatedbyoursociety.Oursensesare constantlybeingbombardedfromalldirections. Unfortunatelythereislittlewecandoaboutthe hustleandbustle,butwecanchangeourreactionto it. Iamsureyouhavenoticedthatpeoplereact completelydifferentlyinthesamesituation.What isshockingtoonepersonhardlyaffectsanother. Thesituationisthesame,onlyhowyouviewit changes.Theabilitytoreactinproportiontowhat isahappeningaroundyouisveryimportantnot onlytoyourmentalwellbeingbutalsotoyour physicalhealth.Ifyouareconstantlystressedand anxiousyouwillbesecretingstresshormonesinto yoursystemdamagingyourhealthandyourlife expectancytoboot. TaiChiencouragesyoutofocusontheexercises athandandforgotyoureverydayconcerns.Byso doingyourmindisallowedtorelaxandbeatease.

Thisperiodofdeepandfocusedrelaxationactsasa tonictoyourmindandbody. ResearchatLaTrobeUniversityAustraliafound thatparticipantsraisedtheirheartrates,increased noradrenalineexcretionandsalivarycortisol.The participantsreportedthattheyfeltlesstension, depression,anger,fatigue,confusionandanxiety. Theyalsostatedtheyfeltmorevigorous,andhad lessmooddisturbance.

WhatisStress?
Therearemanycausesofstress,butitsimply boilsdowntoaconflictwithsomethingthat appearstobemorepowerfulthanyou.Youwill noteIsayappearstobemorepowerfulthanyou. Quiteoftenwestressourselvesoverasituationthat wearemorethanabletoresolve,ifwethinkabout itclearlyandlogically. Stressisnormal;whenitbecomesdistresswe needtoworry.Withoutacertainamountofstress wecannotperformandraiseourgame.Therefore, itisimportanttobeabletodifferentiatebetween thegoodandthebadstress.

Unfortunately,thelabelstresshasnowbecome muddiedduetotheoveruseoftheword.Stresshas becomeacoveralllabelformanystatesthatdonot deservethetitle.Simplyfeelinguncomfortableina situationisnotnecessarystressful.Itisonlywhen youcannotcopewiththesituationthatyoucould trulybedescribedasstressful. Forexample,whenyougetanewjob,initially youarenervousandalittleanxiousaboutwhatyou aregoingtohavetodealwithonthefirstdayand youmightbelieveyouareafraid.Quiteoftenbythe endofthefirstdayyourconfidencehasrecovered markedly.Youhavefoundthatyourcoworkers arefriendlyandthatyouhavealltherequiredskills todothejobwell.Inreality,whatyouwere experiencingwasyourmindreadyingitselftoexcel. Youwereinaveryresourcefulstate;itwassimply youascribinganametophysicalsensationsthat appearedtobefearfulandthusstressful. Thestatesofarousalassociatedwithstresscan bedividedintofourapproximatezones.

Relaxed
Youarerelaxedandatease;problemsarefar away.Stressisnonexistentinthisstate.Weall needtobeinthisstateonafairlyregularbasisto buildourenergies.Examplesofrelaxedzonesare weekendsandholidays.

Resourceful
Youareenergisedraringtogo.Althoughyou mayattimesfeelslightlyoutofyourdepth,youare sureyoucanhandleit.Youfeelconfident.You enjoythechallenge.Themostimportantaspectof thisstateisthatyoufeelresourceful.Whenyouare inthiszoneyoufeelthatyou'rebeingstretchedbut youareenjoyingit.

Doubtful
Eventsarestartingtobecomeoverwhelming andyouarenotsureyoucanhandleit.Youmay usetermssuchas,youdontunderstandthe pressureImunder.Itisalmostasifyouconstantly havetoruntokeepupwiththepace.Inreality,this isanextensionofthezonebefore:resourceful.Itis inevitableifwestayintheresourcefulstatefortoo

longwewilltireandslipoverintothiszone.The answerissimplytotakeadayortwooffandrelax completely.Afteracoupleofdays,youwillfind thatwhenyoureturntoworkyouwillbebackin theresourcefulzoneonceagain.

Despair
Icantcopeisaphrasethatcharacterisesthis zone.Thisisnotagoodplacetobeforextended periodsoftime.Youneedoutsidehelptogetyou outofthiszone.Itmightbethatafriend,colleague, or,ifithasbecomechronic,askilledpractitioneris requiredtohelpyouseeyourwaythrough.The mostimportantpointisthatyoustarttorecognise whenyouhavebeeninthedoubtfulstatefortoo long.Whenthathappens,youcaneasilyslideinto thedespairingstate.Theruleofthumbiswhenyou needhelp,askforit. RegularpractiseofTaiChicankeepyoufeeling centeredandincontrol.Theelevatedawareness associatedwithTaiChipractisecanpreventyou frominadvertentlyslippingintothemore unpleasantstatesmentionedabovethatareso commoninoursocietytoday.

SLEEP
Agoodnightssleepisnotonlyfundamentalto goodhealthbutalsoyourmentalwellbeing.Itisin sleepthatthebodyrepairsitselfandthemindworks outproblemsthatcouldnotbesolvedduringtheday. Poorsleepcanleadtoillhealthandashorteningof life.TaiChiisgreatatcalmingtheminddownand soothingthenervoussystemleadingtoasound nightssleep.Butitisnotjusttheyoungandmiddle agebenefititisalsoveryimportanttotheelderlywho cansuffermorethanmostfrompoorqualityofsleep.

TaiChiTip
Starttotakenoticeofyourmentalstate throughouttheday,especiallywhenyoubegintofeel slightlyagitatedoranxious.Askyourself,whyisthis happening?Isitsomethingyoucannotdoorareyou justlackingabitofselfconfidenceinthisinstance?If youthinkitisnecessary,haveachattosomeoneyou trustwhomightjustgiveyouthesupportyouneedto seeyouthrough.Thegreatestandmostsuccessful peopleintheworldhaveateamofadvisorsand supporters.Whoistheteamsupportingyouwhen needit?

GettingStartedwithTaiChiPractise
Unlikemostformsofexercise,withTaiChiyou donothavetobefittostart.Thatcanbeagreat boonifyouhavenotexercisedforalongtimeor yousimplyarenotabletotakepartinvigorous exercise.Theideathatyoucanstartgentlyand graduallyincreaseyourlengthofexerciseisvery appealingtomanypeople.Itdoesnotmatterhow littleTaiChiyoucandoatthebeginning,youcan stillmakeimprovementsinyourhealthandwell being.Withpractiseyoucouldbeupandexercising withthebestofthem. Unlikemostexerciseregimesthemindplaysan importantroleinTaiChipractise.Thesmooth flowingexercisesrequireyoutoactivelybe involvedintheirapplicationasyouglidefromone movementtothenext.AlthoughTaiChiisgentle, youwillfeelwarmandperspireand,unlikewith mostformsofexercise,youwillfeelenergised ratherthantired. Thatistheonethingthatputsoffmanypeople fromvigorouslyexercisingthefactyouarepooped attheendofeachsessionandyouknownexttimeit

willbejustthesame.Nowdonotgetmewrong,I trainvigorouslyeverydayinadditiontomyTaiChi, butIlikeit!Ifyouhavenotvigorouslyexercisethe wholeofyourlifeyoumaynotfeelthesameway. TaiChiisgreatforgettingyoubackintoactive exerciseand,asyourgrowstronger,youmayfind thatyouwanttobendyourkneesabitmoreto makeitalittleharderandgetyourheartpumping alittlequicker. AbouttheAuthor
JohnHineisaveteranTaiChiteacherwhohas beentrainingforover45yearsinTaiChiandthe martialartsandrunsoneofthelongest establishedandsuccessfulTaiChischoolsinthe UK.HeisafoundermemberoftheTaiChiUnion forGreatBritain(TCUGB),AdvancedInstructor, whohasservedontheTCUGBtechnical committee. HeisaqualifiedTherapistandCoachwho,throughhisonetoone consultationsandseminars,hashelpedthousandsofpeopletoachieve happyandsuccessfullives.HeistrainedinHypnosis/NLP,isaCECO AccreditedcoachandspentmuchofhislifestudyingunderBuddhistand Taoistteachers.JohnHineisalsoatrainedpractitionerofChinese medicine. John'sbookYangTaiChiChuanhassoldover25,000copiesinEnglish aroundtheworld.ItisalsopublishedinSpanish.