!

"#$% '( )'*+%*+,

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
-./0!- 1.2.34!5 63 !"7 )87

Tai Chi can help to alleviate the symptoms of
many uiseases such as shingles, Paikinson uisease,
aithiitis, high bloou piessuie, uiabetes anu impiove
postuie, weight loss, balance, memoiy anu
concentiation too. The Nayo clinic lists the
following benefits on its web site.
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


1
http:www.mayoclinic.comhealthtai-chiSAuuu87
But how. Bow can one slow, simple exeicise uo
all this.
To unueistanu the answei to this question, let
us fiist unueistanu a little bit moie about this foim
of Tai Chi. The Tai Chi health foim is peifoimeu
slowly anu as peifectly as possible whilst tiying to
ielax into the moves as much as you can. This, of
couise, takes piactise. But, like walking up the
staiis oi biushing youi teeth, it becomes seconu
natuie ovei time. The moie piactise you put into
iepeating the moves the easiei they become to
iemembei as youi bouy takes ovei fiom youi biain.
Although you uo have to use youi muscles to
peifoim these exeicises theie aie no exteinal oi
auuitional weights useu. This tones the bouy anu,
with the coiiect postuie, allows the muscles to
builu up without jeiking oi stiain, suppoiting the
soft caitilage anu tissues within the joints. Those
with aithiitis oi iecoveiing fiom injuiy finu Tai Chi
beneficial, as it is such a low impact exeicise
piogiam.
The movements also massage youi inteinal
oigans by stiengthening theii stabilizing
membianes anu helping them to function moie
effectively.
When youi bouy slows uown so uoes youi minu.
Youi bieathing slows anu becomes ueepei without
you even tiying. Whilst you aie concentiating
solely on the movements involveu you cannot think
about anything else, especially any pioblems you
might have. This ieuuces stiess anu the benefits
last long aftei you have finisheu piactising. You
cieate a 'viituous ciicle' which just gets bettei anu
bettei. As youi minu becomes cleaiei so uoes youi
thinking. Answeis to pioblems piesent themselves
to you; you uevelop ueepei concentiation anu
iemembei many moie items with much less effoit.
The iepetition of this 'viituous ciicle' begins to
make this ielaxeu state youi !"#$%& state of being
iathei than a constant state of stiess. The peipetual
stiess anu low level anxiety that quietly plagues
most people, uepletes them of eneigy - eneigy to
think, to heal, anu to live. Anu, even moie
uestiuctively, it uepletes theii immune systems. 0n
the othei hanu, the ueep bieathing of Tai Chi allows
toxins to be cleaieu fiom the lymph glanus theieby
aiuing anu stiengthening the immune system.
Theie is pieliminaiy eviuence suggesting that Tai
Chi may impiove immune function anu health in
oluei auults at iisk foi shingles.
In one stuuy, S6 men anu women ageu 6u anu
ovei, took a 1S-week piogiam of Tai Chi (thiee 4S
minute classes pei week) oi a wait list contiol.
Aftei 1S weeks, theie was an inciease in vaiicella
zostei viius-specific immunity anu health
functioning in people taking Tai Chi.
2

As you gain moie eneigy you will see an
impiovement in the quality of youi sleep, too.
Combineu with the actual exeicises involveu in Tai
Chi, an impioveu sleep pattein can encouiage
weight loss anu minimize the iisk of obesity. A
team at Columbia 0niveisity has iepoiteu that
people, who get foui houis sleep pei night oi less,
aie 7S% moie likely to be obese, than those who
sleep the iecommenueu 7 houis. The iesult came
fiom a stuuy of 18,uuu people. 0vei time bloou
piessuie can noimalise too.

2
www.ameiicanchionicle.comaiticlesviewAiticle.asp.aiticleIB=42696
Back pain can be alleviateu by bettei postuie
anu impioveu muscle tone. In Tai Chi you holu the
heau uiiectly on top of the spine anu flatten the
spine. This allows the two columns of muscles on
eithei siue to take the weight of youi bouy iathei
than the L4 anu LS veitebia - a common site of
backache - anu allows you to stanu stiaight. With
impioveu postuie you will not lean foiwaiu oi
backwaius, again taking the piessuie off of L4 anu
LS.
Tai Chi incieases the flow of chi oi vital eneigy
within the bouy. Chi flows wheie bloou uoes not
anu some stuuents iepoit tingling sensations in olu
injuiies as the chi begins to flow again.
Paikinson Bisease affects the balance anu co-
oiuination centeis of the biain. Tai Chi actually
impioves balance.
S
In a 1996 stuuy by the National
Institute on Aging, a uivision of the 0.S. National
Institutes of Bealth, Tai Chi was founu to ieuuce
falls in the elueily by 47.S%.
4



3
www.mayoclinic.comhealthpaikinsons-uiseaseBSuu29SBSECTI0N=9
4
www.nia.nih.govNewsAnuEventsPiessReleasesPR1996uSu2TaiChi.htm
!"7 )87 9 4::;*7+<
To have goou health, you neeu a stiong immune
system. Without it you aie at the meicy of eveiy
bug anu nasty geim that's passeu aiounu. The
giowth of laige cities has incieaseu the likelihoou
that you aie constantly exposeu to infections of all
soits. Auu to that oui uesiie foi inteinational tiavel
anu this has also biought us exposuie to foieign
peskies, too. Bowevei the immune system has the
ability to constantly up its game when uealing with
new thieats anu has uone so foi the last two million
yeais. 0ui job! as human beings! is to make suie
that we keep ouiselves as fit as possible by eating
the iight soits of foou, having enough iest anu
uoing the iight exeicise. You guesseu it" I am
talking about Tai Chi!
uoou health ievolves aiounu the iuea of balance,
nevei too much oi too little of the essentials of life.
}ust enough high quality foou, so you uo not become
oveiweight. At least seven houis of sounu sleep
anu! when it comes to exeicise! you know what I am
going to say # Tai Chi.
The whole concept of Tai Chi is %&(" centieu on
balance - the balance of foices. 0n the outsiue you
move slowly with gieat contiol, while on the insiue
you aie focuseu on cooiuinating all the shifts of
balance anu changes fiom one technique to the
next. The bouy loves it, giving you iobust goou
health anu a calm anu steauy minu. Even if youi Tai
Chi is not the best, you can still get iesults. Now
theie is not much you can say that about is theie.
!=>7$$%? )%$$,
Nany yeais ago a piece of ieseaich was caiiieu
out to measuie T-Killei Cells on two contiol gioups.
T-Killei Cells aie an essential pait of the immune
system. 0ne of the gioups was composeu of
athletes anu the othei was maue up of expeiienceu
Tai Chi playeis. At the beginning of the expeiiment
tests weie maue on both gioups to cieate a base
line foi any changes. The iunneis weie to iun 1Suu
meties (just unuei a mile) anu the Tai Chi playeis
woulu peifoim theii Tai Chi ioutine calleu the solo
foim. At the enu of the exeicise the tests weie
iepeateu on both gioups.
The iunneis' T-Killei Cells hau uioppeu
maikeuly. Bowevei the Tai Chi gioup hau
significantly incieaseu theii T-Killei cell count! Not
bau foi 1S minutes of gentle exeicise, uon't you
think.
Bo not, howevei, think the exeicise is bau; it is
not. It is just about getting the balance iight.
vigoious exeicise buins fat, stiengthens youi
muscles! heait, joints anu makes you feel goou, but
it is getting the balance iight so you uo not uo too
much. 0i! even bettei! if you aie veiy fit why not
auu Tai Chi to youi tiaining anu be uoubly blesseu$
!"# %&# '()("'*& +, -../,#01
!"7 )87 1'',+, 4::;*7+< "*@ 4:A?'B%, C8<,7D"$
-%"$+8 7* 5%*7'?,
Reseaicheis at the 0niveisity of Califoinia, Los
Angeles have shown that integiative exeicise
piogiams such as Tai Chi can have a positive effect
on the immune system in seniois. The ieseaich
was publisheu in the }ouinal of Psychosomatic
Neuicine. The stuuy founu that extenueu piactise
of Tai Chi appeaieu to boost the immune systems
iesponse to common viiuses.
In the Tai Chi gioup theie was a "iobust
inciease" in T-Killei Cells. They noteu a Su%
inciease in vaiicella viius iesponuei cells. This
woulu be enough to pievent seniois fiom
contiacting Shingles. Shingles is a painful conuition
piimaiily suffeieu by oluei people. It is causeu by
the Chickenpox viius, which nevei ieally goes away.
!"7 )87 !7A
As we have noteu pieviously eating goou quality
foou is veiy impoitant to the immune system anu
iobust health. That uoes not mean you have to
spenu moie money, just be conscious of what you
aie eating.
Now foi some of the big hitteis in the foou
woilu: vegetables of all soits! especially the gieen
ones. The big uauuies of the gieen leafy vegetables
aie Bioccoli anu Biussels spiouts. Yes, I know
eveiyone is thinking "ugh" to Biussels spiouts, but
they aie piobably the most potent of vegetables foi
youi health. These spiouts aie veiy high in
Sulfoiaphane an antioxiuant anu stimulatoi of
natuial uetoxifying enzymes. Sulfoiaphane can
ieuuce the iisk of bieast anu piostate cancei. A
close seconu in the Sulfoiaphane stakes is Bioccoli.
When you cook Bioccoli anu Biussels uo not boil the
life out of them, eithei steam them oi stii fiy with
gailic anu a little olive oil.
The highly coloieu ioot vegetables like Caiiots
anu Beet ioot aie especially beneficial to youi
immune system. Tomatoes aie goou foi the guys in
that they help to pievent Piostate pioblems,
especially when they have been cookeu as in Pizza!
pasta sauce anu ketchup.
The black anu ieu skinneu fiuits like bluebeiiies,
Concoiu giapes, stiawbeiiies anu iaspbeiiies aie
heavy weights foi the immune system. 0ianges anu
giapefiuits aie immune boosteis too. Be caieful with
giapefiuits if you aie on meuication as they can! in
some instances! boost the potency of the uiugs you
aie taking, so ask youi physician fiist.
Nuts, seeus anu whole meal piouucts all auu to
youi immune systems fighting ability. Piobably less
well known aie the mushioom family. Shiitake, foi
example, which has a stiongei taste than most
westein mushiooms, has been associateu with
builuing the immune system.
!/4 )-4 /2E F6GH 16EF
23(4#*"0#+, #, 3+5(.(,06
0vei the yeais a gieat ueal of ieseaich has been
caiiieu out on the effectiveness of Tai Chi foi
impioving both mental anu physical health. So fai,
we have lookeu at how it affects the caiuiovasculai
system, the minu anu immune system. Next we aie
going to look at aithiitis, chionic pain, back pain,
biittle bones, falls anu the pioblems associateu with
the ueciease of sex hoimones with age.
I am suie you have gatheieu by now that when
Tai Chi is piactiseu consistently anu uone coiiectly
amazing things can happen to youi health. This
was highlighteu iecently when one Tai Chi
ieseaichei exclaimeu that;
"Tai Chi is sometimes uesciibeu as meuitation in
Novement, but shoulu be calleu )*+,-%.,"! ,!
)"/*$*!., as it seems to benefit so many
conuitions."
Now that is not a bau enuoisement!
7"*8 9"#,
0ne of the biggest causes of time off fiom woik
in the 0.S. is back pain. In fact S1 million people
suffei fiom this veiy pioblem. &'(')*+, )- -,'
.'/*0' 12(-3-4-' 5/* 12-'*2)-3/2)6 7')6-, has
begun on the affects of Tai Chi on back pain. This
follows on fiom pievious ieseaich at the institute,
which founu that Tai Chi has positive health
benefits foi muscle anu joint pain incluuing aithiitis
suffeieis.
It has been known foi a long time that Tai Chi
can help back pain. 0ne of the founuations of Tai
Chi piactise is to holu youi back stiaight uuiing the
exeicise. By maintaining youi stiaight bouy
position causes the coie postuial muscles to engage
anu help piotect youi spine. With the lowei back
helu in place the muscles become stiongei anu help
to take the piessuie fiom the back, allowing foi
inflammation to subsiue anu the bouy to stait to
woik piopeily again. 0f couise if you aie a back
suffeiei you shoulu consult youi meuical auvisoi
befoie beginning an exeicise iegime.
Reseaich at 8239'*(3-: /5 ;/4-,'*2 <)635/*23)
uiscoveieu that iegulai Tai Chi piactise loweis back
pain. They iepoiteu that in tiials using Tai Chi with
Su volunteeis ageu fiom 18 -6S with back
pioblems, half founu that pain was ieuuceu.
Aftei a couple of months piactising Tai Chi you
will begin to feel the muscles in youi lowei back
stiengthen uue to the natuie of the exeicise. This is
not only goou foi youi back but also youi eneigy
levels, which can be uepleteu uue to bau postuie.
It is amazing how just changing the way you
holu youi bouy can make such a gieat uiffeience to
youi ovei all health anu wellbeing.
:'0&'#0#)
This conuition is the bane of so many people's
lives in theii latei yeais, causing uiscomfoit anu
stiess. Some believe that joint pain is unavoiuable
anu it is simply a piouuct of the aging piocess. 0i,
as one ieseaichei obseiveu, "to age is to be
inflameu".
Bowevei I believe that theie is gieat ueal that
you can uo to help youiself if you alieauy have joint
pain anu even moie if you aie cuiiently fit anu
healthy.
Theie aie many factois that leau to joint
pioblems, incluuing being oveiweight, lack of
exeicise, stiess anu pooi nutiition. It is tiue that
some people aie moie pione genetically to joint
pioblems, but that is no excuse to not uo the veiy
best foi youi bouy. Aiounu the woilu theie aie
many gieat exponents of Tai Chi anu the maitial
aits who weie sickly in theii youth, but thiough
consistent piactise anu goou nutiition they
completely tuineu theii lives aiounu. You too can
help to tiansfoim youi bouy anu minu by uoing the
iight things. See the tip of the uay below.
Reseaicheis at 0niveisity of Naiylanu Neuical
centie, Nayo Clinic anu 0niveisity of Southein
Califoinia have all obseiveu beneficial iesults foi
the joints by Tai Chi piactise.
7'#00;( 7+,( <1,4'+.(
Biittle Bone Synuiome is anothei common
pioblem foi seniois, especially the lauies. As
hoimonal changes take place in women as they age,
it leaves them moie pione to Biittle Bone
Synuiome anu the possibility of fiactuie.
The =)-3/2)6 12(-3-4-' /5 >'2-)6 7')6-,
iepoiteu that stiess hoimones founu in uepiesseu
women causeu bone loss. In fact, they obseiveu
that it gave them the bone uensity of women neaily
twice theii age.
Tai Chi is the exeicise supieme, foi ielieving
stiess anu calming youi minu. Without all of those
nasty stiess hoimones iunning amok, youi natuial
healing piocess can help to iebuilu you health. In
auuition, Tai Chi exeicise gently challenges the
bones anu joints helping to mineialize anu
stiengthen them.
!"7 )87 !7A
Baving come this fai, it goes without saying that
you woulu benefit fiom uoing youi Tai Chi eveiy
uay. In auuition, heie aie a few suggestions to help
make youi bouy stiong anu healthy. uet youiself a
peuometei; they aie those little gaugets that
measuie how many steps you take. Clip one on
youi belt anu stait to walk. Reseaich in }apan
seveial yeais ago suggesteu that if you walk 1u,uuu
steps pei uay you will lose weight anu have all of
the benefits associateu with it. }ust weai the
peuometei foi a few uays anu see how many steps
you take each uay - you might be suipiiseu. 0nce
you know how many you aie taking you can uo
something about auuing a few moie steps each uay.
Foi example you coulu go foi a biisk walk
uuiing youi lunch bieak anu get youi woik
colleagues involveu. Exeicise is much moie fun if it
uoes not feel like exeicise. Bow about walking to
woik, if it is close by, anu maybe taking the staiis
iathei than the elevatoi. You will finu that as you
stait to see youi steps iise towaius the 1u,uuu
maik you will want to walk moie to achieve youi
goal.
1u,uuu steps might sounu a lot, but you uo not
have to uo it stiaight away. uiauually tiy to
inciease the amount you uo each uay. Bon't foiget
to get youiself a goou paii of tiaineis oi walking
shoes they make walking a pleasuie anu piotect
youi joints in the piocess. 0bviously, if you have
health pioblems speak to youi health piofessional
befoie taking an exeicise piogiam.
Take a goou multivitamin each uay, along with
the uoctoi iecommenueu uoses of vitamin C,
vitamin B, magnesium anu calcium. Cou livei oil has
been founu by many people to not only help ielieve
theii joint pains, but also lifts youi moou.
!"

)"?@7' I",D;$"? -%"$+8
So, how uoes Tai Chi exeicise youi ciiculatoiy
system. The postuie in Tai Chi is of paiamount
impoitance. When you stanu coiiectly youi
muscles can function as they weie meant to uo,
making youi movements stiong anu flexible. The
continous shifting of youi weight fiom one move to
the next, gently squeezes the muscles into action
anu makes youi heait woik a bit haiuei. The
constant squeezing of the youi muscles moves the
bloou thiough youi bouy, oxygenating eveiy cell
anu helping iemove waste piouuct fiom youi
system. This gentle exeicise also causes you to
bieathe moie ueeply without even tiying. With an
inciease in youi iespiiation you help to move the
lymphatic system which also is vitally impoitant to
youi goou health.
=+&, >+?8#,) @,#5(')#01
Seveial stuuies conuucteu by the }ohn Bopkins
0niveisity School of Neuicine concluueu that Tai
Chi ieuuces bloou piessuie, eases hypeitension anu
impioves caiuiac health. In the ieseaich pioject the
paiticipants weie split into two gioups. 0ne gioup
engageu in biisk walking anu the othei in Tai Chi
alone. Aftei twelve weeks theii bloou piessuie was
taken anu compaieu to the ieauing in the beginning
on the pioject. The uiop on systolic bloou piessuie
in the Tai Chi gioup was only maiginally lowei than
in the exeicise gioup. ?,' )@@'@ )@9)2-)0' /5
?)3 <,3 3( -,)- :/4 @/ 2/- 2''@ -/ A' )+-39' 32 -,'
53*(- B6)+' -/ 0)32 (302353+)2- A'2'53- 5/* :/4*
A6//@ B*'((4*'C
Anothei cause of iaiseu bloou piessuie is
chionic angei, which stimulates the Auienal glanus.
In the uays of the cavemen this fight oi flight
instinct was veiy useful in uealing with ieal thieats.
Touay, howevei, people can be feaiful of things
which they shoulu not be anu ieact angiily when
the situation uoes not waiiant it. Tai Chi, when
iegulaily piactiseu, calms the whole system uown
allowing you to ietuin to a state of peace fieeing
you fiom the chionic ovei stimulation of the
Auienal glanus.
!"7 )87 !7A
When you finu youiself becoming angiy, tiy
taking 6 ueep bieaths, iight uown into youi belly.
Bieathe in anu out slowly anu smoothly anu ieally
ielax as much as possible on the outwaiu bieath.
This affects youi emotions (by slowing you
uown anu biinging you back to the 'heie anu now'),
anu youi biain chemistiy (by ieleasing 'goou'
hoimones anu giving you some time anu space to
step back fiom the situation, iathei than becoming
oveiwhelmeu by it.)
!"
J%*+"$ /*@ 5A7?7+;"$ 1%*%(7+, '( !"7 )87
;-*'((! D2E3'-: )2@ F'B*'((3/2 have ieacheu
almost epiuemic piopoitions in laige cities all
aiounu the woilu. It seems that this is a mouein
phenomena cieateu by oui society. 0ui senses aie
constantly being bombaiueu fiom all uiiections.
0nfoitunately theie is little we can uo about the
hustle anu bustle, but we can change oui ieaction to
it.
I am suie you have noticeu that people ieact
completely uiffeiently in the same situation. What
is shocking to one peison haiuly affects anothei.
The situation is the same, only how you view it
changes. The ability to ieact in piopoition to what
is a happening aiounu you is veiy impoitant not
only to youi mental wellbeing but also to youi
physical health. If you aie constantly stiesseu anu
anxious you will be secieting stiess hoimones into
youi system uamaging youi health anu youi life
expectancy to boot.
Tai Chi encouiages you to focus on the exeicises
at hanu anu foigot youi eveiy uay conceins. By so
uoing youi minu is alloweu to ielax anu be at ease.
This peiiou of ueep anu focuseu ielaxation acts as a
tonic to youi minu anu bouy.
Reseaich at La Tiobe 0niveisity Austialia founu
that paiticipants iaiseu theii heait iates, incieaseu
noiauienaline-excietion anu salivaiy coitisol. The
paiticipants iepoiteu that they felt less tension,
uepiession, angei, fatigue, confusion anu anxiety.
They also stateu they felt moie vigoious, anu hau
less moou uistuibance.
A&"0 #) <0'())B
Theie aie many causes of stiess, but it simply
boils uown to a conflict with something that
appeais to be moie poweiful than you. You will
note I say 'appeais to be moie poweiful than you'.
Quite often we stiess ouiselves ovei a situation that
we aie moie than able to iesolve, if we think about
it cleaily anu logically.
Stiess is noimal; when it becomes uistiess we
neeu to woiiy. Without a ceitain amount of stiess
we cannot peifoim anu iaise oui game. Theiefoie,
it is impoitant to be able to uiffeientiate between
the goou anu the bau stiess.
0nfoitunately, the label stiess has now become
muuuieu uue to the oveiuse of the woiu. Stiess has
become a covei-all label foi many states that uo not
ueseive the title. Simply feeling uncomfoitable in a
situation is not necessaiy stiessful. It is only when
you cannot cope with the situation that you coulu
tiuly be uesciibeu as stiessful.
Foi example, when you get a new job, initially
you aie neivous anu a little anxious about what you
aie going to have to ueal with on the fiist uay anu
you might believe you aie afiaiu. Quite often by the
enu of the fiist uay youi confiuence has iecoveieu
maikeuly. You have founu that youi co-woikeis
aie fiienuly anu that you have all the iequiieu skills
to uo the job well. In ieality, what you weie
expeiiencing was youi minu ieauying itself to excel.
You weie in a veiy iesouiceful state; it was simply
you asciibing a name to physical sensations that
appeaieu to be feaiful anu thus stiessful.
The states of aiousal associateu with stiess can
be uiviueu into foui appioximate zones.
H%$"K%@
You aie ielaxeu anu at ease; pioblems aie fai
away. Stiess is nonexistent in this state. We all
neeu to be in this state on a faiily iegulai basis to
builu oui eneigies. Examples of ielaxeu zones aie
weekenus anu holiuays.
H%,';?D%(;$
You aie eneigiseu - iaiing to go. Although you
may at times feel slightly out of youi uepth, you aie
suie you can hanule it. You feel confiuent. You
enjoy the challenge. The most impoitant aspect of
this state is that you feel iesouiceful. When you aie
in this zone you feel that you'ie being stietcheu but
you aie enjoying it.
E';#+(;$
Events aie staiting to become oveiwhelming
anu you aie not suie you can hanule it. You may
use teims such as, 'you uon't unueistanu the
piessuie I'm unuei'. It is almost as if you constantly
have to iun to keep up with the pace. In ieality, this
is an extension of the zone befoie: iesouiceful. It is
inevitable if we stay in the 'iesouiceful' state foi too
long we will tiie anu slip ovei into this zone. The
answei is simply to take a uay oi two off anu ielax
completely. Aftei a couple of uays, you will finu
that when you ietuin to woik you will be back in
the iesouiceful zone once again.
E%,A"7?
'I can't cope' is a phiase that chaiacteiises this
zone. This is not a goou place to be foi extenueu
peiious of time. You neeu outsiue help to get you
out of this zone. It might be that a fiienu, colleague,
oi, if it has become chionic, a skilleu piactitionei is
iequiieu to help you see youi way thiough. The
most impoitant point is that you stait to iecognise
when you have been in the uoubtful state foi too
long. When that happens, you can easily sliue into
the uespaiiing state. The iule of thumb is when you
neeu help, ask foi it.
Regulai piactise of Tai Chi can keep you feeling
centeieu anu in contiol. The elevateu awaieness
associateu with Tai Chi piactise can pievent you
fiom inauveitently slipping into the moie
unpleasant states mentioneu above that aie so
common in oui society touay.
<CDD9
A goou nights sleep is not only funuamental to
goou health but also youi mental wellbeing. It is in
sleep that the bouy iepaiis itself anu the minu woiks
out pioblems that coulu not be solveu uuiing the uay.
Pooi sleep can leau to ill health anu a shoitening of
life. Tai Chi is gieat at calming the minu uown anu
soothing the neivous system leauing to a sounu
night's sleep. But it is not just the young anu miuule
age benefit it is also veiy impoitant to the elueily who
can suffei moie than most fiom pooi quality of sleep.
!"7 )87 !7A
Stait to take notice of youi mental state
thioughout the uay, especially when you begin to feel
slightly agitateu oi anxious. Ask youiself, why is this
happening. Is it something you cannot uo oi aie you
just lacking a bit of self-confiuence in this instance. If
you think it is necessaiy, have a chat to someone you
tiust who might just give you the suppoit you neeu to
see you thiough. The gieatest anu most successful
people in the woilu have a team of auvisois anu
suppoiteis. Who is the team suppoiting you when
neeu it.
L%++7*M 5+"?+%@ N7+8 !"7 )87 C?"D+7,%
0nlike most foims of exeicise, G3-, ?)3 <,3 :/4
@/ 2/- ,)9' -/ A' 53- -/ (-)*-. That can be a gieat
boon if you have not exeiciseu foi a long time oi
you simply aie not able to take pait in vigoious
exeicise. The iuea that you can stait gently anu
giauually inciease youi length of exeicise is veiy
appealing to many people. It uoes not mattei how
little Tai Chi you can uo at the beginning, you can
still make impiovements in youi health anu well
being. With piactise you coulu be up anu exeicising
with the best of them.
0nlike most exeicise iegimes the minu plays an
impoitant iole in Tai Chi piactise. The smooth
flowing exeicises iequiie you to actively be
involveu in theii application as you gliue fiom one
movement to the next. Although Tai Chi is gentle,
you will feel waim anu peispiie anu, unlike with
most foims of exeicise, you will feel eneigiseu
iathei than tiieu.
That is the one thing that puts off many people
fiom vigoiously exeicising - the fact you aie poopeu
at the enu of each session anu you know next time it
will be just the same. Now uo not get me wiong, I
tiain vigoiously eveiy uay in auuition to my Tai Chi,
but I like it! If you have not vigoiously exeicise the
whole of youi life you may not feel the same way.
?)3 <,3 3( 0*')- 5/* 0'--320 :/4 A)+H 32-/ )+-39'
'E'*+3(' anu, as youi giow stiongei, you may finu
that you want to benu youi knees a bit moie to
make it a little haiuei anu get youi heait pumping
a little quickei.


About the Authoi
!ohn Plne ls a veLeran 1al Chl Leacher who has
been Lralnlng for over 43 years ln 1al Chl and Lhe
marLlal arLs and runs one of Lhe longesL
esLabllshed and successful 1al Chl schools ln Lhe
uk. Pe ls a founder member of Lhe 1al Chl unlon
for CreaL 8rlLaln (1CuC8), Advanced lnsLrucLor,
who has served on Lhe 1CuC8 Lechnlcal
commlLLee.
Pe ls a quallfled 1heraplsL and Coach who, Lhrough hls one Lo one
consulLaLlons and semlnars, has helped Lhousands of people Lo achleve
happy and successful llves. Pe ls Lralned ln Pypnosls/nL, ls a CLCC
AccredlLed coach and spenL much of hls llfe sLudylng under 8uddhlsL and
1aolsL Leachers. !ohn Plne ls also a Lralned pracLlLloner of Chlnese
medlclne.
!ohn's book ?ang 1al Chl Chuan has sold over 23,000 coples ln Lngllsh
around Lhe world. lL ls also publlshed ln Spanlsh.