Places to practice tai chi this winter
December 23, 2011 Filed under News u can use
By Zhao Hongyi
Even though the temperatures have dropped, you can still get your exercise in by doing tai chi.
Tai chi is an aerobic physical exercise that helps the joints and muscles. It’s ideal for people who spend much of their day sitting at desks or in front of a computer.
The activity also helps relax the nerves, and is easy to learn for people of all ages.
Here are three options for people interested in taking it up.
CFP Photo
Master Chen’s Tai Chi
Master Chen’s Tai Chi has been around for 500 yeras. Its current instructor, Liu Wunian, is in his 70s and is the co-founder of Master Chen’s Tai Chi Association in Beijing.
Liu holds free classes every morning on the tennis courts at Tiantongyuan, a large residential community in the northern part of the city.
Every weekend, Liu attracts hundreds of practitioners, making his class an astonishing scene, even for tourists.
Liu is also a calligraphy master. After class, he likes to exchange views with his students about calligraphy and antiques.
Liu has many apprentices who have opened classes around Olympic Green Park and the Asian Olympic Games Village. Interested individuals are welcome to take part.
Time: 7-9 am, every Saturday and Sunday
Where: Tennis courts, West 3rd Block, Tiantongyuan, Changping District
How to get there: Take Subway Line 5 to Tiantongyuan station
Ease Fibromyalgia naturally
September 9, 2010 Filed under Health
By Li Zhixin
Doctors usually recommend exercise, sleep and medications when treating fibromyalgia, but the effectiveness is often limited and the chronic pain and fatigue associated with the condition can make running and swimming difficult.
A new study suggests that tai chi – the slow-moving, meditative martial art – may be a more effective alternative.
Li Bin/CFP Photo
Tai chi as a natural therapy
US researchers divided 66 people diagnosed with fibromyalgia into two groups: one group did hour-long sessions of tai chi twice a week for three months; the other had a twice-weekly lifestyle education class followed by gentle stretching.
After three months, symptoms were significantly alleviated in the tai chi group while the control group reported no improvements. Most participants reported a decrease in feelings of pain, fatigue, depression and anxiety, and an overall better quality of life. They also reported better sleep quality and improved physical conditioning.
The improvements were still evident at 24 weeks, according to the research reported in the August 19 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.
Tai chi is a mind-body exercise that originated as a martial art. It combines meditation with slow, gentle movements, deep breathing and relaxation. It can improve muscle strength, flexibility, balance, sleep and coordination by moving chi, or vital energy, throughout the body.
Although it is not clear from the study how tai chi might improve fibromyalgia, both the physical activity and the meditative aspects are likely beneficial, says Chenchen Wang, the lead researcher and an associate professor at the Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston.
“Some people need the physical improvement, while others need more mental improvement,” she says. “Tai chi can help with both. The physical component of tai chi can improve aerobic capacity, strength and muscle function. But the most important part is mental. You see lots of patients improve their depression and become good friends with each other.”
Previous research has shown that tai chi can help relieve arthritis and other pain conditions, but this study was the first controlled trial to examine its effectiveness as a treatment for fibromyalgia.
