Page 47 - Kimberly Hunt and daughter

Woman Serenity in the Midst of Activity By Robin Dohrn Simpson
San Diego

Are you feeling stressed out? Do your daily demands reduce
bulb and turned it on.”
you to wet pasta by the end of the day? Do you not give
yourself enough time to just “be”? If you answer yes to any
Chi can’t be touched or felt, but when you move your body
or all of these questions, then it’s time to look into T’ai Chi light bulb illuminates, it is energy that has flowed into the
Chih. and there is heat, that is chi.
Chi flows through the meridians of the body, through vessels
Perhaps you’ve seen people practicing this form of martial and arteries. These are the same channels that an acupunc-
arts in the park or at the beach and wondered what the heck turist taps into with her needles, or a masseuse uses to heal
is that and why are so many people doing it? Are they having the body.
fun?
Relaxation is achieved through slow circular movements.
The practice is ended with a standing pose, to allow the
energy to be absorbed into the cells of your body. The main
components of the practice are slow rocking movements for-
wards and backwards of your feet while your arms move in
harmony doing repetitive circular movements both sideways
and up and down. To slow and calm your mind the focus
is on the rhythm of the foot movement. Don’t forget strong
breathing too. Breath is another strong life force.

“T’ai Chi Chih has many healing qualities.” Susan advises.
“Besides increasing balance, a recent study was just pub-
lished stating that Tai Chi led to a 50% improvement in the
immune response to the shingles virus.” San Diego Woman

Tai chi can also improve ones quality of life, ease chronic
pain, reduce migraine headaches, increase balance and
strengthen the body.
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“As people age they lose their sense of balance.” Susan
says “The movements whether done sitting or standing seem
to have some profound results on balance. Studies have
shown that those who practice the movements do have less
falls.

A recent study at Emory University in Atlanta found that men
and women over the age of 70 who practiced tai chi reduced
their risk of falling by 47% compared with a control group.
Another study at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution in
Baltimore concluded that tai chi can reduce blood pressure
Tai Chi has been around, in many forms, for thousands of in older adults slightly more than regular aerobic exercise. In
years. Originally developed in China around the 12th century 2007 the American Journal of Chinese Medicine completed
A.D. it started as a martial art but over time people began to a study that concluded that Tai chi improves the antibody
use it for health purposes as well. Along with the movements response to influenza vaccine in older adults.
came a better quality of life, flexibility, strength, cardiovascu-
lar function, pain, balance and suppleness to the body. Connie Daugherty, of Poway California is a T’ai Chi Chih
student. She started learning the movements when she
Susan Haymaker of El Cajon, California has been teaching was healing from a shoulder injury. After her sessions were
T’ai Chi Chih for approximately 20 years. finished with her physical therapist, Connie was disappointed
with both her continued pain and her lack of depth of move-
“Tai chi revolves around ‘chi’,” She explains. “Chi is energy. ment of her arm. The therapist advised her that from then
Chi is life force. Chi is unseen, but fully felt. It’s the same on she would have to do exercises on her own and that any
concept as electricity, when you flip on a light switch and the gains to movement would be slow in coming.
Issue 1, 2009