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Alex Dong Intl Taijiquan Assoc: Pacific NW School - Taijiquan Testimonials |
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TESTIMONIALS ON THE BENEFITS OF REGULAR TAI CHI CHUAN PRACTICE After two surgeries and a long series of injections for severe back pain, nothing seemed to give me any lasting relief. The doctor then recommended Tai Chi. Now, after a year of practice, the pain is greatly reduced. My balance and flexibility are also much improved. My doctor had told me to expect this result, but what happened next was a complete surprise. I have a long history of heart trouble, and it had gotten almost impossible to regulate my blood pressure. I had, for a good while, been taking five medications for this condition. Recently my doctor gradually cut my prescriptions down to where I am now only taking one and my blood pressure is normal. Amazingly all this is due solely to the tai chi form I have learned from my instructor, Andy Holmes. Lloyd Hodge (May 1999)
The AARP Bulletin of November 2001 has an article on balance and how it relates to falling. Of course we all know that balance declines with age, and a fall for us oldsters can lead to serious injuries, some even life threatening due to the loss of mobility. The article quotes a research study by the NIA (National Institute on Aging) that found Tai Chi improves balance and body awareness. I can attest to that. My wife and I have been learning Tai Chi for two years. I felt O.K. before we started, but my general well-being and physical condition were going downhill at a faster rate than I thought was necessary. My balance was never great but it has now improved dramatically, allowing me to stand on one leg in a kicking posture with students 10-25 years younger. I have little trouble now going through the slow set of 108 postures, taking half an hour, sometimes up to an hour, to complete the set. This means standing on one leg with one foot outstretched for many seconds at a time, moving slowly and continuous to the next posture. I feel I'm getting better each time I practice. I know my muscle tone is much improved. My wife is happy about that, and also happy about her own condition improvement, including wearing good older clothes she's kept, that fit again. It took practice but it was worth it. We are learning from instructor Andy Holmes. He teaches the Dong Family long form which comes directly from the renowned Yang style made famous by Yang Cheng Fu. This form acknowledges its roots as a martial art and therefore optimizes the benefits from practicing the form. While most styles stress physical benefit and inner calm, this style adds the reason behind the movements, i.e. martial applications that show me why I'm supposed to move in a certain way, completing the benefits. I fully expect to practice Tai Chi the rest of my life in some form or other. I'm even anxious to learn the fast set and maybe even try the knife and sword sets. Sixty five is a good age. Tai Chi may keep me at that age for a long time. Thanks Andy! Bob Brees (Nov 2001)
World Taiji and Qi Gong Day 2001 Press Release-April 15,
2001 World Taiji and Qi Gong Day was last Saturday, April 7th. In Olympia WA, USA, approximately 40 participants shared in a global slow set 10 am, on the State Capital grounds. Experience ranged from those who had never seen Taiji in action, to those with over 30 years of practice. Qi Gong warm ups were led by instructor Harry Bowron, a practitioner of the Chen Style Yang form (short). After this, instructors Chris Chambers and Jon Donze, practitioners of the Yang Style, Dong Family Tung Kai-ying via Jane Golden lineage led the group in the 1st section of the Yang Style slow set. After about an hour of warm ups and sharing of ideas about the different Qi Gong and tiaji forms, instructor Andy Holmes led the group as we joined the rest of the world in a 35 minute slow set. As an encore, our esteemed instructors of the Dong-Tung family lineage demonstrated the Knife set, the Family fast set, Fa Zing and rounded it all off with some push hands and Harry Bowron's leading a Dragon Qi Gong exercise! Taiji Chuan, an internal martial art, has become globally recognized as a proven form of exercise to better our health. With focused practice on a regular basis, dramatic improvements in systemic health disease such as Diabetes Mellitus, Cardiovascular disease, Fibromyalgia, and other debilitating ailments have been well documented. Continued practice also benefits our mind-body emotional well being by allowing us to remain in a calm, relaxed state for a prolonged amount of time. A slow set, as it's called in the Yang style long form, includes about 108 different postures. Each posture, or movement is executed slowly and with focused intent. To complete all movements takes approximately 20 to 45 minutes. Some even practice the slow set taking anywhere from 60 to 85 minutes. Such a workout becomes an intense meditation and the after-effects are wonderfully stimulating, lasting not just for hours, but days! After regular practice, the movements become graceful and a person's agility is naturally improved. It's the continued gentle movement of the entire slow set that stimulates our health and produces such dramatic effects in improving our blood sugars, lowering cholesterol, or bringing more oxygen to our tensed muscles. It's been well documented that the effects of regular relaxation only improves our health, mentally, physically and psychologically. Harry Bowron, Chris Chambers, Jon Donze, and Andy Holmes, are all local Olympia instructors. |
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