Blog

My Trip to Hong Kong

Yes that’s me in the rickshaw at the peak Honk Kong I spent 4 weeks learning more about the health benefits of Tai Chi it was a great experience.
The knowledge and wisdom from some of the local people doing their Tai Chi and exercises in Kowloon Park was very different from what we do here in the western world. My class students were very eager to learn from me when I brought the news back to Australia.
Sharing the health benefits with my students has been an ongoing commitment for me to see them on the way to a much more healthier life without the stress that the fast pace of the western world can sometimes bring.

Tai Chi improves balance, avoids falls

Each year, approximately 30% of our adult community aged 65 and older experience a fall. Falls are the second main cause of  injuries among the elderly, and the economic costs associated with non lethal falls are considerable. In addition, falls among the elderly are considered to be unavoidable and an important research subject in public health. Some studies have indicated that with advancing age, balance decreases more sharply than other physiological functions, especially among people over the age of 60 years, in whom the ability to balance is significantly impaired and leads to an increased risk of falls; this directly influences the elderly’s physical and psychological health. Many studies have shown that physical exercise can improve motor function, the ability to balance, the ability to walk, and the stability and posture of the body.

Tai Chi exercises consist of a series of sequential, graceful, and balanced movements that are executed in a slow, meditative, and relaxed manner. With its mild-to-moderate intensity, Tai Chi improves cardiopulmonary capacity, muscle strength, postural control, spinal flexibility and balance. The evidence is  that  Tai Chi as an intervention that can improve the balance and reduce falls in the elderly.

Compared to high impact exercises like Aerobics, Gym work and Running. A Tai Chi class being performed in slow motion is gentle and graceful it’s hard to imagine that tai chi can burn off a single calorie or strengthen muscles. But this exercise program is far more dynamic than it looks working out between 250 and 300 muscles in the body.

The slowness that you see from the outside can be deceptive tai chi is roughly the equivalent of a brisk walk (depending on the intensity at which you perform it). Studies have found it similar to more vigorous forms of weight training, With its integrative approach that strengthens the body while focusing the mind, tai chi addresses a range of physical and mental health issues—including bone strength, joint stability, cardiovascular health, immunity, and emotional well-being. Tai chi is especially useful for improving balance and preventing falls a major concern for older adults.

Studies have shown tai chi to reduce falls in seniors by up to 45%,

Tai chi helps improve balance because it targets all the physical components needed to stay upright with leg strength, flexibility, range of motion, and reflexes all of which tend to decline with age.

Interestingly, one of tai chi’s biggest benefits to stability isn’t physical but emotional.

Anyone who’s had a fall or who has instability has what we call a ‘fear of falling Ironically, a fear of falling is one of the biggest predictors of a fall. By making you firmer on your feet, tai chi takes away that fear, Tai chi also makes you more aware of both your internal body and the external world, giving you a better sense of your grounding on your feet so you won’t fall as easy while you are out and about in your daily routine.

Using your lungs to the fullest in Tai Chi breathing is a very important step to your health and well being. As we age we tend to shallow breath more often so going to a Tai Chi class can help you with your breathing.
1. In shallow breathing, only the top compartment is being used for fresh air, the other two-thirds are left to stew in stale air.
When a person is under stress, their breathing pattern changes. Typically, an anxious person takes small, shallow breaths, using their shoulders rather than their diaphragm to move air in and out of their lungs. This style of breathing disrupts the balance of gases in the body. Shallow over-breathing, or hyperventilation, can prolong feelings of anxiety by making the physical symptoms of stress worse.

2.  Middle breathing, or “ordinary” breathing, uses half to two-thirds of the lung capacity but still leaves the lower compartment untouched. At least middle breathing makes for a better balance of oxygen, supplies more energy and helps purify the blood.

3. Complete breathing, is the way we were supposed to breath if not our lungs would be much smaller in size but they are not. Our lungs are there to be completely filled with fresh air and emptied. When practicing Tai Chi it helps to shift the breathing filling the lungs completely massaging the internal organs which in turn has many health benefits.

Relaxation response

When a person is relaxed, they breathe through their nose in a slow, even and gentle way. Deliberately copying a relaxed breathing pattern seems to calm the nervous system that controls the body’s involuntary functions.

Controlled breathing can cause physiological changes that include:

• lowered blood pressure and heart rate
• reduced levels of stress hormones in the blood
• reduced lactic acid build-up in muscle tissue
• balanced levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in the blood
• improved immune system functioning
• increased physical energy
• increased feelings of calm and wellbeing.

Breathing is an automatic function of the body that is controlled by the respiratory centre of the brain. When we feel stressed, our breathing rate and pattern changes as part of the ‘fight-or-flight response’.

Fortunately, we also have the power to deliberately change our own breathing. Scientific studies have shown that controlling your breath can help to manage stress and stress-related conditions. Breath control is used in Tai Chi to help promote relaxation and reduce stress.

The primary role of breathing is to absorb oxygen and to expel carbon dioxide through the movement of the lungs. Muscles that control the movement of the lungs are the diaphragm (a sheet of muscle underneath the lungs) and the muscles between the ribs.

Connecting your Tai Chi with tress can only improve your energy levels and heal the body. As the tree grows it absorbs the Earth’s Energy so when you connect with the trees it heals helping you open your channels for calm, presence and vitality.

Your oxygen and carbon dioxide levels are more balanced absorbing the natural energy of the trees getting rid of the stale air that accumulates in the lungs replenishing with clean fresh air.