SENIOR TAI CHI
A gentle and fun program especially for seniors ages 55 and up. Focus is on the 12-Step Form, though some simple Long Form movements may be worked with in single fashion. We also incorporate special exercises for brain function, balance, and strengthening joints. Senior Tai Chi II: for more active individuals that want more challenge and to move forward in learning the Long Form. |
Tai Chi an ancient Chinese discipline that integrates mind, body, and spirit. Practitioners use meditation and deep breathing as they move through a series of continuous exercises, called "forms," which resemble slow-moving ballet. Though it originated as a martial art (evolving from qigong), Tai Chi is now practiced more for its therapeutic benefits, which include reducing stress, promoting balance and flexibility, and even easing arthritis pain. |
Tai Chi increases strength and provides calm and harmony by improving the flow of internal energy (or qi) throughout the body. It is the calming, meditative aspect of Tai Chi that makes it particularly useful for reducing stress and anxiety. |
As an aerobic exercise, Tai Chi benefits the entire body, increasing muscle strength and enhancing balance and flexibility. People who practice Tai Chi are also said to exploit the strength of yin (the earth) and the energy of yang (the heavens) through exercises designed to express these forces in balanced and harmonious form. |
Tai Chi can be used as a preventive health measure, as a way to maintain good health, or to help with a specific ailment. Specifically, Tai Chi can be used to help: |
|
By strengthening the muscles surrounding an arthritic joint and improving flexibility, Tai Chi increases range of motion without causing pain. Although Tai Chi cannot treat bone and cartilage damage caused by arthritis, it can lessen the severity and pain of the disease when started early enough. |
|
Tai Chi may enable the heart to pump more blood with each beat, thereby improving circulation. |
|
Research shows that practicing Tai Chi improves balance in older people and thus reduces the risk of falling--a major cause of death and disability in the elderly. |
|
A recent study done at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions revealed that Tai Chi lowered blood pressure almost as much as moderate-intensity aerobic exercise in older adults who had been sedentary. |
|
Preliminary studies suggest that Tai Chi helps people with MS to increase their physical functioning as well as their mental well-being. |
|
Although the evidence is limited, some studies have shown that Tai Chi is as effective as meditation and walking for reducing the amount of stress hormones in the body. |