It is pleasing to read that the directions taiji has taken over recent decades is being questioned. In such regard I am somewhat contemptuous of the way that taiji is practised and taught in many schools, both in the Orient and the Occident.

In the West, the new abbreviated kata forms have turned a powerful therapeutic cum transformational tool into a pleasant recreational activity with limited application. The original tai chi ch'uan (TCC) or "supreme ultimate fist" katas have been reduced to insubstantial flower-fist forms that are best described as low-intensity callisthenics, and that ultimately are more soporific than therapeutic.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the great cultural divide, TCC has devolved into a competition event in which strict adherence to choreographed form is sacrosanct. What's more (in actuality, less), the doctrine of materialism that underpins both communist China and Western medical science, has been instrumental in removing life force, chi, élan vital, prana, etc. from the Grand Universal Theorem. In other words, spirit is an inconvenient myth.

Now, before the TCC traditionalists (or modernists) take offence, let me qualify my remarks. I have been an avid practitioner and teacher of this discipline for some 35 years. Moreover, with the passing of time, I have increasingly come to appreciate the subtlety, sublimity and depth of this moving meditation form, which in transcending its martial origins has found direct relevance and applicability to many aspects of daily living. However, TCC is not a static, strictly codified formula or choreography that is, so to speak, ‘carved in stone’—a metaphor more in keeping with its spirit would be ‘writ upon water’. Indeed, according to the dictates of both nature and need, TCC is a dynamic, constantly evolving, and adaptive / adaptable philosophy, art, science, and discipline. Certainly, as a form of dynamic meditation it has no equal, whilst in both the external arena of the martial arts as well as the internal realm of the healing arts it is superlative. However, regardless of whether it is considered from the healing, spiritual or martial arts perspectives, TCC is far from comprehensive, and in that respect fails to adequately address certain important aspects of training for health, strength, fitness, agility and acuity.

Accordingly, in classroom as well as clinic, i present innovative programs that integrate the best of Western and Eastern therapeutic methods (a.k.a. Kinergetix Movement Therapies). The Kinergetix modality is the formulation of the synthesis of Western exercise physiology, human movement, fitness, rehabilitation and sport sciences, with Oriental mind-body therapies and martial arts. In the context of this topic I will however discourse only on the taiji component that is taught in Kinergetix.

The kata that Kinergetix clients are trained in is comprised of 128 steps and requires 45 minutes for its performance. This form was taught to me by my sifu, Simon Lim (who in my opinion is one of a very few taiji grand masters of the 20th century). His kata is distinctive in the following respects: it is performed on both sides (opening L & R); the form is compact, being performed on the spot; it combines elements of Yang and Chen style, hard and soft, internal (medical) and external (martial) schools; the focus is on energy generation, circulation, refinement, storage and expression; and, qigong is integral to the routines. Succinctly, this is pure taiji (and not a limited application of such as practiced in many TCC schools.), moreover it is the real internal alchemy. My contribution to the evolution of this form has been the inclusion of applied biomechanics (the what, why, how and quality of movement) and ergonomics (how we interact with the environment).

At the end of the day however, beautiful words, marvellous theories and persuasive arguments have little substance. The only worthwhile consideration in regard to taiji as a therapeutic tool is whether it is effective, to which I have to say yes, very ... but. My reservations are that in order to be beneficial for health (and in the context of this topic about enhancing micro circulation), the kata needs to be performed in a slow, continuous and gentle manner with correct intent, and for at least 30 minutes. Failing that, i suggest that your time and energy would be better spent going for a walk or dancing.

I trust that my comments on the topic of the health benefits and evolution of TCC in recent years have been edifying. There are TCC practitioners (and self-declared masters) who will doubtless take umbrage at my remarks and audacity in daring to alter something they regard as ancient, established and sacred. My response to such is that the world we live in, our lifestyles, and medical science have all changed dramatically over the millennium since Chang San Feng first formulated TCC, and that TCC needs to adapt accordingly in order to maintain its relevance to modern times.

There can be no doubt that full immersion in tai chi can bring extensive benefit.  It does although seem a mistake to condemn a shortened version as David Labuschagne has.

There is sufficient evidence that people ( especially seniors ) can benefit - reduced falls, better flexibility - surely ANY moving meditation is MORE than many westerners have ever accessed.  A walk is as good - or better??  Of that I am not convinced, I see too many seniors with muscle overuse which restricts their stride - affecting their ability to catch a trip before it becomes a fall.  

I was fortunate to observe close up ( within 8' ) T. T. Liang launch a 170 pound Tai Chi student approximately 6' with no perceptible effort.  He was in his early 90's at the time.  

Even with years of study few will ever match that demonstration.

I would vote for the greatest benefit for the greatest number.  If you can attain more - please do, keep the science alive.....

David is right about the 30-min very slow taichi. Actually, this is equivalent to a set of 9-hole golf by foot in terms of microcirculations, but you spend longer time because it is less efficiency. Raising up heart rate moderately WITHOUT body movement and stress hormones is the key to microcirculations deep inside your brain and all other organs, and replacement of mutated cells. Though wine/tea drinking, acupuncture (thought to be placebo), cannabis, etc. can provide similar healing effect if you do it daily before meals, the effect may disappear totally after a few weeks when your body gets used to the stimulant. The most efficient and cheapest way is to SLOW down your taichi steps drastically and do it only for 30 minutes a day (before meals of course). Or else, you have to do 30 sets of normal speed taichi / aerobics / sun salutations, or simply short-walks, to accumulate the same healing effect. But you MUST rest or meditate for a minute or 2 after each set. Otherwise, you’ll forfeit all the goodness. Avoid doing endurance exercises (marathon, lap-swimming, etc.) unless you have time to do extra exercises to repair some damages (like the pro’s). By now, you should know the difference between active living with many breaks (which is healthy living), active living without breaks, and a complete sedentary lifestyle. The latter two can be fatal. These can be explained by my Taichi microcirculation theory listed below.

http://www.researchgate.net/publication/259261414_A_Brief_Introduction_to_Taichi_Healing__Pao's_Law_of_Exercise_And_Its_Wide_Range_of_Benefits

Article A Brief Introduction to "Taichi Healing & Pao's Law of Exerc...

Thank you Gregory and Pao Yen for your comments and insights on Tai Chi (TCC). Further to this discussion permit me to add the following thoughts.

TCC is a complex movement form requiring many hours of concentrated instruction and practice for the practitioner to master at a basic level. Whilst the research literature attests to TCC’s effectiveness in dealing with a number of health issues, it fails to mention the steep learning curve associated with it.

Part of the challenge with TCC is that the health gains attributed to it depend on the individual correctly performing the movement sequence—that is to say, s/he needs to not only be familiar with the choreography, but also to be comfortable in performing it, failing which the movements are executed in robotic, unnatural, and rigid form. In order to realise the benefits of TCC, the practitioner needs to be relaxed, fluid, focused, in balance, and natural. Where these considerations assume particular importance is in the area of program adherence. Many neophytes become discouraged by the rigor associated with learning TCC, and generally discontinue the practice feeling inadequate and confused, or dismiss TCC with a “been there, done that, got the T-shirt” attitude.

Ultimately, it's not so much a matter of what you do, as how you do it, i.e. quality as opposed to quantity. So ... enjoy!

With the help of a good teacher and a lot of work the student can hope to trip over the truth.

It's always about the journey.

And as it is said ... you have to be very very lucky to find a true teacher, for lack of which your efforts will be misguided and in vain.

Good luck!

If you can, please try my theory on (or just observe) people with chronic illnesses, young kids and old folks (as long as they can walk properly. e.g. from age 3 to 95). You will be able to see the difference between people who don't move, people who move non-stop most of the time, and people who move 30 times a day with proper rests in between. You will be able to see that the last group (especially kids) has more brain power and good health. Actually, my theory also applies to the economy of a company or a country, which functions more or less like our brains.

An interesting discussion, thank you Pao Yen!

You asked:

Tai Chi short forms cannot improve micro circulation in brain and other organs. Can you try the old long forms for a better result?

Would you be willing share the source of the information about microcirculation to the brain? From what I know, any form of relaxation would expand the capillaries. Thus, once a person has gotten over the sympathetic process of learning Tai Chi, the parasympathetic effect of Tai Chi would cause generalized expansion of the the microvascular structures.

I am hopeful to see the citation and maybe have some further discussion.

Dr Jahnke -- Roger

http://IIQTC.org

Dr. Jahnke, how nice to run into your virtual self here! I admire your publications on Taijiquan and Qigong and have cited you in my own work.

Dr. Yen, I have the same question as Dr. Jahnke. Personally I have experienced the benefits of very slow movement with elevated metabolic rate, and I agree that something special happens under those circumstances. But simply your belief that it is due to increased microcirculation to the brain and organs does not carry much weight--it might be true, or not, who knows? However if you actually have evidence to back up your statements I would find that very interesting.

Dr Labushchagne, I appreciate your comments about the widespread ignorance about many core aspects of Taijiquan. The complexity of the Taiquan form is a big barrier. In my view, most of that complexity is due to the martial nature of Taijiquan. For the health and meditative benefits, this long string of complex motions is not necessary. What is necessary is that movements need to done for a period of time, but above all that they are done with correct posture, correct movement principles, correct integration of mind and body, etc. I have found that simple practices of core Qigong exercises based around simple standing (simple on the outside, complex on the inside) convey many of the benefits of more complex forms and are much easier to learn. I have found in a recent (as yet unpublished) research study that 4 months of this form of Qigong, with surprisingly little practice time, made statistically significant reductions in systemic inflammation and blood pressure, as well as increased functional performance, despite there being nothing that would normally be called "exercise" involved.