| ||||
| ||||
|
Alternative Health | return to main menu | go to alternative health homepage | alternative health index & site map | |
|
|
|
|
Exercise: Tai Chi for Mind, Body, and Spirit
The practice of Tai Chi combines flowing movement and breathing techniques with mental and spiritual awareness to bring about a workout that benefits the mind, body, and soul. If you are experiencing a lot of stress in your life, then you may benefit from joining a Tai Chi class in your local area, or even getting a book or video from the library and learning the movements on your own at home. Tai Chi originated in China, where it is said that a Taoist monk by the name of Chang San-Feng witnessed a struggle between a crane and a snake. The crane attacked the snake with hard jabs of its beak, while the snake's soft and flowing maneuvers won the battle. The snake's movements were the inspiration for Tai Chi, which is now practiced not only in China, but all over the world. In practicing Tai Chi movements on a daily basis, it is thought that Chi (or the life-energy that flows through you body) is enhanced. If Chi cannot flow to certain organs of the body, they become "malnourished," resulting in illness. Tai Chi exercises supposedly open up the channels for Chi to flow properly throughout the body, thus maintaining health, vitality, and energy. This graceful form of exercise has been known to help people regain strength, posture and balance. It can improve circulation while also bringing on a meditative state that assists in relaxation. A study in the Archives of Internal Medicine (3-8-04) examined 47 previous studies on the health effects of Tai Chi, and found that Tai Chi showed positive effects on: ? Respiratory and cardiovascular functioning ? Blood pressure ? Balance ? Arthritis, flexibility and strength ? Depression or mood ? Immunity If you are interested in finding a Tai Chi class in your area, you may want to check out your local Dojo or even a YMCA. This is a wonderful exercise for people of all ages, from the very old to the very young. It takes practice and concentration, and some people perform it consistently throughout their entire lives. Tai Chi can be a great addition to your workout regimen not only for the physical and mental benefits, but also for your spirit. Stacy Tabb is an author and publisher of many successful informational websites, including an antiaging website aimed at prevention and wellness.
MORE RESOURCES:
Alternative - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
How Visualization Is Different from What You May Have Tried for Pain Relief You've probably tried everything you can think of to ease your chronic pain. But chances are that in your search for relief you haven't tried anything quite like visualization statements. Oral Chelation - What Can It Do For You? (Part 2) Intravenous chelation therapy was more popular than oral chelation initially. It involved the injection of EDTA (ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid) that is an effective and widely studied chelating agent. Balancing the Light and Dark Integrating my dark side was a fairly torturous process for me, partly because I made it harder than it had to be. Apparently I do that a lot. Aromatherapy Favorites: Patchouli Essential Oil Patchouli's History and UsesAh, Patchouli oil - people seem to love it or hate it. This well know essential oil has a somewhat deserved reputation as the scent of the Hippy generation (according to one source, it's use began as a mask for the odor of a particularly cherished herb), though it's traditional use dates back hundreds, perhaps thousands of years. Laughter, Why Its so Good for You For hundreds of years, we've known that 'Laughter is the best medicine'.Laughter makes you feel good for a reason. Breathing Your Way To Health Breathing, yes of course we do it, if not we'd be dead, obvious isn't it. But in the far east Breathing techniques have been used for thousands of years. The Importance of Touch Through the simple process of touch, Reflexology is so effective in the healing process. In the hi-tech world that we live in, touch has taken second place to machines. Holistic Is Not A Four-Lettered Word If you're anything like me, then you've got a certain picture in your mind of what *holistic* is supposed to be. For me, it's conjured up pictures of holy men, or shaman, doing a ritual dance while chanting mantras, and rubbing *energy crystals* in an effort to remove evil spirits from your life. Is Alternative Medicine Proven to Work? The most common objection to alternative medicine from conventional physicians is that it is "not proven."What doctors mean by this is that alternative medicine has not been rigorously tested the way pharmaceutical drugs have been. Parasites: The Missing Diagnosis? Parasites, commonly thought of as only affecting those in developing countries, actually affect 1 in 6 people in North America and are the most common disease condition in the world. For many chronic conditions this can be the missing diagnosis. Tips for Staying Young Eternally What is something that goes up but never comes down? Your age!Aging is something that humans would love to conquer. Everyone seems to be obsessed in staying young. Spring Cleaning with Nontoxic Cleaners Spring cleaning goes beyond normal everyday cleaning. It's a major project of home revitalization: to make everything new by removing dust and dirt, to make sure everything is in good repair, and to put things in order, so that you will have everything in your household in working condition for the coming year. What is Reiki, Benefits of Reiki, Healing Sessions, Herbs that Heal In Japan, in the early 1920s, Mikao Usui developed Reiki-ho (Reiki method) as "the way to make mind and body healthy on the basis of Universal Reiki".* Reiki is the vibration of love and harmony of universal energy. 5 Low Cost Ways to Soothe the Sting of Sunburn Each of us most likely has at least one memory of nasty sunburn. Whether experienced personally, or by a close family member or friend, the symptoms are likely to include anything from red hot skin - either tender or painful to touch, to nausea, dehydration, blistering and flaking or peeling of the skin. Aromatherapys Mind-Smell Connection Why is smell so strongly linked to memory and emotion?It is not fully understood, but this is no surprise as the complexities of brain activity are still far from being unravelled and understood. The brain holds far more secrets than we have discovered. Pranic Therapy - Part I Pranic Therapy Part I - An IntroductionPranic Therapy is an alternative system of Medicine using therapy with the Universal Stream of Consciousness, the Cosmic Prana.Pranic Therapy can be effectuated by proper knowledge of the psycho- physical organism, physical and mental discipline and opening all our channels to the Cosmic Prana. Do-Sa-Do: Square Dancing and Mindfulness When I was 12, one of my best friends was a square dancer. Twice a week, her family would pile into the Country Squire station wagon and head to the Grange Hall, where they'd gather with their square dancing club for an evening of music, friendship and do-sa-do. The Universal Calibration LatticeŽ - Your Own Personal Connection to the Universal Energy Source Now is an incredible time to be on Earth. All of us in our divine wisdom agreed to be here doing the journey of human at this most auspicious time in the annals of humankind. Far Infrared Sauna Technology Comes of Age What exactly is infrared, or radiant heat? No need to worry - it has nothing to do with either ultraviolet radiation (which gives you a sunburn and damages your skin) or atomic radiation (the kind from a nuclear bomb).Radiant heat is simply a form of energy that heats objects directly through a process called conversion, without having to heat the air in between. The Secret Health Benefits of Apple Cider Vinegar Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV) has been used for thousands of years for a variety of healing purposes. In fact, there are references to it in the Bible as a powerful healing agent.
|
| return to main menu | go to alternative health homepage | alternative health index & site map |
| © 2006 |
