Stress Management and Well Being through Tai Chi

By Sifu Ben Serpas

There are several techniques one can use to manage stress, but I have found one which includes all the others, Tai Chi, a form of QiGong (Chi Kung), considered the Chinese form of yoga. Some of these techniques are: Biofeedback, Deep Breathing, Massage, Meditation, Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Thought-Stopping, Visualization and Yoga. Tai Chi is a mild form of exercise that uses slow, fluid body movements. It's not a jarring form of exercise. 

Tai Chi had its origin in China, especially in mountain temples such as Wudang and Shaolin, where monks used different forms of martial arts for well being and for self defense. Today, Tai Chi is practiced all over the world as an anaerobic exercise for body, mind and spirit and is practiced by all age groups.

Many would think that Tai Chi is only for young people, but it has been practiced for more than a thousand years by young and old alike with the same benefits. Recent studies in the U.S.A. favor Tai Chi as an alternative and also as a complementary exercise for seniors, either to keep good health and/or to attain overall well being.

Here are some examples:

• The Boston Globe published an article by Don Aucoin (Globe Staff / December 11, 2007) titled “A poet forged in heartbreak” referring to poet Michael Weaver and in one paragraph wrote “Along the way, he (Michael Weaver) also survived a major medical scare: He was diagnosed with congestive heart failure in 1995, and his condition was so severe that one doctor gave him only five years to live. But he recovered through a combination of medication, a reduction of stress (which he attributes to his practice of Tai Chi), and major weight loss after a complete transformation of his diet.
• Tai Chi practitioners fall only half as much as those practicing other balance training, as reported by an Emory University study, and others.
• In 2003, the Journal of Alternative and Complimentary Medicine’s Oct. 9th issue reported a study finding that Tai Chi “could decrease blood pressure and results in favorable lipid profile changes and improve subjects' anxiety status. Therefore, Tai Chi could be used as an alternative modality in treating patients with mild hypertension, with a promising economic effect.”
• This concept of Tai Chi being an effective tool for reducing or even avoiding incidence of high blood pressure or other illnesses all together, is echoed in many other articles published by well known institutions. The Mayo Clinic also recommends Tai Chi for relaxation training in an article entitled, “Tai Chi: A Gentle Way to Relieve Stress."

Tai Chi is proven to be a beneficial therapy that not only has no bad side effects, but dramatically improves immune function, respiratory function, lowers the incidence of anxiety and depression, and profoundly improves the balance of practitioners. This is very important, considering that hospitalization for falls costs about $270 million a year in Arizona, not including the cost of doctors, rehabilitation or long-term disability…

We should ask ourselves what the best way/product for our health is. If Tai Chi is an alternative, the next question is, why isn’t every physician offering it as an option to their patients as a prescription? And why aren’t all insurance policies covering such prescriptions for Tai Chi? In the end, we must all suffer the consequences of our life style. So why not include in it something that could benefit us so greatly, like Tai Chi? Well, I don’t think we should dwell on it so much and make this year’s resolution to bring contentment to our lives. Just try Tai Chi and you will love it! I did and there is just no going back.

Be well!

Ben Serpas