Markham Heid Apr 28, 2017 TIME Health
You’ve
probably seen groups of people practicing tai chi in a park, so you have some
idea what it's all about. Slow, mindful movements. No weights. Low intensity.
The practice combines aspects of ancient Chinese medicine, philosophy and
martial arts, and it's the antithesis of most modern exercise programs that
emphasize fast, vigorous activity. Indeed, certain parts of tai chi are
thousands of years old.
But while
tai chi may look mundane—even boring to some—experts who’ve studied it say its
benefits are vast and hard to oversell. Tai chi is a richly researched
exercise, with health improvements ranging from better blood pressure scores to
a sharper mind. “We’ve seen improved immunity to viruses and improved vaccine
response among people who practiced tai chi,” says Dr. Michael Irwin, a
professor of behavioral sciences and director of the Mindful Awareness Research
Center at UCLA.
During the
past 15 years, Irwin has published more than a dozen studies linking tai chi to
lower rates of insomnia, depression, illness and inflammation. It holds up when
compared to other more strenuous types of exercise. “Over time, we see people
who do tai chi achieve similar levels of fitness as those who walk or do other
forms of physical therapy,” Irwin says.
One study in
the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that tai chi was nearly as
effective as jogging at lowering risk of death among men. Another review in
PLOS One found that the practice may improve fitness and endurance of the heart
and lungs, even for healthy adults. Part of that is due to tai chi’s soothing
effects on the sympathetic nervous system (SNS), which tends to activate when a
person is under stress. Much like aerobic exercise, tai chi seems to increase
hormone and heart-rate measures linked with lower SNS activity, which could
partly explain its ties to stronger hearts and lungs, Irwin says.
But how
could such low-intensity exercise—something that involves movements with names
like “cloud hands” and “lifting a lute”—offer these kinds of fitness perks?
“One of the most striking things we’ve found is that [tai chi’s] physiological
impacts can’t be explained by its physical activity component," Irwin
says. It’s the mindful, meditative quality of tai chi that makes it so
compelling, and that may explain the practice’s broad benefits.
“I think of
it as meditation on wheels,” says Dr. Peter Wayne, director of research at the
Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School. (He's the
author of The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, in which he references
more than 600 academic papers on the health boons of the practice.) “You’re
getting all the cognitive pieces you might get from meditation—mental clarity
and focus and positive thoughts and lower stress—but you’re also getting
physical exercise.”
Tai chi may
also be a more approachable form of mindfulness training for those who struggle
with the sit-and-breathe forms of meditation. “Directing attention to the body
and pairing hand movements with balance and flexibility is easier for a lot of
people than breath focus," Irwin says.
Tai chi may
be especially healthful for older or sick adults who can’t perform more
vigorous forms of physical activity. Among these groups, the practice is
associated with improved balance and mobility, reduced risk of falls and better
reaction times, Wayne says. A study in the Journal of Rheumatology tied tai chi
to reduced pain and stiffness among people who have arthritis. It may also
improve kidney and heart function among people suffering from related health
issues, according to another study in the Journal of Physical Therapy Science.
But maybe
the most compelling reason to give tai chi a shot is its ability to strengthen
the connections between your mind and body, which can help you move through
life with greater awareness and pleasure. “You might enjoy exercise more than
you did before because you’re more mindful of your body,” Wayne says. “Or you
may avoid injury or falls because of body awareness.” It's a rare aspect of
exercise. Unlike almost every other form of physical activity, tai chi demands
focus, which is central to its meditative benefits. “Even with yoga, you can do
it and have your mind be somewhere else,” Irwin says. “It’s very hard to do tai
chi and not be present.”
http://time.com/4758683/tai-chi-exercise/
