DVD Receives a Positive Review!

I'm very pleased the Midwest Book Review gave a positive review of my DVD, "Tai Chi for Body and Mind Fitness":

"Hosted by traditional Yang style Tai Chi instructor Pat Akers, Tai Chi for Body and Mind Fitness is a DVD designed for both beginner and advanced students of the art. Featuring step-by-step instructions, front and rear demonstrations of every tai chi movement, advice for improved balance and posture, tips especially for individuals with physical limitations, and more, Tai Chi for Body and Mind Fitness is an excellent addition to fitness DVD collections and a great way to learn Tai Chi for benefits in health and mental focus. Highly recommended! 2 DVDs, 283 min."

Clips from my DVD are on YouTube!

I'm happy to announce we now have a YouTube channel with 8 short video clips

from my instructional DVD, "Tai Chi for Body and Mind Fitness"

Here's the link:   
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAQOohoPVbPRTW7eiyBXekg

You can view these clips on a computer, cell phone or any TV set with streaming device like Roku.  

I​t would be much appreciated if you would "like" the channel and/or leave a comment about the videos. (Note, please don't leave personal messages or notes to me.)  You have to create an account and log in to Youtube.com in order to leave a "like" or comment.  Here is some information about this:

Link on how to "like" a Youtube video 
http://www.wikihow.com/Like-a-Video-on-YouTube
Link on how to post a comment on Youtube  
http://www.wikihow.com/Leave-Comments-on-YouTube

Why Tai Chi Is As Good For You As CrossFit

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/

"Tai Chi for Body and Mind Fitness" DVD is Now Available!

I'm very happy to announce my instructional tai chi DVD is available to order online. To order, just click on the picture of the DVD. This 2-disc program is one of the most comprehensive, tai chi DVD's available today. I take a playful approach to this ancient, Chinese martial art and encourage students to relax and have fun while learning this “moving meditation”.

This program provides:

• Background information on tai chi
• Easy to follow instructions for all levels of students
• Practical advice to improve posture and balance
• Tips to make tai chi accessible for those with physical limitations 

We all know the importance of exercise. The challenge is to find an exercise we'll stick with and that is appropriate for our bodies as we age. I've purchased gym memberships but stopped going after a few weeks because (here are a few of my excuses): The drive was too long; I didn't have time before work; I was too tired after work. (Fill in your own excuses here _____).

I provide detailed, step-by-step instruction so you can learn tai chi in the comfort of your home. No special equipment or clothing is required and you can do it anywhere, in a small amount of space. Unlike other forms of exercise, tai chi conditions your body while it quiets your mind. The flowing movements of tai chi are enjoyable to perform and they can help reduce stress, improve balance, lower blood pressure and increase joint flexibility.

Always consult your physician or medical professional before beginning any exercise program. I recommended you use this video in conjunction with a tai chi class.

Continuous Movement, a.k.a., Keep Moving!

After being seated at my desk most of a day preparing my taxes, I had stiffness in my lower back and hips.  I wasn't surprised because I'm aware of the importance of "keeping things moving".  I was surprised I'd forgotten that important lesson! 

Today, in class, I reminded students to strive for continuous movement in their t'ai chi.  During silent practice, I thought, the continuous movement of t'ai chi is a reminder to keep moving in our daily lives.  

Someone once said, "stasis is death".  Here is a definition of stasis from the Merriam-Webster Dictionary:
"a slowing or stoppage of the normal flow of a bodily fluid or semi-fluid, as in, slowing of the current of circulating blood. Stagnation." 

Most of the lessons we learn in t'ai chi are applicable in our daily lives.  
Keep moving in t'ai chi and in life! 

Beginner's Mind

From Wikipedia: "Shoshin (初心) is a concept in Zen Buddhism meaning "beginner's mind". It refers to having an attitude of openness, eagerness, and lack of preconceptions when studying a subject, even when studying at an advanced level, just as a beginner in that subject would."

When studying t'ai chi, it is part of the learning process to hear the same information over and over. A lot of information is imparted in every class and a student can only absorb a portion of it. Repeating information gives students more opportunities to absorb the information and apply it. This helps them maintain a sense of discovery and newness in their practice. 

The long, traditional Yang style t'ai chi ch'uan form consists of 108 positions or postures. Many are repeated. The concepts of the positions don't change. How we "interpret" them and experience them in our own bodies is where there can be variation and new discoveries. Every time you practice t'ai chi, you are different than the last time you practiced so you have the opportunity to have a fresh, new experience of each move. You give yourself the opportunity to "see" the 108 moves with new eyes and a beginner's mind. 

The ancient masters said "T'ai chi ch'uan is like a long river flowing." Put your toe in the river on Tuesday and the river is different than it was on Monday.
The best students are the ones who practice with humility, accept correction with gratitude, and use their "new eyes" to keep their practice fresh.

"The real voyage of discovery

consists not in seeing new landscapes,
but in having new eyes." - Marcel Proust

Get Hip to Your Hip Alignment

In a bow stance, when 70% of your weight shifts into your right leg, your right hip should be released back. The knee goes forward and should track over the middle of your foot, but the hip is released back. The hips are positioned under the shoulders and you maintain that alignment when your weights shifts forward and back in a bow stance. Some students, while shifting their weight forward, turn their hips and shove the right hip forward.  Turning the hips could strain the lower back and cause hip pain.