Tai Chi offers a wide variety of health benefits and is both a preventive and a complementary therapy for a wide range of conditions. In fact, many people are drawn to Tai Chi for this very reason. From arthritis to depression to heart failure, Tai Chi improves many physical and mental disorders and diseases.
Some people who have made a full recovery attribute the success solely to Tai Chi! Many believe that Tai Chi holds incredible healing powers, and studies prove that the regular practice of Tai Chi improves health.
Tai Chi is also an excellent practice for general wellness, both mental and physical and so it makes an ideal complement to a well-rounded fitness routine and a healthy lifestyle.
General Tai Chi Health Benefits
Low impact exercise ideal for all ages and fitness levels
Improves general wellness and wellbeing
Alleviates stress, calms the mind and balances mind, body and spirit
The calm mind aspect does not stop at the practice, as practitioners benefit from its effect in their everyday lives by being able to let things go, being better able to cope with life’s challenges and enjoy a more positive thought process
Improves bone health, muscle strength, coordination, flexibility and general physical condition
Many clinical studies have shown that Tai Chi improves balance and hand eye coordination in elderly people so they are less prone to falls that can cause serious injuries
Eases chronic pain and improves joint health in conditions such as fibromyalgia and arthritis
Improves sleep and helps insomnia
Tai Chi stimulates the abdomen to aid digestion and relieve constipation and gastrointestinal conditions
Tai Chi benefits the immune system, and central nervous system making it beneficial for those who have a chronic illness, viral infections, anxiety, depression and conditions caused by stress
Heart Disease
You need an adequate supply of oxygen and blood for a healthy heart. Tai Chi boosts both. As you move and exercise, you intake more oxygen. You also increase blood flow, which empowers your heart.
According to a study conducted by National Taiwan University in 2008, 53 people who were at risk for heart disease engaged in a year of Tai Chi. They demonstrated improved levels of C-reactive protein (a protein linked to cardiovascular disease), cholesterol, insulin, and triglycerides. They also had lower blood pressure, a key contributing factor to heart disease and premature death from heart attack. The control group showed no signs of improvement in health.
Arthritis
Specialists insist that strengthening exercises are the best method for combating arthritis. Arthritis is a disease affecting the joints that causes significant pain. Strengthening exercises, such as those practiced in Tai Chi, make muscles stronger.
With stronger muscles, the force on the affected joints is reduced and thus the joints become less painful.
A study conducted by Tufts University in 2008 involved 40 people who had severe knee osteoarthritis. They practiced Tai Chi two times a week for an hour each time for 12 consistent weeks. They reported less pain, more physical function and improved mood compared to those who performed standard stretching exercises.
Breast Cancer
This one may come as a surprise. While Tai Chi is not proven to directly affect the existence of breast cancer in the body, it is proven to enhance the functional capacity of women with breast cancer. In other words, physical capability, day-to-day living, and overall quality of life were shown to improve.
The University of Rochester monitored female breast cancer patients who practiced Tai Chi for 12 weeks. The results showed that the women’s physical capabilities and quality of life improved, including their levels of physical strength, flexibility, and aerobic ability, while such capabilities actually declined in the control group that only engaged in talk therapy.
Parkinson’s Disease
People with Parkinson’s disease experience a degeneration of the nervous system. This causes their hands to shake, their movements to be slow and their walking to be difficult. However, a study conducted by Washington University involving 33 people with mild to severe Parkinson’s disease found that after 20 Tai Chi classes, subjects had better balance, walking capabilities, and overall health.
Tai Chi builds muscle through strength exercises, which helps with walking and movement, and it specifically targets balance and flexibility, which helps Parkinson’s disease patients regain stability.
Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia causes chronic widespread pain in the body, especially at identified pressure points. It can also cause stiff joints, sleep problems, and tiredness. Fibromyalgia victims often report anxiety and depression as well. Experts believe that the condition is caused by various neurobiological, genetic, and psychological factors.
Tai Chi helps to combat fibromyalgia by improving physical function and reducing symptoms. Specifically, Tai Chi strengthens muscles, which eases pain at pressure points and reduces the amount of force felt at the joints.
The cardiovascular aspect of Tai Chi helps to improve sleep patterns and fitness, while the meditative aspect helps to promote mental wellness.
Respiratory Conditions
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, the deep breathing element of tai Chi helps support healthy functioning of the respiratory system, which helps to treat various respiratory conditions, bronchitis, asthma, and emphysema.
Hypertension/Stress
It is no secret that stress often exists when your blood pressure is high (a condition also known as hypertension). The meditative aspect of Tai Chi combined with the physical movements, help to create a calming effect on the mind and body, which lowers blood pressure and stress.
A 1996 study divided 126 post-heart attack subjects into three groups: Tai Chi, aerobic exercise and a non-exercise support group. Subjects in the Tai Chi class demonstrated significantly lower blood pressure and higher cardiovascular fitness than those in both the aerobic exercise and non-exercise support groups.
In addition, 80% of the original members of the Tai Chi group continued going to group until the end of the study, compared to only 10% of the non-exercise support group. This indicates that subjects were aware of the benefits that Tai Chi was having on their health and felt favorably about attending the classes.
The benefits of lower stress levels are numerous. The stress response (fight or flight) in the body and the subsequent release of stress hormones is a risk factor for various medical complications and conditions, including, depression and anxiety, headaches, obesity, Alzheimer’s disease, heart disease and insomnia. Being in a state of constant chronic stress can lead to serious health risks.
Tai Chi elicits the opposite of a stress response in the body, known as the relaxation response, which results in a calm mind, body, and spirit. Interestingly, with regular practice Tai Chi practitioners are able to carry that calmness with them in everyday life, and so chronic stress becomes much less of a hazard to their health. They are better able to cope with life, let things go easier and enjoy a positive attitude, all of which results in stress having a much less impact on their health and their quality of life.
Stroke
Tai Chi provides many benefits for people who have experienced stroke, as well as for those who are at high risk for stroke. Stroke often occurs due to inefficient blood flow in the brain, which is mainly caused by high blood pressure.
Tai Chi is proven to reduce high blood pressure, thus having a direct impact in reducing the chance of stroke.
People who have already been a victim of stroke usually have problems moving or feeling on one side of their body. Tai Chi helps them to regain strength and feeling. It is more effective than yoga or other therapies due to the emphasis that Tai Chi places on movement and balance, compared to other programs that are more still and meditative in nature.
Shingles
This one may also come as a surprise, but a study showed that Tai Chi boosts immunity against shingles. The virus that causes Chickenpox is the same one that causes shingles, and research indicates that Tai Chi boosts the immune system’s reaction to the varicella zoster virus. This is the same virus that the varicella vaccine targets, the vaccine against Chickenpox. Thus, Tai Chi helps improve immunity for both Chickenpox and shingles, all in one!
Depression And Anxiety
For many people, mental health is a bigger concern than all of the physical health concerns previously mentioned. Losing your memory, experiencing anxiety and/or depression, or battling other mental disorders can be detrimental, scary and can ruin a life.
The National Institute of Mental Health reports that 16 million people in the United States had at least one major depressive episode in 2012. This translates to 6.9% of the population. The World Health Organization (WHO) reports that 350 million people suffer from depression worldwide, and that it is a leading cause of disability.
The National Alliance on Mental Health reports that 18.1% of US adults experience some type of anxiety disorder, including Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and phobias. This does not include the everyday anxiety many feel because of stress reactions in the body triggered by stressful lifestyles.
The unique feature of Tai Chi, compared to other wellness programs, is that it effectively combines physical, mental, and breathing exercises for a more complete approach to alleviating depression and anxiety.
Most people assume that the meditation aspect of Tai Chi is what helps conquer depression, anxiety, and other mental issues, but in truth, it is the combination of physical, mental, and breathing techniques. These three components help to align the mind, body and spirit, which in turn helps fight mental illness. Many people use Tai Chi as an effective alternative therapy for depression and anxiety.
Sleep Disorders
Sleep problems occur for a wide variety of reasons, from an inability to get comfortable to breathing/airway problems to physical discomforts such as unrelaxed muscles, high heart rate, stress, and mood. Poor habits are also known to cause sleep problems, such as irregular sleep times and drinking caffeine late in the day.
The Oregon Research Institute found that Tai Chi helps to improve the length and quality of sleep. By helping to ease physical discomforts, improve breathing and airflow, and promote healthier habits, Tai Chi will help you sleep soundly at night.
Healthier Aging
Healthier aging is possible for anyone who takes care throughout life and makes healthy lifestyle choices and Tai Chi is certainly one of those.
One study published in Cell Transplantation looked at the benefits of Tai Chi when it comes to the aging process. The study looked at levels of CD34 cells, which are key to the aging process and how Tai Chi would affect those.
Study subjects were all healthy men and women under the age of 25 because younger people renew CD34 cells better than others do. The subjects were divided into three groups, one did Tai Chi, the other did aerobic activity such as walking and the last group did not exercise at all.
Study results showed that the group that participated in Tai Chi had a much greater number of rejuvenating CD34 cells than those who were in the other two groups. This means that they could offset cellular death and decline that comes with the aging process.
Researchers made it clear that CD34 cell count in the old is just one piece of the puzzle in the aging process, but the results were very encouraging and more studies are needed to look at Tai Chi’s effects on the aging process.
Memory
Can Tai Chi support memory health as we age? One study showed it does.
A group of Chinese researchers evaluated elderly people as to how they performed on memory tests. Those subjects who participated in Tai Chi at least three times per week for eight months did better than those who did not.
The study found that significant difference existed in memory scores and the brain’s ability to memorize between the Tai Chi participants and other subjects.
Brain Health
Tai Chi has been shown in studies to cause changes in the brain, which build cognitive functions and keep the brain young. Human beings experience a loss in grey matter as they age. Grey matter is the conductor of brain activity that carries the electrical signals of our thoughts to different sections of the brain. One study showed that those who practiced Tai Chi were able to increase grey matter in the brain by up to 40% with extended and consistent practice.
Tai Chi also increases cortical wall density, which is associated with decreased cognitive decline, faster decision making, improved ability to focus and better memory. Tai Chi also helps to build neuroplasticity that helps the brain build new connections based on daily experiences and reorganize current connections. The practice of Tai Chi exercises mental muscles and builds attention, memory skills, and proprioception, which strengthens your ability to manage daily stressors.
This type of improvement in brain health helps to prevent cyclical negative thoughts, so instead of worrying about the past, present or future outcomes, Tai Chi practitioners benefit from being able to move on to the next thought and address stressful situations in a forward thinking fashion.
A Better Self And Quality Of Life
In addition to the physical and mental benefits discussed, Tai Chi has many other benefits that are unique to this type of meditative practice. The building of self-esteem and self-confidence are two of the added side effects of regularly practicing Tai Chi.
Through Tai Chi, you become more in tune with yourself and your spirit. You learn about your physical capabilities and limitations, and with regular practice, you gain enlightenment. This provides you with a better understanding of the world and your role within it.
Merriam-Webster defines enlightenment as “the state of having knowledge or understanding.” Buddhists and Hindus define it as “a final spiritual state absent of suffering or desire.”
The core element of any spiritual practice is that it offers a unique method of self-discovery that yields a realization of the greater whole.
Through Tai Chi, practitioners gain a refined sense of awareness of the body that is not matched by any other form of meditative practice. The combination of shifting the weight, breath, and inward focus develops a state of awareness that cannot be achieved through a sitting practice.
The awareness of the body that is so prevalent in Tai Chi brings an incredible awareness of the universe and the practitioner as an integral and natural part of it.
The specific movements in Tai Chi choreography mimic nature, including the swaying of the trees, a cat crawling through the grass, clouds slowly drifting in the sky or a bird soaring high above. Consider just a few of the names of the movements in Tai Chi Chuan, White Crane Spreads Its Wings, Part The Horses Main, or Wave Hands like Clouds.
This practical application of our connection to the universe brings a higher level of consciousness and enlightenment that allows you to function as and actually become a profound part of it.
As Tai Chi nurtures silence in the mind, it creates calm in the body. This type of centered balance makes the trials and tribulations we experience in life less distressing to the mind, promotes positive energy, and allows us to have more enriching relationships with ourselves, the universe and other people.
The Spine Connection
Being in an upright position supports physical health, as well as that of the mind, and spirit.
Tai Chi is by nature a spiritual practice that centers on being in an upright position with a straight spinal cord during the practice. In fact, one of the key elements of the practice is learning to keep a proper posture through each of the movements. The reason for this is that both spiritual and physical benefits stem from a spinal cord that is naturally straight.
The energy channels and charkas that allow energy to move through the body run along the spinal column, when the spine is straight those chakras become activated allowing qi (energy) to flow unrestricted through the body. This free flowing energy not only supports meditation, it also ensures spinal column health, which contains the central nervous system that regulates internal organs and many functions in the body.
Traditional Chinese Medicine maintains that “dis-ease” occurs when the qi (energy) is blocked and since Tai Chi is based on upright movement, it allows the qi to travel freely through the body, yielding a wide variety of health benefits.
Spirituality
Tai Chi has many spiritual applications and integrates many elements of our lives into the practice. Through the flowing movements, stillness of the mind and meditation it provides all the necessary elements to evolve into spirituality that can serve and support the overall quality of life.