Tai Chi is the most well known and popular moving form of Qigong. For more information on Qigong, see Qigong for Health.
Introduction to Tai Chi
For a short overview of Tai Chi, including the physiological benefits, how to start practicing, and a summary of the medical benefits for conditions such as arthritis, bone density, breast cancer, hypertension, insomnia, parkinson's disease and stroke, read the health benefits of Tai Chi from Harvard Medical School Health Publications or Easing Ills through Tai Chi in the Harvard Magazine.
"Tai Chi" and "Tai Chi Chuan" are deprecated terms (see wade-giles) for the newer "Taiji" (pronounced "tie gee" where "gee" is pronounced as in "gee whiz") which is supported by the Chinese government (see pinyin). The term 'Tai Chi' is more familiar to most people since it's been in use longer, and is often used as a recognizable marketing term. Sometimes 'Tai Chi Chuan' is used to denote taiji practiced as a martial art (taijiquan) whereas 'Tai Chi' may just refer to Tai Chi done for health reasons. However, Tai Chi may also refer to taiji practiced as a martial art. So there is no hard and fast rule. The important thing to note is that the all terms are used pretty much interchangeably to refer to the same thing (mostly, the practice of taiji for health).
Some form of Tai Chi practice should be a part of everyone's exercise program regardless of age, and it is becoming extremely popular with active adults and seniors. Tai Chi is a moving form of Qigong that can be done as a martial art or for health. Today, most people practice Tai Chi for health maintenance and improvement or for mitigating the effects of chronic conditions such as arthritis and normal aging. Traditional forms of Tai Chi can take years to learn, but the health benefits of Tai Chi are much more easily accessible with simplified or shortened forms.
"Tai chi’s approach of using conscious slow movements is a radical departure from the
typical Western approach to fitness, which often focuses on repetitive movements and
physical exersion, such as in fitness regimines like running, biking or weight lifting.
Further, “success” in the many western sports and athletics is often determined by
speed, distance, strength or when competing who “wins”.
Tai chi has a completely different set of markers and guideposts for success such as
consciousness within body, proper body alignments and developing the smooth flow of
energy. It is about generating peace within your entire being." Bruce Frantzis.
Dr. Shin Lin of University of California Irvine discusses the Health Benefits of Tai Chi and gives some insight on how to practice Tai Chi in this short (2:19) introductory video.
Kinesiology professor Yang Yang is featured in this short video highlighting his work teaching the art of Taiji to seniors and others and explaining its health benefits. His work is being highlighted in a new permanent display at Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry, which created this video for its exhibit, "YOU! The Experience.” Watch Taiji for Life (2:01).
History of Tai Chi by Paul Lam includes a discussion of the differences between the five main styles of Tai Chi as well as how each one was developed. An introduction to Tai Chi can be found in the Tai Chi for Health Institute's What is Tai Chi? Yang Yang describes the benefits of Tai Chi, best practices, and the foundation of Qigong that is required for Tai Chi practice: Overview of Best Practices in Tai Chi.
Introduction to Simplified Tai Chi
In order to make the health benefits of Tai Chi more readily accessible to the population, shortened and simplified versions of it are being created. To this end, the National Expert Meeting on Qigong and Tai Chi was held at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on November 14-16, 2005. The National Blueprint Office at the University of Illinois, in conjunction with the National Council on Aging (NCOA), received funding from the Archstone Foundation to explore the opportunities, issues, and challenges of integrating Qigong and Tai Chi into the Aging Network. Experts came from three areas: 1) Physical activity and the Aging Network; 2) Qigong/Tai Chi research; and 3) Qigong/Tai Chi practice to provide insight into the challenges of translating existing research models into effective community-based programs for the health benefits of older adults. The meeting was a milestone in the long-term vision to make Qigong and Tai Chi as popular among older Americans as Yoga has become in community fitness centers and exercise programs today. Click below or here to watch a short video overview of the meeting.
Easy to learn and practice versions of Tai Chi are being created to meet the recommendations of the National Expert Meeting. These forms of Tai Chi can be done sitting, standing, or walking, and movements may be done individually or in combinations. For an example approach to simplified Tai Chi visit the Tai Chi Easy™ website or view the following videos taken during a Tai Chi Easy™ training. They are a short (1:52) introduction to Tai Chi Easy™ and a longer (9:58) video.
National Institutes of Health background information on Tai Chi, including links for research, images and video, and ongoing medical studies.
Click on the image or the name of the form to see a short demonstration.
Note: Videos may take a few moments to load.
Click player below to see an example of Sitting Tai Chi by Roger Jahnke, Doctor of Oriental Medicine (OMD) and founder of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi and Tai Chi Easy™. The movement shown is called "Gathering Heaven and Earth".
Click player below to see an example of Standing Tai Chi by Roger Jahnke, OMD. Three movements are shown in succession: "Harmonizing Yin and Yang", "Brush Knee, send Qi", and "Cutting the Path to Clarity"
Click player below to see an example of Walking Tai Chi by Roger Jahnke, OMD. "Wave Hands in Clouds", "Dragon Tiger Mouth", "Placing the Sun and Moon", and "Gathering from Yin and Yang" are shown together in one continuous movement.
The popular press, Time magazine for example, has called it "The Perfect Exercise". T'ai Chi Magazine (for Tai Chi practiced as a martial art) discusses the myriad health benefits of Tai Chi in its August 2006 issue. Newsweek's September 27, 2004 issue reports on the increasing use of Qigong in hospitals and cancer centers across the country. Lorenzo Cohen, head of integrative medicine at the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, predicts that mind-body techniques will soon become as much a part of standard cancer care as chemotherapy or radiation. An MSN article Stay Young with Tai Chi explains how doing Tai Chi "offers cardiovascular benefits similar to brisk walking or low impact aerobics, but it's much easier on the body", lowers blood pressure, reduces stress, and improves balance.
There have been some excellent publications on the health benefits of Tai Chi in the medical/research press as well, such as in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Some of the well researched benefits of Tai Chi include increased postural control and balance, flexibility, strength, confidence in mobility and coordination, sensitivity and awareness, quality of sleep, and reduction in stress.Yang Yang at University of Illinois Kinesiology Department has published a very compelling book on the medical benefits of Tai Chi. Tai Chi has been shown to increase balance control with resulting self-confidence and reduction in falls, especially among the elderly. Studies show it is effective for arthritis and pain, osteoporosis, strength and flexibility. Cardiovascular functioning is also improved. Research has found Tai Chi to be equivalent to moderate aerobic exercise. Tai Chi reduces cholesterol and blood pressure, and increases the capacity of the immune system. The American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation reported a study showing that Tai Chi is safe for rheumatoid arthritis patients.
There is a wealth of research on the benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong:
For information on current U.S. Department of Health and Human Services clinical trials research, go to ClinicalTrials.gov and search for 'Qigong', 'Tai Chi', 'Acupuncture', etc.
Watch a video on Science Based Tai Chi by Dr. Shin Lin of UC Irvine which explains the benefits of practicing even just a single Tai Chi move repeatedly.
Dr. Yang Yang founded The Center for Taiji Studies in 1996 and created the Evidence-Based Traditional Taiji (EBT™) Program. The term "Evidence-Based" indicates that the curriculum has been proven effective in Randomized Controlled Trials - the gold standard of scientific design. It is a key term for acceptance as an intervention by the medical community. An abstract summary of research conducted to date using Dr. Yang's EBT program, including Dr. Yang's personal commments on the significance of the findings, is available here.
Tai Chi relieves symptoms of osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia
Researchers at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine have found that patients with osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia felt better and moved more easily after taking twice-weekly classes in Tai Chi. Practicing Tai Chi "reduced pain, stiffness and fatigue, and improved their balance." Read the article.
There are two main types of Tai Chi (also spelled "T'ai Chi" or "Taiji" and also referred to as "Tai Chi Chuan" or "Taijiquan"). The first type is traditional, or lineage Tai Chi, such as Chen style, Yang style, and Wu style. Traditional Tai Chi is learned from masters and is handed down as an oral tradition from generation to generation. Qigong also has some lineage forms, such as Wild Goose. Generally, a Tai Chi form done for martial arts and not health has the "Chuan" on the end of it. Otherwise, it's often just called Tai Chi (or the newer taiji -- see an overview of Chinese character translation ), although the terms are often interchangeable. Note that Tai Chi magazine is called "T'ai Chi" magazine. Then in much smaller print below that, it's "The International Magazine of T'ai Chi Ch'uan". "Tai Chi" is the "marketing" term that you see in the popular press.There is also the second type, the newer non-lineage Tai Chi forms such as Beijing 24 Form, Tai Chi Chih, Tai Chi for Arthritis, and Tai Chi Easy™. These shorter forms are based on the traditional forms, but are easier to learn, especially for older adults.
The term "form" can be a little confusing: It can refer to both individual movements (e.g. hand movements, a foot movement, a combined hand and foot movement, or several combined hand/foot movements) as well as a complete set of movements (e.g. Chen style 48 Form). People get excited by the popular media and want to do "Tai Chi". It looks cool and old people do it, so it must be good for you. They have no idea of what they are getting into when they sign up for their first Tai Chi class and don't know the difference between lineage and non-lineage forms. This distinction usually doesn't matter until the person has been practicing a while and wants to understand the practice at a deeper level. Regardless of whether a form is lineage or non-lineage, it is constructed from a number of individual movements and conforms to the fundamentals of Tai Chi, such as ground connection and knee alignment. Furthermore, the strength, flexibility, confidence, stress reduction, etc. benefits (proven via medical research - see the Qigong and Energy Medicine Database™ for specific research abstracts) are the same. The main difference is the amount of time it takes to learn the form and how the form is taught. It can take years to learn a traditional form as opposed to one session, a few weeks, or just a few months to learn enough Tai Chi to be beneficial from a health standpoint. This is especially noteworthy for seniors. The benefits of Tai Chi are more readily available with the easier forms because people can learn them faster and are less willing to give up in the face of a long-term commitment to learning a full form. So for many people, doing a simpler form is the right answer for their health. For others, starting with the easier forms and moving to the lineage forms when comfortable is the best solution. Still others will immediately fall in love with doing the longer lineage forms. Note too, that some "easier" forms such as the new Beijing 24 Form are getting to be as long as some of the shorter traditional forms. Regardless of which type of Tai Chi you practice and enjoy, the health benefits are enormous and well documented.
International Tai Chi Chuan Symposium: Interview with Dr. Roger Jahnke on his impressions of the 1st International Tai Chi Chuan Symposium on Health, Education and Cultural Exchange held outside of China. Grandmasters of the five traditional Tai Chi Chuan styles — Chen (Chen Zhenglei), Yang (Yang Zhenduo), Wu/Hao (Wu Wenhan), Wu (Ma Hailong), Sun (Sun Yongtian), — taught daily workshops on their styles. Topics covered during the symposium included biomechanics, kinesthetics, meditation, physical and mental health benefits, therapeutic value, the nature of chi and more. Presenters were from institutions around the world, including Harvard Medical School, Center for Cognitive Therapy, University of Missouri, National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, University of Illinois, University of California, Beijing Sports University (China) and the Mayo Clinic. Having studied and practiced Qigong and Tai Chi for over thirty years, Dr. Jahnke has a unique perspective on the field. He talks about the traditions and development of Tai Chi and Qigong through the millennia; integral Qigong, which modifies Tai Chi for practical applications based on principles; how to live well for as long as possible; the current state of Qigong /Tai Chi science and research; and the impact of the adoption of new, short Tai Chi forms upon traditional Tai Chi practice. Dr. Jahnke felt this is "one of the most profound experiences I have ever had in my professional life, given the fact that my profession is Qigong." He is a co-founder of the National Qigong Association, a licensed Oriental Medical doctor, author of several texts on Qigong and self-healing practices, Director of the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, and an international lecturer. For more information on seminars and training offered by Dr. Jahnke, visit his websites, iiqtc.org, feeltheqi.com, and taichieasy.org. His trainings will be of special interest to those who would like to change careers to be a part of the health care revolution, such as yoga teachers who want to be certified in Qigong and Tai Chi.
Qigong literally means "gonging" or cultivating your vital energy ("qi") over time. As a practice it consists of a combination of movement, self-massage, meditation, and breathing. Tai Chi is the most well-known and popular moving form of Qigong. It is essentially meditation in motion, as are all moving forms of Qigong. Qigong practice per se, principally wuji sitting and standing meditation, provides the energetic foundation of Tai Chi.
Tai Chi, Qigong and Yoga all work with the breath, intention, and focus. Tai Chi, most forms of Qigong, and some types of Yoga add movement, which creates additional health benefits.
The main differences between Tai Chi and Qigong involve how the form is practiced, how the energy is manipulated, the body posture, and whether the practice is done alone.
Traditional Tai Chi consists of learning and then practicing a specific form. Each form is a set of postures and movements that can take up to forty minutes or more to do once, and a form can take a year or more to learn and then years, or a lifetime, to perfect. By contrast, the majority of Qigong forms (some types of Qigong like Wild Goose also have forms, just like Tai Chi) can be learned quickly because they involve repeating a single movement or small number of movements. Taking individual movements or postures from a Tai Chi form and practicing them by themselves is basically turning each of them into a Qigong form (often referred to as "Tai Chi Qigong").
Because of Tai Chi's (and especially Tai Chi Chuan's) martial arts influence, Tai Chi movements involve either expressing force (i.e. internal power/energy) or directing force. These types of manipulation of the body's energy are in addition to all of the energy balancing and strengthening practices that Tai Chi has in common with Qigong. Tai Chi also has some additional postural rules which enforce the body's structural integrity and alignment. For example, effort is taken during Tai Chi practice to ensure that the knees stay aligned with the feet and they do not extend beyond the toes. In general, these recommendations need to be kept in mind while doing Qigong because injury can result otherwise, but strict adherence to them during Qigong practice is not required. In other words, Qigong forms can be more free-flowing than Tai Chi from a postural and body alignment standpoint. Also, Tai Chi pays attention to the relationship between firmness and flexibility.
Another difference between Tai Chi, especially when practiced as a martial art, and Qigong is in partner practices such as push-hands. This training involves two people working together, physically touching and feeling each other's energy. During a Medical Qigong therapy session is usually where touching may occur with Qigong practice. Most Qigong practice that involves touching is through self-massage, and reflexology is an example.
Tai Chi is more cognitively demanding than most Qigong because Tai Chi is an exercise in tracking complexity: movement is complex. With Tai Chi you have to remember and practice a long form. This puts additional requirements on the brain that helps with anti-aging. So, Tai Chi makes you more cognitively whole and functional, and it helps more with avoiding cognitive dysfunction.
With most forms of Qigong, the moves are done over and over. With Tai Chi you may do a move a few times and then move on, although you may repeat short sequences of moves several times in a form. Doing each individual movement in a Tai Chi form many times (i.e. taking an individual Tai Chi movement from a longer form and performing just that movement by itself many times) is referred to as "Tai Chi Qigong". In other words, Tai Chi gestures (also called individual "forms" or postures or moves or movements within a longer Tai Chi form) done in a Qigong way is often called Tai Chi Qigong.
Tai Chi is a practice with origins in the martial arts and internal energy practices, while Qigong is a health practice with origins in Chinese culture, philosophy, and internal energy practices. "Internal energy practices" is a general term given to those practices, which originated in pre-historic shamanism, that balance a person's energy. This includes making sure that one has enough energy (or "qi") as well as having no energy blockages (i.e. no energy "stagnation"). Qigong is a more recent term given to these internal energetic practices which have been called Yangsheng, Dao Yin, Nei Gong, and other names through the millennia.
Tai Chi is not as easy to learn or practice as Qigong. Thus, Qigong's health benefits are more readily accessible.
Unless you already know Tai Chi well, it is very challenging to learn a Tai Chi form from a video or DVD. And even if you know Tai Chi well, some of the subtleties of a particular form may elude you because they are not clearly shown on the video. By contrast, you can learn Qigong well enough from a video to achieve profound benefits.
Tai Chi has many details that are not present in a lot of Qigong.
Tai Chi has broader exposure and is more well known than Qigong.
Tai Chi does not involve self-massage.
Tai Chi requires that you practice a particular form a particular way. Most Qigong is more free-flowing. However, some people enjoy practicing Tai Chi in a more free- flowing way. This involves taking Tai Chi moves and doing them while moving about in a spontaneous, free-flowing manner. Free flowing Qigong and Tai Chi where there is no form is called spontaneous Qigong. Put to music, spontaneous Qigong becomes Qigong Dancing. The Qigong moves done while Qigong Dancing can be no-form or form moves, or a combination; it's up to the practitioner.
Breathing is incorporated into Qigong and Tai Chi in different ways. Beginning Qigong students are taught breathing, usually abdominal (belly extends on inhale and contracts on exhale), which we all did automatically when we were babies. In Qigong, you do slow, rhythmic breathing, often coordinated with movement, right from the first class. On the other hand, Tai Chi teachers do not teach breathing or tell students how to breathe. Rather, they tell students to "breathe naturally." What this really means is to breathe in one of two main ways: 1) abdominal breathing (sometimes called "Taoist breathing") and/or 2) reverse-abdominal breathing (where air is inhaled to the chest first instead of the abdomen). You discover "how to breathe" (i.e. you end up coordinating one of the two main types of breathing with your Tai Chi movements) while you do the forms as the years go by. Also, different Tai Chi masters might emphasize one type of breathing or a combination. For example, here is some perspective on this from Taijiquan: The Art of Nurturing, The Science of Power
:
Reverse breathing is the method of breathing for Taijiquan practice, but paradoxically the instruction in both meditation and form practice is to forget about the breathing. The focus in wuji meditation is to enter quiet. Some schools do use breathing as a tool to enter quiet, but thinking about breathing is not entering true quiescence. In Taij form movement, the focus is on xin yi (mind/intention), and it is definitely wrong to think about qi or breathing.... The resolution of this paradox is that the breathing pattern must become so natural that you need not consider it. It is okay to practice the reverse breathing when beginning a meditation or the form, or when performing single movement qigong exercises. Actually, you can practice anytime -- driving in your car, sitting at your desk at work -- whenever you think about it. Over time, the reverse breathing pattern will internalize and become so natural that you can forget about it and move on.
Celebrate Tai Chi and Qigong by participating in a global event of cooperation, health, and healing on the last Saturday in April. For more information, go to www.worldtaichiday.org
WORLD TAI CHI AND QIGONG DAY - THE LAST SATURDAY IN APRIL (EVERY YEAR)
WORLD T'AI CHI & QIGONG DAY was started in the late 1990's by Bill Douglas, author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong, as a way to introduce people to the profound healing and health maintenance benefits of Tai Chi (a moving form of Qigong) and Qigong. The event has grown into a worldwide phenomena, practiced in over sixty countries. It starts at 10 AM in the earliest time zone the last Saturday every April, and flows as a gentle wave across the entire planet. People feeling the incredible stress management benefits of these ancient tools realize what they offer humanity, and have begun to come together to share that awareness with society at large . . . and at a time when the world needs it the most.
In the late 2000's, World Healing Day was created to expand the scope of World Tai Chi and Qigong Day to include a number of other organizations dedicated to raising human consciousness and to focus on healing intention, throughout the world, for one 24-hour period.
Bill Douglas and Angela Wong-Douglas are the Founders of World Healing Day and World Tai Chi & Qigong Day. This biographical video explains who they are and how their meeting evolved into the formation of these global events now celebrated annually in hundreds of cities in over 70 nations, on the "last Saturday of April" each year. Watch the video (30:51) The Founders of World Healing Day and World Tai Chi Day.
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day Online Media Resources
More information on WTCQD, including example proclamations by various levels of government, can be found on the World Tai Chi and Qigong Day web site www.worldtaichiday.org
This site also has a "5-minute-Power-Point-Presentation" on the History of World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day. This presentation has caused a flurry of interest from media. Look on the home page of www.worldtaichiday.org and click on the "View a Power Point Presentation on the History of World T'ai Chi & Qigong Day" or at: http://worldtaichiday.org/HistoryofWTCQDPowerPoint.html
Open letter to World Tai Chi and Qigong Day Supporters and Participants from the Founder:
Dear World Tai Chi & Qigong Day Supporters & Participants,
This global wave of goodwill provides a vision of hope and healing to a world hungry for such visions. Each year to view the photos of people from different cultures, religions, and every corner of the earth . . . breathing together . . . in this global Tai Chi & Qigong movement . . . is profound. When you look thru the photographs and videos you see that "look" on people's faces, a look that conveys a feeling that all of us who've experienced the well-being that Qi, or life energy, expands through our mind and body when we make the space to breathe . . . and to let, calm, and wellness expand thru us. When you see that look in all these diverse faces, from so many different lands, you can't help but deeply realize that we are indeed "one world . . . and, . . . one breath."
We are all connected by the field of life energy that physicists are now discovering permeates all existence. By immersing ourselves in the field of life energy again and again, we become more and more grounded in the absolute reality that . . . we are all connected . . . all part of the web of life. And, by cultivating and growing the realization personally and globally, we may help in a subtle quiet way to usher in a more elegant future that nurtures us all in ways we cannot yet even imagine.
Again, thank you for making this extraordinary event and health movement possible thru your organizing and participation each year.
Sincerely,
Bill Douglas & Angela Wong Douglas, Co-Founders of World Tai Chi & Qigong Day
In this day and age, with the emerging medical research that has emerged regarding Tai Chi / Qigong's ability to boost immune system, lower high blood pressure, treat ADD and ADHD, etc. etc. etc. . . . TAI CHI / QIGONG SHOULD BE PART OF EVERY SCHOOL'S EDUCATION PROGRAMS. Every child should be graduating high school a Tai Chi, Qigong, Yoga, and Transcendental Meditation master. Why not?
How much crime, health cost, spousal and child abuse would simply vanish if our societies were filled with mind/body science masters.
With a one hour per day Physical Education class for students, teaching them these powerful mind/body tools . . . they could be masters by graduation. This is achievable !!
Every corporation should teach Tai Chi & Qigong through their Wellness Programs. Every hospital should have many Tai Chi & Qigong programs.
We hold a vision, not of just growing our classes because of ego, or money . . . but a vision of lifting our entire planet's health and consciousness thru sharing these profound mind/body tools evolved over mellenia of Eastern, and now global research.
World Tai Chi & Qigong Day . . . is more than a celebration . . . it is a catalyst to a new way of functioning for our communities and the whole of humanity.
The Qigong Institute and Northwest YMCA receiving a proclamation of "World Tai Chi and Qigong Day" in Cupertino, CA. from the Mayor of Cupertino.
To learn more about World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, watch the video
Dr. Roger Jahnke and Lee Holden lead World Tai Chi and Qigong Day events in Union Square, San Francisco
World Tai Chi and Qigong Day, 2010
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