#PERFECT BALANCE YOGA FULL#
#PERFECT BALANCE YOGA PROFESSIONAL#

The idea is that you imagine being suspended from the ceiling, and everything falls naturally into alignment. Tai chi recognizes three columns-one runs from the top of your head through the center of your body, and the other two run from the shoulders through the hips. This principle emphasizes proper posture. Here’s a quick look at each of them:Ĭolumns.

#PERFECT BALANCE YOGA FULL#

Of the handful of tai chi varieties, the most popular is the short-form, 24-movement Yang style (the full form has 108 movements).Įach of the varieties embodies core tai chi principles: columns rotation rooted and grounded substantial and insubstantial dan tian and regulation. What started as a fast-moving combat technique had evolved by the 19th century into the slow, movement-meditation style we practice today (Bailey 2016).

To learn tai chi, you need to understand several principles that trace to its roots as a centuries-old Chinese martial art. Nevertheless, the research clearly suggests that for older exercisers, tai chi should be one piece of an overall exercise program that includes individualized aerobic and strength training. Studies published to date have not established the optimum number of forms or the optimum session duration or frequency. We’ll need more research to understand how tai chi can do the most good for the most people. Although it is difficult to pin down exactly how tai chi improves cognition, it appears that practicing the movements can significantly enhance global and executive functioning in people with either no or mild cognitive impairment and may protect against cognitive decline. Executive function is an umbrella term for a range of cognitive processes, including attention, working memory, problem-solving, processing speed, mental flexibility and other tasks. Cognition includes executive function, language, learning and memory. Tai chi can improve cognition in older adults (Wu et al. Even so, a review in the American Journal of Chinese Medicine concluded that tai chi was more effective than other measures for preventing falls in at-risk populations (del-Pino-Casado, Obrero-Gaitan & Lomas-Vega 2016).Ĭognition. Researchers caution that tai chi may not be as beneficial for frail and severely deconditioned older adults because they cannot perform the movements with sufficient intensity and duration to achieve significant protection against falls. The evidence suggests tai chi is an efficient, cost-effective way to improve static and dynamic balance, reduce fear of falling and potentially decrease the prevalence of falls in elderly people (Jimenez-Martin et al. Let’s look more deeply at just a couple of the documented benefits for senior clients:īalance and fall risk. Tai chi has also been found to help cancer survivors (Miller & Taylor-Piliae 2014), Parkinson’s patients (Hackney & Wolf 2014) and others living with a broad spectrum of diseases and health conditions. Just since 2010, more than 50 systematic reviews (including meta-analyses) published in scientific journals have documented tai chi’s value for elderly people at risk of falls. Scientists have extensively studied the benefits of tai chi (see the sidebar “Key Tai Chi Benefits”). If you master and ultimately teach tai chi, you can develop a competitive edge in appealing to this client demographic. Indeed, tai chi is a great fit for aging exercisers because it improves balance and enhances cognitive function, and both these outcomes decrease the risk of falls and boost overall well-being. Like other types of exercise, tai chi simply requires you to learn its movements and experience its benefits.

#PERFECT BALANCE YOGA PROFESSIONAL#

That’s too bad, because just about any fitness client can learn tai chi, and any fitness professional can teach it. In recent years, study after study has proven the benefits of tai chi-particularly for older exercisers-yet most fitness professionals seem to know little about it. These Chinese movement patterns have been around for centuries.

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