Finding Flow
Learn the ancient exercise of tai chi to ease stress, tame tension, and calm your mind.
By Karen Asp
Photography By Carrie Prophett
Photography By Carrie Prophett
Two years ago, Patricia Raymond began overeating and had difficulty sleeping. She blamed it on the stress of her demanding career as a physician and host of the National Public Radio show House Calls. To dissipate the tension, she practiced yoga and meditation and even hired a personal trainer. Nothing worked. Until she tried tai chi. "It just clicked," she says. "I enjoyed the graceful movements and the power."
Now Raymond occasionally teaches tai chi for arthritis sufferers and practices most days for 30 minutes. It's so effective, she says, her staff will send her back to her office to do it if she ever skips her morning routine. "Afterward, I'm more focused and less tense," she says.
What Raymond has discovered is something people have known for millennia. Tai chi, after all, originated in China as a fusion of martial arts and qigong, a type of Chinese medicine that uses the mind to direct energy in the body.
Today, tai chi--which has retained more of its qigong roots than its martial arts roots--is a system of movements designed to reduce stress and enhance health and longevity. "Tai chi teaches you to be aware of where your body is tense," says Bruce Frantzis, an instructor who trained for more than a decade in China and author of Tai Chi: Health for Life and Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body (Blue Snake Books, 2006). "Through practice, you learn how to relax your mind and body so that inner pressure is replaced with inner peace."
That inner peace may also be accompanied by lower blood pressure, better balance, improved breathing, and increased joint mobility and flexibility. Studies have also shown that tai chi can help prevent falls among the elderly, boost immunity, improve posture and balance, and build strength in the lower body, says Maureen McKenna, P.T., Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia.
Kathleen Caputi, 50, of Northport, N.Y., can attest to these health benefits. She began doing tai chi almost a year ago upon the recommendation of a chiropractor. At the time, Caputi was experiencing stress-related neck and shoulder pain, and although she was doing regular aerobic exercise and strength training, those activities weren't enough. After taking up tai chi, though, the relief was immediate. "Tai chi teaches you how to get outside your mind," she says. "Knowing how to do that helps me handle stress better." Caputi takes classes regularly but also integrates tai chi into her life, doing moves before work, at the office, even while standing in line at stores.
Regular practitioners like Caputi come to treasure the calm centeredness of tai chi--but for beginners the movements can feel awkward or stiff, and relaxing is difficult. That's where breathing can help. "Focusing on the breath can calm you down," McKenna says. To breathe properly during the moves, expand your belly as you inhale; as you exhale, let the belly return to its normal position. Continue this slow, steady breathing throughout the practice.
Unlike many physical activities, tai chi is more effective when done at 70 percent of your potential capacity. "Although most of us are trained to go all out, exerting more than 70 percent may increase tension and stress in your body," Frantzis explains. Caputi admits that adjusting to the slower pace took time. "At first it's work to integrate all the aspects, like finding a correct stance, breathing, and relaxing, but after a while it becomes second nature," she says. Commencement
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands by your sides and knees
limber. Relax your muscles and your breathing. Imagine a string lifting your head to help straighten your spine. Feel the tension flowing down your body like water, leaving through your feet.
Slowly lift your arms in front of you until your wrists are at shoulder height, elbows bent and slightly below your wrists. Relax your wrists so your fingers hang down. Shift your weight to the balls of your feet, and stretch your arms forward slightly, extending your wrists and fingers.
Bend your elbows and bring your wrists toward your body, keeping them relaxed and at shoulder height. Bring your elbows close to your body without letting your arms touch your chest or ribs. Shift your weight to your heels as you move your palms slowly down the sides of your body. Your hands should finish at your hips, palms down and fingers forward. Repeat.
Diagonal Flying
From step 1 of Commencement, turn your right foot out 45 degrees and shift your weight onto it. Turn your waist to the right slightly. Lift your hands and pretend you're holding a ball, your right hand on top, palm facing down, and the left hand underneath, palm facing up.
Step forward with your left foot, toes turned 45 degrees to the right. Shift your weight to your left and turn your waist to the right so the center of your body also faces the 45-degree angle of your right foot.
As you shift your weight, move your left hand in a diagonal arc until it finishes in front of your shoulder, palm up. Let the right hand sink down in a circular arc, ending with the palm facing down at your hip. Straighten out your left foot, step the right foot up, and lower your hands to your hips. Repeat on the other side. Ward Off
From step 1 of Commencement, shift your weight to your right leg. Let your hands float up the sides of your body until they reach shoulder height. Using the same bent-wrist position as in Commencement, let the fingers point out to the side. Extend your arms outward at shoulder height.
Lift your left leg off the ground while bringing both hands around in front of you as if you were hugging a tree. Your fingertips should come close together but not touch.
Place your left heel in front of you with the toes lifted. Extend your left arm and bend your wrist so the fingers point up. Let the fingertips of your right hand touch the pulse point in your left wrist. Lower your arms and repeat on the other side.
Brush Knee and Twist Step
From step 1 of Commencement, shift your weight onto your right leg and extend your left leg, heel down and toes lifted. Turn your waist 45 degrees to the right. Reach your left hand in front of you, palm down. Bend your right elbow until the palm faces back with the pinkie near your right ear.
Shift your weight to your left foot, placing the toes on the ground, and turn your waist to the left until it faces straight ahead. Begin moving the right hand forward, fingers first, as if you're going to spear something with your fingertips.
Continue to extend the right arm, pushing the pinkie edge of the hand forward. As you shift onto your left foot, the palm of your right hand moves until it's facing forward and your left arm is by your side, palm down. Lower your arms and step your right leg forward to return to step 1 of Commencement. Repeat on the other side.
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Now Raymond occasionally teaches tai chi for arthritis sufferers and practices most days for 30 minutes. It's so effective, she says, her staff will send her back to her office to do it if she ever skips her morning routine. "Afterward, I'm more focused and less tense," she says.
What Raymond has discovered is something people have known for millennia. Tai chi, after all, originated in China as a fusion of martial arts and qigong, a type of Chinese medicine that uses the mind to direct energy in the body.
Today, tai chi--which has retained more of its qigong roots than its martial arts roots--is a system of movements designed to reduce stress and enhance health and longevity. "Tai chi teaches you to be aware of where your body is tense," says Bruce Frantzis, an instructor who trained for more than a decade in China and author of Tai Chi: Health for Life and Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body (Blue Snake Books, 2006). "Through practice, you learn how to relax your mind and body so that inner pressure is replaced with inner peace."
That inner peace may also be accompanied by lower blood pressure, better balance, improved breathing, and increased joint mobility and flexibility. Studies have also shown that tai chi can help prevent falls among the elderly, boost immunity, improve posture and balance, and build strength in the lower body, says Maureen McKenna, P.T., Ph.D., assistant professor of physical therapy at Wheeling Jesuit University in West Virginia.
Kathleen Caputi, 50, of Northport, N.Y., can attest to these health benefits. She began doing tai chi almost a year ago upon the recommendation of a chiropractor. At the time, Caputi was experiencing stress-related neck and shoulder pain, and although she was doing regular aerobic exercise and strength training, those activities weren't enough. After taking up tai chi, though, the relief was immediate. "Tai chi teaches you how to get outside your mind," she says. "Knowing how to do that helps me handle stress better." Caputi takes classes regularly but also integrates tai chi into her life, doing moves before work, at the office, even while standing in line at stores.
Regular practitioners like Caputi come to treasure the calm centeredness of tai chi--but for beginners the movements can feel awkward or stiff, and relaxing is difficult. That's where breathing can help. "Focusing on the breath can calm you down," McKenna says. To breathe properly during the moves, expand your belly as you inhale; as you exhale, let the belly return to its normal position. Continue this slow, steady breathing throughout the practice.
Unlike many physical activities, tai chi is more effective when done at 70 percent of your potential capacity. "Although most of us are trained to go all out, exerting more than 70 percent may increase tension and stress in your body," Frantzis explains. Caputi admits that adjusting to the slower pace took time. "At first it's work to integrate all the aspects, like finding a correct stance, breathing, and relaxing, but after a while it becomes second nature," she says. Commencement
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, hands by your sides and knees
limber. Relax your muscles and your breathing. Imagine a string lifting your head to help straighten your spine. Feel the tension flowing down your body like water, leaving through your feet.
Slowly lift your arms in front of you until your wrists are at shoulder height, elbows bent and slightly below your wrists. Relax your wrists so your fingers hang down. Shift your weight to the balls of your feet, and stretch your arms forward slightly, extending your wrists and fingers.
Bend your elbows and bring your wrists toward your body, keeping them relaxed and at shoulder height. Bring your elbows close to your body without letting your arms touch your chest or ribs. Shift your weight to your heels as you move your palms slowly down the sides of your body. Your hands should finish at your hips, palms down and fingers forward. Repeat.
Diagonal Flying
From step 1 of Commencement, turn your right foot out 45 degrees and shift your weight onto it. Turn your waist to the right slightly. Lift your hands and pretend you're holding a ball, your right hand on top, palm facing down, and the left hand underneath, palm facing up.
Step forward with your left foot, toes turned 45 degrees to the right. Shift your weight to your left and turn your waist to the right so the center of your body also faces the 45-degree angle of your right foot.
As you shift your weight, move your left hand in a diagonal arc until it finishes in front of your shoulder, palm up. Let the right hand sink down in a circular arc, ending with the palm facing down at your hip. Straighten out your left foot, step the right foot up, and lower your hands to your hips. Repeat on the other side. Ward Off
From step 1 of Commencement, shift your weight to your right leg. Let your hands float up the sides of your body until they reach shoulder height. Using the same bent-wrist position as in Commencement, let the fingers point out to the side. Extend your arms outward at shoulder height.
Lift your left leg off the ground while bringing both hands around in front of you as if you were hugging a tree. Your fingertips should come close together but not touch.
Place your left heel in front of you with the toes lifted. Extend your left arm and bend your wrist so the fingers point up. Let the fingertips of your right hand touch the pulse point in your left wrist. Lower your arms and repeat on the other side.
Brush Knee and Twist Step
From step 1 of Commencement, shift your weight onto your right leg and extend your left leg, heel down and toes lifted. Turn your waist 45 degrees to the right. Reach your left hand in front of you, palm down. Bend your right elbow until the palm faces back with the pinkie near your right ear.
Shift your weight to your left foot, placing the toes on the ground, and turn your waist to the left until it faces straight ahead. Begin moving the right hand forward, fingers first, as if you're going to spear something with your fingertips.
Continue to extend the right arm, pushing the pinkie edge of the hand forward. As you shift onto your left foot, the palm of your right hand moves until it's facing forward and your left arm is by your side, palm down. Lower your arms and step your right leg forward to return to step 1 of Commencement. Repeat on the other side.
Read more Mind & Body articles.