J. Gregory Thompson

LPC (Licensed Professional Counselor, a mental health professional)

The Benefits of Tai Chi Chuan

My Experience with Tai Chi Chuan

As a practicing psychotherapist with over 15 years of training in martial arts and yoga, my journey with Tai Chi started several years before I met Master Wuzhong Jia. Unsatisfied with the violent aspects of hard style martial arts, I wanted something that would combine both physical exercise and self-defense with meditation and spiritual development in a holistic package. So I began seeking out qualified teachers of the internal martial arts, and was very drawn to Tai Chi in particular.

Sadly, finding an authentic and effective teacher proved to be an almost impossible task, and after several years of training that seemed to bear little fruit, I finally resolved to continue my yoga studies instead. Imagine my surprise and delight when, calling upon a yoga teacher for an interview (who happened to be sick that afternoon) I found Mr. Jia in the room instead, teaching a private lesson! Heaven apparently intended for me to continue my studies after all!

As a busy professional working in the mental health field, Tai Chi has allowed me to integrate into my daily life a unique and complimentary mind-body discipline very different from traditional western practices. It provides me a powerful means of reducing stress and improving focus, without unrealistic investments of time and energy. For the price of about 45-60 minutes a day, I have been able to reduce resting blood pressure and muscle tension, improve lung capacity and endurance, and enhance memory and learning potentials. Over the course of time, the research promises slower aging, improved balance and flexibility, and greater resistance to disease, accidents, and falls. It is exercise, breathing and meditation all in one. What a bargain!

Like many Americans I have struggled with the spiritual forms offered by our mainstream religious organizations. Chi Kung and Tai Chi have enabled me to find my own path in a manner that does not violate my background and principles. Far from it! On the contrary it has served to strengthen and deepen those bonds. The practice of this art over time has come to represent not only a refuge from the demands of daily life, but a vehicle that moves me towards the Spirit and towards a more relaxed day to day approach to life. Although the spiritual dimension is not essential for everyone to cultivate, for me, Tai Chi practice is in essence a catalyst that helps move me a little closer each day to an appreciation of the sacredness of life.

But the journey is not one taken by one self. An authentic teacher is essential, and finding one is a great opportunity. Tapes, books and other learning methods can provide a basic introduction but cannot substitute for the feedback of the instructor. I can honestly report that I learned more in 6 months with Master Jia than in all my prior years training with other Tai Chi teachers. And at a fraction of the cost! I thank him for that and for this opportunity to share my understanding and experience of Tai Chi Chuan.

What is Tai Chi?

Tai Chi Chuan (or Taiji Chuan-the (grand ultimate fist) is both a system of self-defense and a psycho-physiological discipline for health, longevity and peace of mind. When one observes the graceful, flowing movements of Tai Chi, one may think it is more a dance than a martial art, but don't be deceived! In the hierarchy of Chinese martial arts, a true master commands the highest respect.

Tai Chi works from the inside-out, as it were, relying on the development in internal power rather than on external muscular power. While "hard style" martial arts, such as Karate and Kung Fu, develop striking power that comes mainly from the mechanical forces of the body, this internal art focuses on mental and spiritual development as the source of power. Internal power comes from that life energy called "chi", a concept with associations to our words air, breath, and spirit.

While not a religion, Tai Chi has therefore deep spiritual roots that can lead one to a sense of wisdom, self-realization and unity with all things. From the Chinese point of view, by practicing Tai Chi men and women come to their true nature and find harmony with Heaven and Earth.

Do You Have to be a Martial Artist?

Not at all! Many people involved with Tai Chi care little about the martial or enlightenment aspects of the art. They just do it because it feels great! And they attain their goals: whether to slim down, tone up, or just stay in shape.

There is something for everyone. For the physically fit there are intensive workouts that build muscular strength and endurance. For those with more interest in flexibility, the art has a ready made set of exercises traditionally known as tao-yin, similar in form to the Indian asana postures. For the relatively aged or out of shape seeking a gentler exercise, there exist a variety of customized styles. Breathing and meditation exercises (collectively known as chi-kung or qigong) complement the physical techniques and provide a virtually limitless horizon for emotional, psychological and spiritual growth.

How Does It Work?

The idea behind Tai Chi is surprisingly simple: keep the energy flow moving to all parts of the body. In the Chinese understanding of health, pain and disease are the result of blocked and stagnant energy, uneven and excessive chi flow to one part of the body, and/ or deficient distribution to other parts. Long life results from the harmonious balance of yin and yang. Gentle exercise, breathing and peace of mind greatly assist the system in maintaining or regaining harmony.

In martial application, one learns to focus and direct that energy in case of attack in a way that protects oneself, while at the same time, causing minimal damage to one's attacker. The philosophy is one of yielding to the opponent, allowing him to use precious energy and betray weakness; the defender is still in "yin"-- but conserves hidden "yang" power, coiled in reserve like a spring. This passive quality of Tai Chi Chuan, derived from its Taoist origins, can be deceptive, for the competent master of the grand ultimate fist can prove a devastating opponent.

Is It Well Researched?

Yes, indeed! One has only to type in "tai chi research" on the web to gain access to copious articles now available on this science (e.g-www.wellnessthroughtaichi.com). The overall conclusion: Tai Chi is a moderate exercise safe for all ages, which can be used to increase longevity and can actually help cure diseases!

Tai Chi has been found to improve cardiovascular efficiency and to reduce systolic and diastolic blood pressure when compared to aerobic exercise (which only reduces systolic blood pressure). Other health effects described in the literature include improved muscle relaxation, lower anxiety, greater resistance to disease, increased noradrenaline-excretion in urine and decreased salivary cortisol concentration (both indicators of the "fight-flight" stress response), reduced fatigue, depression and mood disturbance.

A good summary of recent research on Tai Chi and the elderly can be found in Sandlund and Norlander (2000). In controlled studies on the elderly, the Tai Chi group was found to have twice the lung capacity of their more sedentary counterparts, and to have greater spinal flexibility and less body fat. The American Arthritis Foundation has recommended Tai Chi practice for people with arthritis, and has found it to increase range of motion while decreasing stiffness.

These are merely some of the surface, physical phenomena that science can measure. In reality, we have only begun to conceptualize how to measure the deeper aspects of the internal arts. Doubtless, the methods represented by this and other energy-based systems will play a vital role in balancing western medicine and various healing disciplines in the West, because of their holistic nature. What we lack is a systematic way of addressing the needs of the whole person, they excel at. No wonder that acupuncture, qigong, tai chi and similar paths of wellness and discovery are becoming so popular!

Harold Recinos

Ph.D.

Playing the Lute for Well-Being

Anthropologist Clifford Geertz notes that one of the most significant aspects about the human condition is that we all begin with the natural equipment to live a thousand kinds of life but end in having lived only one. As an anthropologist, I believe that cross cultural awareness helps us appreciate that our particular culture is just one way of life and adaptation strategy to environmental and social conditions among the thousands of linguistic and cultural possibilities represented by human beings. In childhood, my appreciation for cultural difference issued forth from an early start in the world of Asian martial arts. The bodily training and movement practices I first learned in Eizan Ryu, Ju-jitsu (a Japanese martial art I practiced for over twenty-five years) helped me act in and upon the world with structured perceptions and feelings unlike those constituted by my inherent culture. In time, I surmised martial arts training challenges the Cartesian dualism that separates mind from the body, and ultimately, helps one understand that the physical self the body as a subject of culture, a field of perception and action in a socially constructed world has a legitimate place in social theory and the interrelation of the self, culture and society.

My chief instructor in Ju-jitsu often said martial arts involves the training of the mind, body, and spirit, yet he mostly trained students to fight or in self-defense techniques. By the time I entered graduate school in New York City, I was eager to enrich my study of martial arts beyond Ju-jitsu. I wanted to start a new stage of development in a martial art tradition that both focused on practical self-defense techniques and disciplined centralization of thought and action. The rich tradition of self-cultivation and meditational training found in the Chinese internal martial art of Tai Chi Chuan intrigued me. As I explored the meaning of Tai Chi Chuan by reading literature on this internal form, I was convinced it offered not just exercise and martial arts skills development, but an encounter between structure and process, exercise and balance, stillness and motion, and ultimately, yin and yang.

I longed to be taught to perform the seamless and rhythmic movements of Tai Chi Chuan to experience improved physical and mental well-being. I expected the daily practice of gently strumming the lute, grasping the birds tail, parting the horses mane and waving hands like clouds to provide me with a feeling of serenity. I began my Tai Chi Chuan study at the Times Square studio of Master Chu who taught me the Cheng Man Ching 37 movement form. The day I walked into his studio I heard the light sound of an Eastern flute filling the practice hall and I saw people of various ages and sizes gracefully moving their bodies. After a year of study at the Tai Chi Chuan Center, I was invited to join the faculty of a graduate school in Washington, D.C., which resulted in a long absence from formal training in Tai Chi Chuan.

I spent fourteen years teaching in Washington, D.C., but could not find a serious school to pursue Tai Chi Chuan. I found schools mostly inspired by the so-called "human potential movement" that deemphasized martial art training. Because Tai Chi Chuan is more than a mostly slow moving health exercise, I was interested in learning nothing less than the complete tradition. Of course, the regular practice of Tai Chi Chuan stimulates the central nervous system, lowers blood pressure, relieves stress and gently tones muscles without strain. But Tai Chi Chuan is a martial art that must be studied with a teacher who reflects a depth of knowledge and remarkable martial art skills. During my search for a teacher who taught the complete system of Tai Chi Chuan, I discovered that Robert Smith was living in the Washington, D.C. area; however, when I contacted him about lessons he had already retired from teaching. I stopped searching for an authentic school of Tai Chi Chuan in Washington, D.C. and focused on my passion for long-distance running and occasional Ju-Jitsu practice sessions during visits to the New York dojo. After accepting a faculty position at Southern Methodist University about five years ago, my search for a genuine master and unrivaled teacher of internal martial arts was finally over.

I like what Buddha said of teaching, "Thousands of candles can be lighted from a single candle, and the life of the candle will not be shortened." In my view, Sifu Wuzhong Jia is that singular candle passing light to others seeking a way in the dark. I have trained with Sifu Jia for three years in Tai Chi Chuan and plan to follow him for many more. I am glad to train with Sifu Jia who has dedicated his life to promote Chinese martial arts and consider myself fortunate to learn the various families of Tai Chi Chuan from him. Sifu Jia reflects the highest standards of teaching, shows enormous patience and communicates the subtleties of internal martial arts with clear examples of body movement. For persons interested in Tai Chi Chuan or internal martial arts for the purpose of achieving greater improved health, flexibility, balance, sense of well-being, martial art skills and deeper levels of awareness, I highly recommend you train with Sifu Jia at the Hebei Martial Arts Institute. In conclusion, these few words from Chuang Tzu who was a Taoist sage, living sometime before 250 B.C. bespeak the learning process at the Hebei Chinese Martial Arts Institute: "Flow with whatever may happen and let your mind be free. Stay centered by accepting whatever you are doing. This is the ultimate." Please join us.

Pan

57 years old

Hi, my name is Pan and I'm 57 years old. I am writing this to introduce Master Wuzhong Jia and to recommend his Tai-Chi class at HeBei Chinese Martial Arts Institute. It can help with many things, as I have experienced.

In July of 2003, I experienced an attack of gout on my right ankle. It was extremely painful and I had to use crutches to get around for three weeks. After the pain subsided, I had to go to physical therapy in order to get my ankle back to normal. I had another attack of gout in April of 2004, this time on my left ankle. I was playing tennis and I tripped. I tried to regain my balance but in doing so, I ended up putting too much strain and pressure on my left ankle and sprained it. It was the worst pain I had ever experienced in my whole lift. I had to be on crutches for four weeks and was prescribed Allopurinol for my gout as well.

I joined the Tai-Chi class at HeBei Chinese Martial Arts Institute in September of 2005 after a recommendation from a friend from work who was taking classes there. I decided to join so that I could get some more physical activity into my daily routine and to help improve my overall physical health. I have been taking classes since then and have found it to help me in many different ways. Before, I would often experience lower back pains but since taking Tai-Chi classes, I don't have that problem anymore. Also, my joints are very flexible now and I rarely experience gout attack. I feel very comfortable with my physique now and Tai-Chi has even helped me in other areas, like tennis. Now when I play tennis, I can run and play a lot better, and if I ever slide or lose my footing, I regain my balance again easily and it doesn't strain or hurt my ankles or any other joints.

I am very happy with the results that I have obtained since pursuing Tai-Chi instruction from Master Wuzhong Jia at HeBei Chinese Martial Arts Institute.

Respectfully Yours