Have you ever thought about trying meditation? The benefits are becoming more and more publicized, and they are significant. Maybe it’s on your list of New Year’s Resolutions, but you haven’t managed to find the time to sit and experience the promised serenity.
The idea of sitting down doing nothing just may not appeal to you! Meditation has been shown by a number of studies to be excellent for your body and your mind. You know it is one more thing perhaps you “should” try. But who has time? People who practice Transcendental Meditation commit to forty minutes per day. Some meditators spend 30 minutes per day in contemplation. The practice of mindfulness meditation takes time to learn to do, and then more time to commit to the practice.
All of these methods are very beneficial, and they take time.
Which do you do? Meditate? Exercise? Take a cooking class so you can eat better? If each of us did all the things we thought would help us we wouldn’t have time to go to work!
Tai Chi is one thing we can do that is easily accessible, physically very beneficial without being too strenuous for most people, and can offer benefits in as little or as much time as you want to spend.
Tai Chi can offer the same benefits as meditation with the added advantage of movement.
Meditation has been shown to help people feel calmer, reduce anxiety and depression, decrease the perception of pain, reverse heart disease, reduce gastrointestinal complaints, improve heart function and enhance immunity. Tai chi confers all of these benefits as well, and in addition it can specifically ease joint pain, reduce the pain of fibromyalgia, and improve overall fitness. Tai Chi is meditation in motion, with the two becoming more than the sum of their parts. Meditation alone is good, movement alone is good, tai chi is excellent.
A recent study indicates that Tai Chi substantially improved quality of life for Congestive Heart Failure patients.
This is a very significant finding, because tai chi is exercise, and congestive heart failure significantly impedes a patient’s ability to exercise and often is accompanied by depression. While the patients did not see improvement in heart function, their overall quality of life was dramatically improved. The practice of tai chi enabled the patients to feel more positive and in control. This is typically what meditation does for people, but for patients with COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, or Heart Failure), staying in motion is very important to slow the progression of their disease.
Tai Chi is very accessible.
Almost anyone can do tai chi. It can be easy or strenuous, depending on what you are able to do. At my local urban park, I see people of all ages doing it, and it’s free every weekday morning. Tai chi is offered at recreation centers, fitness clubs, and city parks. You can spend five minutes and feel refreshed, or spend an hour and feel rejuvenated. I learned a five minute sequence over twenty years ago that I still use when I am feeling off center and sluggish. It always makes my day better.
As always, before you start a new exercise program, check with your doctor if you have any health concerns. If you are in good health, tai chi will do you no harm and a world of good.
Sources:
Psychology Today
news.health.com
mayoclinic.com
More from Elizabeth Danu:
Cultivating Dynamic Health
Getting Your Vitamin D in a Northern Climate
Aromatherapy Alternatives to Lavender