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TOPIC 11: Tai Chi Living longer and living better... that's the idea behind tai chi. It's a soft martial art primarily practiced for it's health and stress benefits. Cardiologist Dr, Wen Zee has been practicing tai chi for 77 years. He describes is as "meditation in motion." Students say it's that, and much more. Marie Light says, "I feel a lot more peaceful and so with all the hecticness in my life. I'm able to do a lot more. Also, I thought Dr. Zee was about 50 years old. To find out he's in his 70's.. I'd like to be there myself. Actually he's 82!" Edna Silva is a student of Dr. Zee's, and a cardiac nurse. She says tai chi is about focusing the mind, calming the emotions, and relaxing the entire body, "tai chi works by accessing the opposite system of stress, so instead of the sympathetic nervous system, the adreneline, it accesses the opposite system - which is parasympathetic, the part that's healing." Tai chi is but one of many ancient Chinese disciplines designed to promote longevity. Chi gong is another. It's not as well known in the west as tai chi, but most people who do one also do the other. Because chi gong is the basic concept behind the more physical tai chi. Tai chi instructor, Edna Silva gives an example of how it's taught, "your palms are two leaves that the wind blows. Leaves don't weigh anything. Drop your shoulders, drop your elbows." George Mera has been studying and teaching chi gong for more than 25 years. He says, unlike tai chi, the work that's done in chi gong is more inside than outside. "Chi gong has all the possible exercises that you can imagine, internal exercises, exercises for the internal organs." Mera says, "You're going to stretch a lot but you concentrate on your internal organs." The idea behind chi gong and tai chi is preventing illness by controlling the life force or energy that flows through our bodies... and isn't that what living younger is all about?
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