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Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

npr.org

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Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#61

Post by JoeAltmaier »

ra7 wrote: post #37
2024throwaway wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Pedants* like you. Everyone knows what chai tea is referring to. In the same way they understand what naan bread is.

Doesn’t mean it’s correct!

It's great to refer to things by their proper names, never mind the corruption that English has adopted.

Still, rude to correct someone for using what's essentially a colloquialism. If enough people use a word 'wrong' then, well, that's a new usage that we can't ignore or get prescriptive about. Because prescriptive usage is from some point of view after all. The Chai tea people have their point of view, and are correct within their community.

Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#62

Post by cassianoleal »

thesz wrote: post #25
beezlebroxxxxxx wrote: post #11

There doesn't really seem to be anything unique to single out tai chi in particular in this study. The benefits pointed out in the article --- that it's meditative, encourages stretching and relaxation, improves balance --- seem to also be associated with things like yoga, or just going through a general stretching and mobility routine. They idea that calming yourself (removing stress or just relaxing) will lower you…

I tried to learn some tai chi long ago and found that it is not possible to perform tai chi correctly if you are thinking about anything, including thinking about performing tai chi correctly. And "not thinking about anything" is exceptionally hard.

Yes, that's the meditative part of it. It's very hard to impossible to perform if you don't calm your mind and focus on the movement.

Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#63

Post by renewiltord »

corysama wrote: post #44

Long ago, maybe before the consumer internet, I saw a video claiming to showcase people who studied tai chi as a fighting art instead of just exercise. It was a lot of being able to follow the other person's movements to the point that "Fighting a tai chi master is like wrestling with an empty jacket". There was also a demonstration where a master pushed a student's middle finger back using an open palm. No matter ho…

Yeah, here are some more videos. Some of them barely need to breathe in the direction to drop a fully grown man. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8uZVyq4NIc

There are some ancient arts that are unbelievably powerful. We have forgotten breath techniques that allow you to survive in space and travel backwards through time. It is said that some of the great warriors of the past practised these techniques. How could David destroy Goliath? With a sling? I broke my arm once and had it in a sling. Wouldn't have helped me destroy a titan. It was martial arts.

Some say Superman wasn't just a comic book story but a real man who used these techniques. Unfortunately, he defected to the Japanese and so we had to drop an atomic bomb to stop him. Many of the unique methods were lost with him.

Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#64

Post by adrian_b »

nanna wrote: post #6

I think it was Virtua Fighter that taught me that Tai Chi is also the most powerful of martial arts, when weilded by a master. I've wanted to learn it since.

In the 19th century Tai Chi was a real martial art used by professional bodyguards, including by some of those of the emperor.

However it is likely that most of its techniques have been lost and only some of its training exercises converted in health-preserving exercises have been retained.

While there still are some who claim to know which were the original meanings of the movements that compose the existing Tai Chi sequences, it is likely that most, if not all, such interpretations are just modern guesses and they are not based on any surviving secret information.

Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#65

Post by gowld »

2024throwaway wrote: post #29
ra7 wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Purists like me would object to Chai being referred to its redundant form Chai Tea :)

Pedants* like you. Everyone knows what chai tea is referring to. In the same way they understand what naan bread is.

Incorrect people* like PP, who don't understand the difference between Hindi and English.

Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#66

Post by cassianoleal »

thisismyhna wrote: post #56

I do Tai Chi twice a week and it is great for the knees as well. We have a few Yang style groups around us. I would recommend to anyone.

It's the only thing that helps me longer term with shoulder issues as well. I work on the computer, play the guitar and am a rock climber. All those activities have the same tendency of rotating the shoulder forward.

As you can imagine, RSI runs big, especially on my right shoulder.

I've had many injuries over the years, tried all sorts of treatments - massages, yoga, physiotherapy, accupuncture, you name it. They all help and sometimes even heal the injuries completely but the only thing that really helps keep it healthy longer term (that I've found) is Tai Chi.

Of couse, being the lazy bastard that I am, after a period with no injuries, I stop practicing it. Until the next injury, or some time into it after I exhaust all other options and eventually get back to Tai Chi and the healing can start properly again.

Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#67

Post by noufalibrahim »

corysama wrote: post #44

Long ago, maybe before the consumer internet, I saw a video claiming to showcase people who studied tai chi as a fighting art instead of just exercise. It was a lot of being able to follow the other person's movements to the point that "Fighting a tai chi master is like wrestling with an empty jacket". There was also a demonstration where a master pushed a student's middle finger back using an open palm. No matter ho…

Very sceptical of such claims. It's quite easy to ascertain them too. You pressure test the system (or your variant of it) in a lab (ie. in a fighting ring). If it can hold up against fighters of a certain level of skill, you can, in a way, claim to be atleast as good as them. Otherwise, you're not.

The book "Professor in the Cage" goes into this distinction at length. It's an interesting thing to consider for people like me who are into martial arts.

Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#68

Post by noufalibrahim »

ra7 wrote: post #21
tanseydavid wrote: post #15

I think someone could make a fortune in SF if they opened a place that had both: Tai chi and Chai Tea.

Purists like me would object to Chai being referred to its redundant form Chai Tea :)

Can't let a purist ruin a pun.

Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#69

Post by shwaj »

mtremsal wrote: post #57
corysama wrote: post #44

Long ago, maybe before the consumer internet, I saw a video claiming to showcase people who studied tai chi as a fighting art instead of just exercise. It was a lot of being able to follow the other person's movements to the point that "Fighting a tai chi master is like wrestling with an empty jacket". There was also a demonstration where a master pushed a student's middle finger back using an open palm. No matter ho…

There are a lot of possibly exaggerated, and somewhat dubious, legends about Cheng Man Ching (who created the "Yang style" I believe). In one such story, he performs an exhibition match at the British Embassy in Chungking during WWII, and none of the British soldiers manage to land a single hit. In the story, the British army ends up so impressed they decide to study T'ai Chi.

Yang Luchan was the creator of Yang style taijiquan.

Re: Tai chi reduces blood pressure better than aerobic exercise

#70

Post by dylan604 »

jsbg wrote: post #35
dylan604 wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

why? you can have Chai in coffee as well. I found out when I wasn't paying attention and ordered a Chai latte instead of a Chai Tea latte.

a chai latte doesn't contain coffee; a chai latte with an espresso shot added to it is referred to as a dirty chai

all I know is someone came back from Starbucks with a Chai coffee instead of a Chai tea. After that, I learned to be much more specific.
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