TLFeBOOK T’ai Chi for Seniors HOW TO GAIN FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND INNER PEACE By Sifu Philip Bonifonte TLFeBOOK 0 TC Title.p65 1 11/3/2003, 4:51 PM This page intentionally left blank TLFeBOOK T’ai Chi for Seniors HOW TO GAIN FLEXIBILITY, STRENGTH, AND INNER PEACE By Sifu Philip Bonifonte NEW PAGE BOOKS A division of The Career Press, Inc. Franklin Lakes, NJ TLFeBOOK 0 TC Title.p65 3 11/3/2003, 4:51 PM Copyright 2004 by Sifu Philip Bonifonte All rights reserved under the Pan-American and International Copyright Conventions. This book may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or hereafter invented, without written permis- sion from the publisher, The Career Press. T’AI CHI FOR SENIORS EDITED AND TYPESET BY STACEY A. FARKAS Cover design by Lu Rossman/Digi Dog Design Printed in the U.S.A. by Book-mart Press To order this title, please call toll-free 1-800-CAREER-1 (NJ and Canada: 201-848- 0310) to order using VISA or MasterCard, or for further information on books from Career Press. The Career Press, Inc., 3 Tice Road, PO Box 687, Franklin Lakes, NJ 07417 www.careerpress.com www.newpagebooks.com Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Bonifonte, Philip, 1958- T’ai chi for seniors : how to gain flexibility, strength, and inner peace / by Philip Bonifonte. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 1-56414-697-9 (pbk.) 1. Tai chi for the aged. I. Title. GV504.6.A35B66 2004 613.7’148--dc22 2003060207 TLFeBOOK 0 TC Title.p65 4 11/3/2003, 4:51 PM Dedication To Anthony and Michael, who have taught me to laugh at life. To Doreen and AJ, without whose help, support, and love this book would have been impossible to write. To my teachers over the years, both in the martial arts world and the “other” one. To my students, wherever they are on the Path. Thank you for being both students and teachers. To Linda Paul, for her photography. TLFeBOOK 00 TC Dedication.p65 5 11/3/2003, 4:51 PM This page intentionally left blank TLFeBOOK Contents Part I: Living in the Past 9 Chapter 1 .................................................................................................. 11 What is T’ai Chi, and Why Should I Care? The Basics Chapter 2 .................................................................................................. 21 Hey, That Feels Good! The Benefits of Practicing T’ai Chi Chapter 3 .................................................................................................. 33 T’ai Chi’s Little Sister: Qigong Basics Chapter 4 .................................................................................................. 43 On Your Mark, Get Set, Relax! Preparing for T’ai Chi Play Part II: Living in the Present 57 Chapter 5 .................................................................................................. 59 Dem Bones, Dem Bones, Dem Cold Bones: Warm-Up Exercises Chapter 6 .................................................................................................. 69 Flow Like a River: Qigong Exercises Chapter 7 ................................................................................................ 111 Shall We Dance? Standing T’ai Chi Exercises Chapter 8 ................................................................................................ 123 We All Stand Up, We All Sit Down: Seated Adaptations of T’ai Chi and Qigong TLFeBOOK 000 TC TOC.p65 7 11/3/2003, 4:51 PM Part III: Living in the Future 133 Chapter 9 ................................................................................................ 135 Swimming in Serenity: Meditation Exercises Chapter 10 .............................................................................................. 149 Paging Dr. Chi: T’ai Chi in the Rehabilitation Setting Chapter 11 .............................................................................................. 163 Tao Now, Brown Cow: Taoism: The Philosophy of T’ai Chi Chapter 12 .............................................................................................. 177 Take Two Lizards and Call Me in the Morning: Traditional Chinese Medicine and T’ai Chi Conclusion .............................................................................................. 199 So, When Do I Get My Black Belt? Intermediate and Advanced T’ai Chi and Qigong Index ....................................................................................................... 205 About the Author .................................................................................... 213 TLFeBOOK 000 TC TOC.p65 8 11/3/2003, 4:51 PM The Basics / 9 Part I Living in the Past 9 TLFeBOOK 001 TC Section I.p65 9 11/3/2003, 4:51 PM This page intentionally left blank TLFeBOOK The Basics / 11 Chapter 1 What Is T’ai Chi, and Why Should I Care? The Basics 11 TLFeBOOK 01 TC Chap 1.p65 11 11/3/2003, 4:52 PM This page intentionally left blank TLFeBOOK The Basics / 13 What Is T’ai Chi? A solitary figure moves slowly and gracefully in the early morning mist settling over the park. Her movements are relaxed, yet contain a hint of controlled power. Her posture is remarkable, appearing upright yet not stiff; she glides over the dew- covered grass in what can only be described as a gentle dance. As you draw closer, you see her momentarily change the tempo of the dance, performing a blindingly fast kick with her right leg, then resuming her stately bal- let. She ends the movements with a momentary stillness, a calm that you can al- most feel. Thinking that this is one of the local college girls practicing for her dance class, you decide to approach her and ask what school she attends. Maybe the school offers ballroom lessons…. Twenty feet away, you are shocked to see that her hair has some gray in it. She turns in your direction and smiles at you…she must be at least 50. Closer still, you spy the wrinkles and laugh lines. Sixty? Her voice contains a tinkling laugh as she greets you, and you cannot help but notice that there is something about her, some type of happiness or joy; you see it in her face and the way she holds herself. After a spirited 20-minute conversation, you are in awe. She is 72 years old! She’s got a good 12 years on you, and you could not imagine being that graceful. She must have good genes. Too bad she’s just visiting here. If that’s what that “Tie Chee” stuff does for you, maybe you should look into it. Welcome to the world of T’ai Chi. This little story illustrates a few important points about what T’ai Chi really is. Of course, as they say in the commercials, your mileage may vary, but one thing is certain: Practicing T’ai Chi, even at its most basic level, will bestow a more relaxed mind, calmer spirit, and flexible body, along with the improvements of how you feel about yourself. Strong and sexy? You bet. T’ai Chi (tie chee), also occasionally spelled Taiji, is a system of exercises devel- oped over a span of hundreds of years in China. Originally designed as a fighting method similar to Kung Fu, T’ai Chi has so much more to offer for today’s mature TLFeBOOK 01 TC Chap 1.p65 13 11/3/2003, 4:52 PM 14 / T’ai Chi for Seniors adult. Starting to feel some pain in the left wrist? T’ai Chi can help. Recovering from a stroke? Yep, it can help that, too. It’s great for balance problems. Too much stress in your life? That’s a T’ai Chi specialty. The exercises and movements of T’ai Chi are performed in a slow and relaxed fashion, as opposed to most Western styles of exercise. T’ai Chi is: Noncompetitive. Nonimpact. Highly aerobic (in the sense that you are breathing deeply). Wonderful for joint health. Useful for increasing blood oxygen levels and flow. Useful for decreasing high blood pressure. Great for increasing range of motion. Commonly used to reduce the effects of stress. A way to increase your balance and gracefulness. A way to meet and socialize with like-minded people your age. T’ai Chi is perhaps the ultimate exercise for mature adults given its remarkable benefits and nonimpact, slow-speed performance. Speaking of slow speed, I once had a student, a young lady of some athletic ability, who was cursed with the modern-day affliction of stress. She felt she had to cram as much activity as possible into her already impossible schedule. Constantly running from one appointment to the next, she actually found time to fit her intro- ductory T’ai Chi class into her calendar. Showing up 10 minutes late with a harried expression on her face, she listened to my welcoming speech, all the while tapping her toes, and nervously watched me perform some Qigong movements (more about Qigong in coming chapters). Finally she blurted, “I have two weeks scheduled for these classes—is it going to take any longer than that?” After informing her that T’ai Chi often becomes the study of a lifetime, but that the benefits would start to appear in days or weeks, she simply shook her head and left. So much for an easy cure! You can perform T’ai Chi just about anywhere. It’s been performed on cruise ships, at picnics, in the park; it can even be done in your living room. You don’t need a ton of expensive sports gear or fancy machinery. Just yourself, and a little bit of time. In the touching movie Pushing Hands, an elderly T’ai Chi master, mourning the loss of his wife, feeling abandoned by his children, and out of step with modern TLFeBOOK 01 TC Chap 1.p65 14 11/3/2003, 4:52 PM The Basics / 15 times, begins to fall into depression. He runs away from his son’s home where he’s living, gets a job washing dishes in a restaurant, promptly loses the job, and ends up in jail on a civil disturbance charge. What do you think saves him? That’s right— T’ai Chi. He rediscovers his strength, his appeal to the opposite sex, and his reason for living. In the end, he is happily teaching T’ai Chi at a community center, living in his own apartment, and beginning a beautiful relationship with his lady friend.