Bruce Frantzis' 'Tai Chi (Health for Life)' PDF
Preview Bruce Frantzis' 'Tai Chi (Health for Life)'
Tai Chi: Health for Life Why It Works for Health, Stress Relief and Longevity Bruce Frantzis ~ BLUE SNAKE BOOKS ~ BERKELEY. CALIFORNIA Copyright © 2003, 2006 Bruce Frantzis All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers. Published by Energy Arts, Inc. PO Box 99 Fairfax, CA 94798-0099 and Blue Snake Books Blue Snake Books are distributed by North Atlantic Books P.O. Box 12327 Berkeley, CA 94712 The following trademarks are used under license by Energy Arts, Inc. from Bruce Frantzis: Frantzis Energy Arts® system; Mastery Without Mysterl; Longevity Breathing® program; Opening the Energy Gates of Your Bodi M chi gung; Marriage of Heaven and Earth™ chi gung; Bend the Bow™ spinal chi gung; Spiraling Energy Bodi M chi gung; Gods Playing in the Clouds™ chi gung; Living Taoism™ collection; Chi Rev Workout™; HeartChi™; e.~A4TM Cover design: Meagan Miller; with revisions by Lisa Petty, GirlVibe, Inc. Printed and bound 'In the United States of America PLEASE NOTE: The practice of martial arts and the meditative arts may carry risks. The instructions and advice printed in this book are in not any way intended as a substitute for medical, mental or emotional counseling with a licensed physician or healthcare provider. The reader should consult a professional before undertaking this or any other martial arts, movement, meditative arts, health or exercise program to reduce the chance of in'lury or any other harm that may result from pursuing the instruct'lons and advice presented in this book. Any physical or other distress experienced during or after any exercise should not be ignored, and should be brought to the attention of a healthcare professional. The creators and publishers of this book disclaim any lia- bilities for loss in connection with following any of the practices, exercises and advice contained in this book, and their implementation are at the discretion, decision and risk of the reader. ISBN 13 978-1-58394-144-7 The Library of Congress has cataloged the earlier printing as follows Frantzis, Bruce Kumar. Tai chi, health for life: how and why it works for health, stress relief and longevity / Bruce Kumar Frantzis. p. em. Previously published Hammersmith, London, UK: Thorsons/Harper Collins, 2003, under title: The Big book of tai chi. Summary: "Bruce Frantzis' comprehensive gUide reveals why tai chi is effective at helping millions improve their health, relieve stress and reverse the effects of aging, and helps advanced students upgrade their practice and beginners choose the appropriate style and teacher."-Provided by publisher. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 1-58394-144-4 (trade paperl 1. Tai chi-Therapeutic use 2 Health. I. Frantzis, Bruce Kumar. Big book of tai chi. II Title. RM727.T34F73 2006 613.7'148-dc22 2005032083 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 / 12 11 10 09 08 Contents Dedication xiv Author's Note xv Acknowledgments xv Foreword: Getting Older; Feeling Younger, by Diane Rapaport xvii Prologue: The Campaign for Graceful Aging: ATaoist Manifesto for Change xxv Chapter 1: What is Tai Chi? 1 The Meaning of Tai Chi Chuon 3 The Meaning of Toi Chi 3 Chinese Pronunciation and Spelling 3 Chinese Cosmology 4 The Meaning of Chuan 5 The Integration of Toi Chi and Chuan 6 The Meaning of Chi (Subtle Energy) 7 Taoism-The Original Religion of China 8 Taoism's Literary Traditions: The I Ching, Lao Tse and Chuang Tse 9 Taoist Energy Arts 12 Chi Gung 14 The Different Branches of Chi Gung 15 The Differences Between Tai Chi and Chi Gung 16 Conclusion 17 Chapter 2: Traditional Chinese Medicine: the Roots of Tai Chi's Health Benefits 19 How Traditional Chinese Medicine Defines Health 21 The Primary Importance of Chi Circulation 21 The Mind and Body Are Composed of Chi 22 Physical Health 23 Emotional Health 23 Psychological Health 24 vi Tai Chi: Health for Life Spiritual Health 24 The Philosophy of Chinese Medicine 25 Maintain 26 Enhance 26 Heal 26 The Eight Branches of Chinese Medicine 26 Chinese Medical Principles and Tai Chi 29 Balancing Yang and Yin Chi 29 Chi and Bodily Fluids 31 The Five Elements and the Seasons 32 Conclusion 33 Chapter 3: How lai Chi Improves Health 35 Why Tai Chi Is Done in Slow Motion 36 The 70 Percent Rule in Tai Chi: An Essential Principle 37 Body Movement 39 Improved Muscle Use 40 Increased Range of Motion in the Joints 40 A Good Leg Workout 40 A Two-Stage Tai Chi Exercise for Working the Legs 41 Body Support 44 Tai Chi Massages Your Internal Organs 44 Give Your Liver a Helping Hand 45 Stretching the Body 47 Reducing Pain in the Back, Neck, and Shoulders 48 The 70 Percent Rule for Recovery 49 Spinal Trauma 50 Postoperative Recovery 52 Pain Management 52 Recovering from Injuries 53 Concussion 53 Whiplash 53 Twisting, Turning, and Spiraling 54 Contents vii Regulating the Movement of Fluids in the Body 55 Blood Circulation 56 Lymph Circulation 57 Cerebrospinal Fluid 57 Increased Breathing Capacity 57 Good Biomechanical Alignments 58 The Importance of the Kwa 60 Increased Chi Flow 61 How to Release Stagnant Chi 62 Chi and the External Aura 63 Missing Body Parts and Phantom Pain 64 Chi Flow and the Lower Tantien, the Door of Life, and the Great Meridian 64 Conclusion 67 Chapter 4: How lai Chi Reduces and Manages Stress 69 Practicing Moderation: Tai Chi's 70 Percent Rule 71 High Performance and the 70 Percent Rule 72 The Dynamics of Relaxation 73 Physical Relaxation 73 Neurological Relaxation 74 Emotional Relaxation 75 How Tai Chi Can Help Overcome Anger 76 Mental Relaxation 77 Energetic Relaxation 78 Understanding the Effects of Tension and Chi Blockage 79 Spiritual Relaxation 80 The Dynamics of Stress 81 The Eastern View of the Downward Stress Spiral 83 The Negative Stress Cascade 85 The Western View of the Dynamics of Stress 87 Type A Personalities: Preventing Burnout and Increasing High Performance 90 viii Tal Chi Heaitr- fcc Life Tai Chi and Mental Health 90 Why Healers Need Tai Chi 91 Tai Chi and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder 92 Conclusion 92 Chapter 5: lai Chi and Longevity 95 Starting Tai Chi After Age Fifty 97 Tai Chi's Special Benefits for Practitioners Over Fifty 98 Physical Balance 99 lowering and Regulating Blood Pressure 101 Improved Circulation 102 More Functional Biomechanical Alignments 103 Better Sleep 103 Increased Flow of Chi 104 Tai Chi's Social Benefits 104 Better Sex from Youth to Old Age 105 light Weightlifting Training for Older People Using Traditional Weapons 106 Tai Chi for the Very Old 106 Conclusion 107 Chapter 6: lai Chi's Benefits for Different Groups of People 109 Tai Chi for the Young 109 Tai Chi for People in their late Teens, Twenties, and Early Thirties 111 The Benefits of Tai Chi for People Who Work 111 Sedentary Office Workers 112 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome and Other Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI) 113 Managers and Executives 116 Other Professionals 117 Physical laborers 119 Athletes, Dancers, Gymnasts, and Yoga Practitioners 119 Tai Chi for the Overweight 122 Tai Chi for People with Disabilities 125 Contents ix Hearing and Visually Impaired People 125 People with Neurological Conditions 125 Wheelchair Users 125 People with Mental Problems 126 Conclusion 127 Chapter 7: lai Chi for Physical and Emotional Self-Defense 129 How Tai Chi's Slow Movements Create Fast Fighting 130 Tai Chi as an Effective Martial Art 131 The Difference Between Internal and External Martial Arts 132 Seven Stages of Learning Tai Chi as a Martial Art 135 Practicing with Traditional Chinese Weapons 137 Straight Double-Edged Sword 138 Broadsword 139 Poles 140 Spears 141 Canes and Sticks 141 Push Hands 141 Push Hands Helps Manual Laborers Prevent Repetitive Stress Injuries (RSI) 142 Fixed and Moving Push Hands 144 Is Tai Chi the Best Martial Art for Self-Defense? 145 Do You Have to Learn Self-Defense to Get the Health Benefits of Tai Chi? 147 Emotional Self-Defense 148 Tai Chi's Value for External Martial Arts Practitioners 149 Tai Chi's Value for Older Martial Artists 149 Conclusion 150 Chapter 8: lai Chi and Spirituality 1S1 How Tai Chi Touches on Spirituality 152 Will the Practice of Tai Chi Conflict with My Religion? 154 Meditative Movement: Secular Tai Chi 155 x Ta; Chi. Health for life Secular Tai Chi Can Build a Foundation for Meditation 156 Secular Tai Chi Can Help Meditators of Any Spiritual Tradition 156 Taoist Moving Meditation: Taoist Tai Chi 158 Exploring Non-Duality: Understanding the Underlying Nature of Opposites 159 The Taoist Tai Chi Tradition 160 Achieving Maturity 162 Finding Inner Stillness 162 Exploring Spiritual Morality 163 Inner Alchemy 164 Taoist Tai Chi's Meditation Techniques 164 From the External to the Internal: Progressing from ling (Body) to Chi (Energy) to Shen (Spirit) 165 Resolving Blockages by Transforming or Dissolving Energy: The Fire and Water Schools of Taoist Meditation 165 The Cyclic Nature of the Three Treasures Wing, Chi, and Shen) 166 Finding Spirit 167 Spiritual Relaxation 168 Connecting to Your Essence and the Tao 168 Taoist Tai Chi and Spiritual Stress 169 The Causes of Spiritual Stress 169 Spiritual Stress and the Elderly 170 Spiritual Tension Can Result in Poor Health 170 Taoist Tai Chi Requires Regular Practice 171 Conclusion 171 Chapter 9: Choosing a lai Chi Style 173 Tai Chi's Five Major Styles 174 The Yang Style 176 The Wu Style 176 The Chen Village Style 176 The Hao Style 177 Combination Styles 177 Contents xi Secret Styles 178 Westernized and Non-Traditional Tai Chi 178 History of the Tai Chi Styles 178 Large, Medium, and Small Frame Styles 181 Long, Medium and Short Forms 184 The Relative Advantages of Short, Medium, and Long Forms 184 How Long Does It Take to Do a Form? 186 Push Hands 187 The Best Style for Improving Health and Managing Stress 188 The Best Style for Beginners 188 Why Learn Tai Chi Instead of Another Discipline? 189 The Best Style for People Over Fifty 190 Conclusion 190 Chapter 10: Beginning Students: What You can Expect to Learn 191 Realistic Expectations 192 Tai Chi: Levels of Complexity 194 Body 195 Energy 195 Spirit (Mind) 196 What You Can Expect to Learn 196 Learning to Practice with Moderation: The 70 Percent Rule 198 Body Alignments 200 Learning Tai Chi Sequences 202 Coordination 203 Protecting your Joints 204 Challenges that Beginners Normally Encounter 205 The Challenges of Learning Large and Small Frame Tai Chi Styles 206 Breathing 207 Learning Strategies for Beginners 208 Practice Strategies for Beginners 209 Conclusion 210 xii Tai Chi. Health for Life Chapter 11: Intermediate and Advanced Students: What You Can Expect to Learn 213 The Greater the Challenge, the Greater the Rewards 214 Integrating the Three Treasures 214 Body 214 Energy 215 Spirit 215 More About the 70 Percent Rule for Experienced Students 216 The Transition from External to Internal Movements 217 Internal Movements 218 External and Internal Stretching 219 Taoist Breathing 221 Coordinating Movement with Breath 223 Circularity 223 Twisting, Spiraling, and Turning 224 Subtle Energy: Chi Development 230 Simple and Complex Chi Development 231 Gross to Subtle 232 An Example of One Kind of Progression in Chi Development 233 Chi Flow and Tai Chi Movements 234 The 16-Part Nei Gung System 235 Opening and Closing 240 Separate and Combine 243 Fa Jin-Projecting Power 245 The Tai Chi Classics 246 How to Practice for High-Level Performance 248 How Much, Where, and When to Practice 249 High Performance Teachers 250 Conclusion 251 Chapter 12: Choosing a Teacher 253 Benchmarks for Beginners 255 Credentials 256 Contents xiii Consider your Goals 256 Gauging Competence 258 Consider What Style to Learn 263 Personality and Substance 263 Choosing Teachers Who Are Healthcare Professionals 264 Where Do I Find a Teacher? 265 Benchmarks for More Advanced Students 266 Studying with a Master or Exceptional Teacher 267 Is Advanced Knowledge Being Shared? 268 Chi Energy Development 269 China's Five Levels of Competence 269 Martial Arts 271 Spirituality and Meditation 271 Developing a Relationship of Trust 271 Changing Teachers 272 Are Oriental or Western Instructors Better? 273 Studying Tai Chi in China 277 Conclusion 278 Epilogue: Why People Quit or Continue loi Chi 279 Motivations for Change 279 Changing Established Rhythms 280 Deterrents to Practice 280 Tai Chi Raises Important Questions 281 Stages of Learning and Adopting Tai Chi 281 Success Flows from Perseverance and Continuity 285 Appendices 287 1: What Is the Difference Between Tai Chi and Chi Gung? 287 2: The Five Elements 293 3: How Does Tai Chi Differ from Yoga? 299 4: Taoism: A Living Tradition 303 Index 312 This book is dedicated to all the people in the future who will benefit from tai chi, whatever tradition they learn. Author's Note My purpose is to share ideas about how and why tai chi works, to stimulate thought and further inquiry. My experience of studying in China for 11 years with masters in tai chi and chi gung has given me a unique perspective. I hope this book will encourage scientists to make formal studies of tai chi's health benefits, inspire people to try tai chi, and provide tools to enable current tai chi practitioners and instructors to upgrade their skills and gain more benefit and satisfaction from their practice. Acknowledgments My profound thanks to all my teachers without whom it would have been impossible to write this book. lowe especial gratitude to the late Liu Hung Chieh, who, in the last years of his life, put so much of his effort into training me so that I could spread the benefits of tai chi to the West. I wish to acknowledge all the tai chi teachers who are working hard to bring this valu- able art to people all over the world in the hope of benefiting the human condition. My gratitude goes to many. First to all my students and the instructors I have trained, whose genuine interest was the motivation for writing this book and who have shared their invaluable insights on how to make this book particularly relevant to modern life. Many reviewed drafts of the manuscript and gave suggestions that helped make this a better book. In particular, Bill Ryan, founder of Brookline Tai Chi in Boston, Massachusetts, who has trained with me for more than twenty years, gave me many valuable comments. He paid careful and patient attention to detail while reviewing all the many versions of the manuscript. I also want to give special thanks to my friend Diane Rapaport for the time she gener- ously spent throughout this entire project. Her editing helped make this book clearer and better organized. xvi Tai Chi: Health for Life Thank you to the following for reviewing and providing medical information: Melinda Franceschini, who is pursuing a Ph.D. in Stress Physiology in the Department of Biology at Tufts University, Massachusetts; Marie-Helene Jouvin, M.D., Research Associate, Harvard Medical School; and John and Angela Hicks, founders of The College of Integrated Chinese Medicine, Reading, UK, one of the UK's most prominent acupuncture schools. Angela Hicks is also the author of The Acupuncture Handbook. Thank you to Alan Peatfield, Ph.D., College Lecturer in Greek Archeology at University College Dublin, for reviewing some of Taoism's historical traditions. I wish to thank all the photographers who contributed their wonderful pictures to this book: Guy Hearn, photographer for the 2002 shoot in the United Kingdom and his mod- els, Megan Fisher, Cleophas Gaillard, Hoa Luc, Sarah Majid and Vicky Maschio; and Michael McKee, photographer for the 2002 USA shoot and his models, Faye Baker, Dorothy Fitzer, Pat Krock, Angel Negrete and Alistair Shanks. Special thanks to Michael McKee for creating the book's illustrations and for his photographic and design assistance. Thanks also to photographer Mette Heinz in London, England, and her models, Brian Cookman, Aischa Huebner, Leslie Lowe and Arimayan Natt. Finally, thanks to Guy Kowarsh for the back cover photo. Thanks to Wanda Whiteley, Susanna Abbot and Charlotte Ridings of Thorsons/ HarperCollins Ltd., editors of the UK edition of the book, The Big Book of Tai Chi. Special thanks to the following staff at Blue Snake/North Atlantic Books, who are publishing this new edition: Richard Grossinger, Mark Ouimet, Anastasia McGhee and Paula Morrison. Thank you to George Glassman for his editing of the Prologue and Epilogue. Thanks to Lisa Petty, of GiriVibe, Inc. for the new edition's interior design and revisions to the cover. Thank you to Diane Rapaport of Jerome Headlands Press for coordinating the many editorial and production aspects of both editions. Special thanks to former staff members at Energy Arts, Inc. for assistance with the new edition: Meagan Miller (who designed the cover), Erica Merovitch, Hyacin Rosser-Wolff, Cathy Bleecker, Martha McKee, and Faye Baker. Finally, thanks to my wife Caroline, former BBC journalist, for all her love, support, and humor. She kept the chaos in our lives to a manageable din so I could have more time to write. A better writer than I, she has significantly improved this book with her superb editorial and book production skills. Foreword Getting Older; Feeling Younger by Diane Rapaport Bruce Frantzis' life story could be the basis of a Hollywood movie. When he was 18, he turned down a scholarship at Harvard, sold his possessions, and left Manhattan to spend 15 of the next 20 years in Japan, India, and China to devote himself to training in the 3,000-year-old Eastern tradition of warrior, healer, and priest. He already held black belts in karate, aikido, judo, and jujitsu. Frantzis trained in arts whose secrets had been kept inaccessible to Westerners and coped with old and embedded Oriental prejudices. He became fluent in Japanese and Chinese and earned great distinction and respect. He trained with championship judo and karate teams in Tokyo, Japan; earned an acupuncture degree in Hong Kong; worked as a chi gung therapist in cancer wards in Chinese hospitals; trained with the most highly regarded martial artists; and earned three of the highest positions in the Taoist hierarchy: Master of the Taoist Arts, Formal Disciple, and Lineage Holder. In China, these titles are given only to someone exceptionally skilled at the highest levels of Taoist martial arts, which include tai chi, ba gua, and hsing-i, as well as other energy arts, including chi gung and meditation. The only higher positions are that of Head of a Lineage and Chinese Immortal. Both of these were titles held by Liu Hung Chieh, Bruce's most eminent teacher. Liu said of Bruce: "When I tell him 'A' he already knows 'Z.' He understands everything from his heart and soul. He is diligent and practices hard. He is very humble when he asks questions. In one day of practice he can go a thousand miles. I am very happy that he is a very special and outstanding student." First Encounters For many, Bruce's background as a healer, warrior, and priest might conjure up images of the venerable, soft-spoken man that was David Carradine's teacher in the Kung Fu television
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