EFFECTS FROM THE PRACTICE OF TAIJI QUAN

The following is an extract of letters of exchange taken from THE SINGAPORE PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL,  Volume 3 No. 2 April 1978.

LETTER TO MR. FONG CHAN YOON, EDITOR OF "SINGAPORE PROFESSIONAL JOURNAL"

Dear Mr. Fong

Reference is made to the articles on Exercise and Health by Dr. Lim Chan Yong and Diabetes Mellitus by Dr. Tan Bock Yam, which appeared in the October 1977 issue of the SPC Journal.

I concur with Dr. Lim and Dr. Tan that daily and regular exercise (such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming) is essential in order to promote good health. However, they have inadvertently omitted the inclusion of the ancient Chinese shadow-boxing or popularly known as Taiji Quan as a natural way of nourishing the body system, preventing illnesses and promoting self-rehabilitation for both young and old.

Taiji is an effortless and rhythmical art that stresses slow breathing, balanced and relaxed postures and absolute calmness of mind. It is both an integrated exercise and an enjoyable sport for all - strong and weak, young and old, male and female. It requires no special equipment or uniform. Weather does not inhibit its practice. Requirement of time and space are minimal.

Some of the effects* which have resulted from the practice of Taiji Quan are:

Taiji Quan rebuilds one's spirit and body. It removes both spiritual and physical defects in all parts of the body.

Taiji Quan is closely related to meditation. However, long practice of meditation may hinder blood circulation, but Taiji Quan helps to quicken it. It also helps to bring about the peace of mind and the exercise of breathing as desired by practitioners of meditation.

Taiji Quan can change the weight of the body and adjusts the physique. Thin people can have their weight increased after a period of regular practice and their health improved. This is changing from weakness to soundness. Fat people will first become thinner, with their weight considerably reduced, but afterwards the body will become sound again. This change is from weak fat body to a solid healthy body.

Taiji Quan clears the mind and strengthens the brain. It renders one's thinking lucid, one's mind peaceful, one's temper gentle, and increases one's vital force. It warms the body in cold weather, and cools it in warm weather after perspiration. It promotes deep breathing, develops the lungs to their normality and tones up the heart.

It promotes digestion and enables the stomach to absorb the nourishment from food more efficiently. It promotes the assimilation of nourishment from food and so mends the bones and marrow. It makes one indefatigable and capable of performing hard work.

It makes unusually sound kidneys, which are a great help to all other parts of the body, especially in the neutralization of food poison.

It wastes no energy, causes no panting, promotes perspiration, eliminates wastes and expels superfluous dampness and excessive water in the body.

It lowers blood pressure and softens blood vessels so as to prevent apoplexy. It regulates blood circulation, thus preventing paralysis, cramp, etc.

It is diuretic and laxative, and cleans the digestive organs.

It prevents lime formation or precipitation in the bones of old people, such as is likely to cause paraplegia. It strengthens the skin and keeps it free from boils, psoriasis, etc.

People suffering from neurasthenia, high blood pressure, anaemia, tuberculosis, gastric and enteric diseases, paralysis, kidney diseases, etc. , can all profit by the practice. Extraordinary results will come to even those with incurable diseases. However, people having serious cardiac diseases or in the advanced stage or tuberculosis must prolong the spells of practice gradually.

The postures of the various movements in Taiji Quan correspond in numerous points to the principles of physiology. The important details are given as follows:

In the practice , while the limbs are moving slowly, the brain is at rest. This gives an adequate rest to the tired brain, especially when sleep is insufficient.

The head is set straight and naturally. As no awkward strength is exerted, the neck is not kept in a fixed position and the circulation of blood and breathing go on smoothly. The cerebral cortex (seat of the center of the nervous system) connects freely with the spinal cord without any hindrance or harmful effects.

The eyeballs do not function at all in the slow and quiet movements so that they can move as intended. In this way the ocular muscles will not be over-tired and the eyeballs will be rested.

The mouth is naturally closed but not firmly. Breathing is done through the nose so that the habit of breathing through the nose is formed.

The tongue sticks to the palate, so that the salivary glands will give out saliva continually. It wets the throat and helps digestion.

The shoulders should always remain naturally lower and the chest rests in a natural position so that there will be more exercise to the intercostal muscles and the diaphragm. This indirectly gives exercise to the involuntary muscles of the internal organs and promotes abdomen breathing, digestion and excretion. The spinal cord stands in a normal line, and the brain will not be hurt.

Loosen the waist and its muscles will be free and at ease. It will become sensitive and easy to move. The volume of abdomen breathing will also be enlarged. All movements are directed from the waits. Constant suitable movements of the waist will exercise the involuntary muscles of the internal organs, prove helpful to the kidneys and intestines and lower the blood pressure.

The sacrum is kept in a central position so that the spinal cord is straight. This leaves the brain unaffected in any way and is good for the whole body for the spinal cord connects with the brain and both are among the most important parts of the body.

The whole body and the limbs are moved slowly without much exertion so that the ligaments and bones will develop without harm; the moving of blood and strength will be regular and the whole body will develop in balance.

Natural breathing causes the diaphragm to move up and down and exercise the internal involuntary muscles.

Taiji Quan is also considered to be nothing less than rejuvenation and the prolongation of life. The amazing results achieved through the regular practice of Taiji Quan as an ideal form of medicinal body exercise, suggest that this is not just idle boasting, that perhaps, in some way mysterious and unknown to the western science.

I invite comments from Dr. Lim and Dr. Tan.

Yours faithfully

Terence S.W.Tseng

(Taiji Quan practitioner since 1960)

*Note: TAIJI QUAN - Its Effects and Practical Applications by Master Y.K. Chen

 

REPLY FROM DR. LIM CHAN YONG- dated 29 April 1978:

Dear Sir

I have been asked to make some comments on Mr. Terence S.W. Tseng's letter which stresses some of the physical and mental benefits of Taiji Quan. Since I am not a practitioner of Taiji Quan and do not know the techniques and physiological basis of this ancient Chinese art, my comments are probably not worth much. After reading Mr. Tseng's letter, I hope I can find the time to learn and practise this popular Chinese exercise.

Below are my comments:

1. To be physically fit, one has to strength one's heart, lungs and circulation. To do this, one requires an exercise which involves self-propulsion of the body over a distance; the propulsion should be sufficiently severe and prolonged to require a definite adjustment of the circulation and respiration to the effort - the "training effect" of Cooper. In other words, to improve cardio-respiratory endurance, the exercise should be able to produce a sustained increase of the heart rate during the exercise to a level suitable to the individual. We believe that a kinetic aerobic exercise like jogging or swimming done within the tolerance of the individual is the best exercise available to improve cardio-respiratory fitness.
2. However, it must be admitted that cardio-respiratory fitness is only one component (albeit a vital component) in the overall physical and mental fitness of an individual. It may be that Taiji Quan is superior than jogging in improving other aspects of physical and mental fitness like relaxation, posture, calmness of mind, muscular endurance and strength, joint mobility and flexibility.
3. Probably the ideal exercise program for the "total fitness" of an individual is to continue a near-stationary exercise line Taiji Quan with a kinetic exercise like jogging or swimming.
4. It will be both interesting and enlightening for the public if the Singapore Professional Centre can organize a seminar in which advocates of Taiji Quan, Yoga and jogging are invited to present their cases for the benefit of the community.

Yours sincerely

Dr. Lim Chan Yong

 

REPLY FROM DR. TAN BOCK YAM:

Dear Mr. Fong

Thank you for your letter dated 10 January 78 with the 3 copies of the October 1977 issue of your Journal and the copy of the letter to the Editor from Mr. Terence S.W. Tseng

I would like to thank Mr. Tseng for his detailed account of the ancient Chinese shadow boxing popularly known as Taiji Quan. I would certainly also recommend this for diabetic patients as a suitable form of daily and regular exercise. Like walking, jogging, swimming and games, it would be necessary for the person to have a medical examination before undertaking Taiji Quan.

The activities I mentioned should have been qualified by the world "examples" as these were meant to illustrate only some of the commoner forms of physical activity undertaken by the average man in the street and I am quite sure that there are followers or exponents of other forms of physical exercise or art who would like their particular activity mentioned as well, for example: golf, various forms of free hand exercises, etc.

Yours faithfully

Dr. F Tan Bock Yam

Sr. Consultant Physician, Head, Dept of Medicine, Alexandra Hospital, Singapore.

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