Stress is known to damage our bodies in many ways. It appears that one of those ways is a weakened immune system. According to WebMd, stress management could be the key that helps calm our bodies and strengthen our immune system. Tai chi is a well-known method of developing a mind-body connection that can invoke the relaxation response and activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which in turn reduces damage caused by stress.
Meditation has been shown to strengthen our immune systems. The mechanism is not entirely clear, but it seems like it is related to stress reduction. Dr. Herbert Benson studied the effect of meditation starting in the late 1960s and into the 1970s. He concluded that meditation relaxes our body and mind. He coined the term “relaxation response” to describe how our body responds to meditation and calms us after a stressful event.
Our nervous system has two parts. The sympathetic nervous system manages the stimulating activities related to the fight-or-flight response when we are under stress. The sympathetic nervous system keeps us alive when we are in danger. The parasympathetic nervous system is responsible for the relaxing activities that calm us down. It is sometimes called the rest-and-digest response because it is responsible for the activities that happen when we are at rest.
Many tai chi teachers (myself included) incorporate meditation as part of the class. This happens for a couple of reasons. Meditation is good for your health by itself. In addition to that, learning tai chi is stressful for beginners. It is difficult to teach our body to move in the slow, precise ways used in tai chi. No one ever pays attention when I tell them to relax and not worry about it. If I put stress into their lives, I want to help them manage it properly.
Tai chi can also be used to directly invoke the relaxation response. The basic principles of tai chi say to breathe deeply, move slowly and continuously, focus on the movement, and imagine moving against a gentle resistance. This is too much for a beginning student to be able to do at first. However, it can happen once a student develops a basic level of knowledge of the tai chi forms.
Regular practice of the forms in a simple set can be used to practice the basic principles of tai chi. This is very helpful in helping the student develop the relaxation response. To the students, it may seem like they are “in the flow”, or “really focused”, or some similar feeling. In tai chi terms, it means they are starting to develop some inner strength and intention. In medical terms, they are developing a mind-body connection and invoking the relaxation response, which activates the parasympathetic nervous system. Be aware that this does not happen immediately as people are learning tai chi. It takes time and practice to develop the feeling.
In part 1 of this article we developed the idea that the movements of tai chi activate the lymphatic system. In this article, we developed the idea that tai chi can be used to invoke the relaxation response. The overall effect of regular tai chi practice is that we are healthier, both physically and mentally, and we just feel better.
© 2011 Eric Borreson
Monday, January 31, 2011
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Using Tai Chi to Strengthen Your Immune System (Part 1 of 2)
There is considerable evidence that tai chi and qigong can help strengthen your immune system. It is not always clear what is really happening to your body when you practice tai chi. Doctors don’t claim to fully understand what happens, but they do agree that it helps. One way that tai chi may work is by activating your lymphatic system.
The lymphatic system works by circulating lymph through the body. Lymph is a fluid that carries white blood cells (lymphocytes) from the lymph nodes, through a network of lymphatic vessels, to the interstitial areas around cells.
We normally think of white blood cells being associated with your circulatory system, but they are moved around by your lymphatic system, too. However, there is a big difference between the two systems. There is no heart to pump lymph. Lymph circulates only when the lymph nodes are massaged and compressed. The nodes can be manually massaged by medical professionals, but are normally massaged when you exercise. One of the best types of exercise for this is tai chi.
Lymph is stored in lymph nodes scattered throughout the body. There are concentrations of nodes in your upper chest near where your arms join to your torso, in the center of your chest, in your lower abdomen where your legs join to your torso, and the bottoms of your feet.
The nodes in your upper chest are massaged when you move your arms back and forth and up and down. This happens in many tai chi forms, such as brush knee, white crane spreads wings, repulse monkey, etc.
The nodes in the center of your chest are massaged by deep breathing. Really focus on deep breathing when you are practicing your tai chi.
The nodes in your lower abdomen are massaged when you step, shift your weight, or open your kuas (hips). Tai chi emphasises using the waist to lead the movement. Any tai chi form that involves stepping should have the effect of opening and closing the kuas.
The nodes on the bottom of your foot are massaged when you step forward onto your heel and shift your weight forward, bringing the rest of your foot down on the floor. In the medical field, the term “pedal pump” is used to refer to methods that massage the bottom of your feet to promote drainage of lymph from the lower extremities.
This is the end of part 1. Next week, I will finish this post by describing how the meditative aspects of tai chi also help strengthen your immune system.
© 2011 Eric Borreson
The lymphatic system works by circulating lymph through the body. Lymph is a fluid that carries white blood cells (lymphocytes) from the lymph nodes, through a network of lymphatic vessels, to the interstitial areas around cells.
We normally think of white blood cells being associated with your circulatory system, but they are moved around by your lymphatic system, too. However, there is a big difference between the two systems. There is no heart to pump lymph. Lymph circulates only when the lymph nodes are massaged and compressed. The nodes can be manually massaged by medical professionals, but are normally massaged when you exercise. One of the best types of exercise for this is tai chi.
Lymph is stored in lymph nodes scattered throughout the body. There are concentrations of nodes in your upper chest near where your arms join to your torso, in the center of your chest, in your lower abdomen where your legs join to your torso, and the bottoms of your feet.
The nodes in your upper chest are massaged when you move your arms back and forth and up and down. This happens in many tai chi forms, such as brush knee, white crane spreads wings, repulse monkey, etc.
The nodes in the center of your chest are massaged by deep breathing. Really focus on deep breathing when you are practicing your tai chi.
The nodes in your lower abdomen are massaged when you step, shift your weight, or open your kuas (hips). Tai chi emphasises using the waist to lead the movement. Any tai chi form that involves stepping should have the effect of opening and closing the kuas.
The nodes on the bottom of your foot are massaged when you step forward onto your heel and shift your weight forward, bringing the rest of your foot down on the floor. In the medical field, the term “pedal pump” is used to refer to methods that massage the bottom of your feet to promote drainage of lymph from the lower extremities.
This is the end of part 1. Next week, I will finish this post by describing how the meditative aspects of tai chi also help strengthen your immune system.
© 2011 Eric Borreson
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Simple Qigong Relaxation Meditation (Fang Song Gong)
Fang song gong is a type of qigong relaxation. Fang means “doing” or “releasing”. Song means “relax” or “loosen”. Gong means “work” or “practices”. The phrase means to follow practices that relax or loosen and eliminate any unnecessary tension.
The Chinese language has a word, guan, that is a pictogram of a crane. It means “tranquil observation”. A crane appears relaxed while it is standing in the water, but it is vigilant for a fish to swim by and become lunch. We can learn to be this aware, too, but we must cultivate body awareness. We cannot relax and eliminate tension unless we are aware of having that tension, where that tension is, and how that tension is maintained.
As you become aware of tension in any area of your body, that tension dissolves away. As you become aware of your breath, your breath slows down. Essentially, Fang Song Gong consists of the following steps:
Step 1: Sit with your eyes closed for a few moments. With every exhale, relax your muscles, one section at a time. Begin with your face, neck, and shoulders where you build up stress. Relax the front of your body beginning with your arms and hands, chest, abdomen, legs, and feet. Relax the back of your body beginning with your back, waist, hips, thighs, calves, and bottom of your feet. Repeat until you feel light and relaxed.
Step 2: Repeat a simple word or phrase softly to yourself. Feel your body and energy meridians channeling your energy with every exhale. Let your body melt into a tranquil state. Continue as long as you are comfortable, perhaps 5 or 10 minutes.
The word or phrase can be anything that has meaning to you. If you prefer, use the word song. Stretch out the s at the beginning into a “tsssong” that lasts for your entire exhale.
There are a few other things to keep in mind while practicing Fang Song Gong.
o If some parts of your body do not seem to want to relax, just let it go. With continued practice, you will learn to relax all your body.
o You may feel parts of your body becoming tingly, warm, or even itch. This is normal. It means you are becoming sensitive to your qi.
o If you feel any discomfort, check your posture and make adjustments until you feel comfortable.
© 2011 Eric Borreson
The Chinese language has a word, guan, that is a pictogram of a crane. It means “tranquil observation”. A crane appears relaxed while it is standing in the water, but it is vigilant for a fish to swim by and become lunch. We can learn to be this aware, too, but we must cultivate body awareness. We cannot relax and eliminate tension unless we are aware of having that tension, where that tension is, and how that tension is maintained.
As you become aware of tension in any area of your body, that tension dissolves away. As you become aware of your breath, your breath slows down. Essentially, Fang Song Gong consists of the following steps:
Step 1: Sit with your eyes closed for a few moments. With every exhale, relax your muscles, one section at a time. Begin with your face, neck, and shoulders where you build up stress. Relax the front of your body beginning with your arms and hands, chest, abdomen, legs, and feet. Relax the back of your body beginning with your back, waist, hips, thighs, calves, and bottom of your feet. Repeat until you feel light and relaxed.
Step 2: Repeat a simple word or phrase softly to yourself. Feel your body and energy meridians channeling your energy with every exhale. Let your body melt into a tranquil state. Continue as long as you are comfortable, perhaps 5 or 10 minutes.
The word or phrase can be anything that has meaning to you. If you prefer, use the word song. Stretch out the s at the beginning into a “tsssong” that lasts for your entire exhale.
There are a few other things to keep in mind while practicing Fang Song Gong.
o If some parts of your body do not seem to want to relax, just let it go. With continued practice, you will learn to relax all your body.
o You may feel parts of your body becoming tingly, warm, or even itch. This is normal. It means you are becoming sensitive to your qi.
o If you feel any discomfort, check your posture and make adjustments until you feel comfortable.
© 2011 Eric Borreson
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