TC357: The Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi – Harvard Medical School

The week we are pleased to welcome Elaine Brovont, a certified trainer of "The Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi" based on the Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi by Peter M. Wayne, PhD and Mark L. Fuerst. Elaine is the first person certified to train this program on the West Coast.

She describes this work as "Translating the Eastern concept of Tai Chi into Western language and bridging that gap."
Elaine describes how she originally got into Tai Chi, and then how she became connected with the Harvard research program of Dr. Peter Wayne.

Can you apply it to your daily life?
"You can change the energy in a room by changing your posture, and your demeanor, and passing positive energy into a negative environment."
The Eight Active Ingredients of Tai Chi

* Awareness – including mindfulness and focused attention.
* Intention – including belief and expectations.
* Structural Integration – including dynamic form and function.
* Active Relaxation – Tai Chi's circular, flowing motion helps shift the body and mind into deeper levels of relaxation, and is a form of meditation in motion.
* Strengthening and Flexibility – Tai Chi provides moderate aerobic training equal to levels obtained by walking at a moderate pace.
* Natural Freer Breathing – more efficient breathing improves gas exchange, massages body tissues, including internal organs, helps regulate the nervous system, improves mood, and balances and moves Qi within the body and between the body and the environment.
* Social Support – including interaction and community.
* Embodied Spirituality – including philosophy and ritual.

From the description on Amazon:
"Conventional medical science on the Chinese art of Tai Chi now shows what Tai Chi masters have known for centuries: regular practice leads to more vigor and flexibility, better balance and mobility, and a sense of well-being. Cutting-edge research from Harvard Medical School also supports the long-standing claims that Tai Chi also has a beneficial impact on the health of the heart, bones, nerves and muscles, immune system, and the mind. This research provides fascinating insight into the underlying physiological mechanisms that explain how Tai Chi actually works."

Contact Elaine:
Email: ebrovont(at)stanfordhealtcare.org
Phone: [phone]