Concerned about Dementia? Tai Chi Can Help!

Tai Chi and Qigong are gentle forms of Chinese martial arts that combine simple physical movements and meditation with the aim of improving balance and health. The movements concentrate on a series of integrated exercises believed to positively affect the mind, body and spirit. These forms of exercise focus on balance and stability which are important in staying agile and may reduce the risk of falls. But you don't have to take my word for it.  Read on, if you need scientific proof.

The practice of Tai Chi lowers the risk of developing dementia better than toning and stretching exercises in elderly adults at risk for developing dementia, according to a new study published in May 2012. Tai Chi is a mind-body practice that combines gently low-impact movement, meditation and rhythmic breathing.
The subjects included 389 older adults at risk for cognitive decline based on Clinical Dementia Rating score or mild cognitive impairment. The investigators trained the subjects in Tai Chi or stretching and toning exercises.

The researchers assessed cognitive and functional performance at the beginning of the study and again at five, nine and 12 months. The investigators also evaluated postural balance measured using the Berg Balance Scale, neuropsychiatric and mood symptoms measured by the Neuropsychiatric Inventory and depression using the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia.

Fifty-four percent of the Tai Chi group and 78 percent of the stretching and toning group completed the study. The researchers determined that the tai chi group had a lower risk of developing dementia at one year, showing a 79 percent decrease in the odds of developing dementia. The Tai Chi group demonstrated better preservation of Clinical Dementia Rating scores compared to the stretching and toning exercise group. Furthermore, the Tai Chi group showed greater improvement in delay recall and Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia scores.

Thus, the study authors concluded, “Regular exercise, especially mind-body exercise with integrated cognitive and motor coordination, may help with preservation of global ability in elders at risk of cognitive decline; however, logistics to promote long-term practice and optimize adherence needs to be revisited.”

So, if you've been concerned about the possibility of dementia, there's just one more reason to stop by the shop because we happen to have the very best Tai Chi and Qigong instructor in New England offering daily morning and evening classes.  So what are you waiting for?

Reference:

Lam LC, et al. J Am Med Dir Assoc. 2012 May 11. 

Solstice Surrender

The winter solstice is about the time of darkness yielding over to the light; from this point on, the nights grow shorter and the days are longer. It is a time of hope and rebirth, a time for self-reflection when we determine what no longer serves us: ways of thinking that haven't allowed us to be our True Self, unhealthy habits, regrets and resentments, sadness, anger, pain, old wounds that prevent new growth, and things whose time has passed; the winter solstice is the time to release those things - to surrender them -  and prepare the ground for new seeds to grow.

One of the ways that I've heard of to do this is to write down those things which you want to surrender on tiny slips of paper and then burning them, releasing them to the darkness to make space for the light. I like this idea.

I have much in my life that I need to examine and, then, let go of tonight. There are even a few things that I thought I had already surrendered during past years' rituals only to find that they had crept back into my life when I wasn't looking. Tonight, I will once more search my heart and give over these things which serve me no more, things which block my spiritual growth and potential.  Tonight, I join with Great Mother as She goes into labor and give birth to my own Child of Light.  I will pour all of my intention, determination, and courage into bringing forth this Child of Promise, that with the coming year, the change that arises will be a blessing not only to myself but to all whose lives I enter.

Brightest Blessings to you and yours on this Winter Solstice.