Big number alert! Looks like a study in May 2012 showed a 70% reduction (!!) in the odds of developing cognitive decline by practicing taiji…even I was surprised.

“Fifty-four percent of the Tai Chi group and 78% of the stretching and toning group (the control group) completed the study. The Tai Chi group showed a 70% decrease in the odds of developing dementia over a year. They also showed better cognitive functioning and less depression than the control group.” from Robert J. Rowen, MD

I don’t have a direct link to the research yet, if you find it let me know! But here’s the link to the newsletter discussing the findings.

From the title, ’Few complementary therapies help arthritis’, I opened the link to this January 2013 BBC article thinking “uh, oh.” Lucky for us, Taiji is still proving to be extremely valuable self-care!

“Few complementary therapies appear to help musculoskeletal conditions like arthritis, say experts who have looked at the available trial evidence. Most alternative treatments have either not been scientifically tested or subjected to limited investigations, says Arthritis Research UK. Of 25 therapies, only a handful were judged to have enough medical evidence to support their use.

These included acupuncture, massage, tai chi and yoga.”

Here’s the full article…

A beautiful tribute to dance, movement, so many sentiments that are the same reasons for me to keep practicing Taiji…and maybe drop into a new dance class!

Enjoy.

The latest issue of Shambhala Sun has several articles to answer this question. They trace the history of studying meditation since the 1970s and look to the future as well. Several studies are cited too!

Pick up a copy, browse online.

Come to a class & feel for yourself. We’ll create our own anecdotal database of findings!

Have you had a unique experience with meditation? Have you ever taken time out for a retreat? What was that like? We’d love to hear your stories!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 13, 2012

Contact Information:
Karin Collins
206.898.5048
karin@karincollins.com
www.karincollins.com

NEW SPRING BREAK DAY CAMP FOR KIDS
Combining the cinematic & martial arts
“Kung Fu Acting for Movies”

Karin Collins TAIJI KIDZ program presents a 5 day camp during spring break this year.

• Young actors become familiar with the camera and the process of filming a movie while exploring character, personal expression and dramatic interaction.
• They rehearse and perform scenes from their own original scripts.
• Kids learn core principles & movements of the martial arts, meditation & calming practices, strength, fitness & flexibility training and learn fun, interactive drills to perform while creating a movie!
• The class concludes with a “red carpet” ceremony and special screening of their original movie.

When: April 16 – 20, 9 am – 4 pm
Ages: 6 +
Camp Fees: Early Bird ~ before March 30th, $225; By April 9th, $250 (discount for multiple kids)
Location: @ the ‘Triple 2’ in Fremont, 222 Etruria St., Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98109

VIEW THE TRAILER

MORE MULTIMEDIA AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST

View the full 8 minute short, contact karin@karincollins.com for details.

#  #  #

Downlaod the press release PDF here:

Press Release April Kids Camp

We had an AWESOME week with our mid-winter break day camp! Plenty of Kung Fu Panda ALL-STARS in this group of talented & enthusiastic kids.

Many adults along the way have said longingly “I wish I could do that!” If you want to see more, let me know & I’ll send you a link to the full-length 8 minute short.

Thanks parents, thanks kids. Thanks to my brother Scott, for your talent & fearlessness!

An employee at the bank today wanted to make sure I had heard about the research that came out last week about Taiji and how it helps Parkison’s patients. I told him it is so good to continue having research support this work and he was kind enough to say, “well…it is good work that you do!”

Well, thanks!  :)

“Happy Valentine’s Day” he said on the way out.

And that was an excellent Valentine’s gift for me. To be reminded that people think it is good work that I do. It is what I love. I do love teaching and am grateful.

Kind words, gifts of love and affection are very special indeed. Chocolate is good. Roses are pretty and acknowledging the important parts of our life is a good thing, whether giving a sweety a token, recognizing that what we do comes from a source of love, enjoying family and children with an extra-special hug or a heart-shaped treat for the pooch…just finding ways to express a little love and gratitude today.

And sometimes it can be a little clumsy. This poem just gave me another gift today…

I love this foundation and have had the luxury of attending a weekend of poetry filled days during their festivals in the past. There’s nothing like listening to Coleman Barks recite his translations of Rumi, of Sekou Sundiata performing live, the twists of Billy Collins incredible wit and so many others.

Enjoy the  entire “SHARE the LOVE” post from The Geradine R Dodge Poetry Foundation blog.

The snippet before the poem…”We need the help of poetry and art (and, yes, a hand-made truffle is a work of art!) because most of us, like the imagined lover in Thomas Lux’s poem below, are so clumsy at expressing ourselves.

I Love You Sweatheart

A man risked his life to write the words.
A man hung upside down (an idiot friend
holding his legs?) with spray paint
to write the words on a girder fifty feet above
a highway. And his beloved,
the next morning driving to work…?
His words are not (meant to be) so unique.
Does she recognize his handwriting?
Did he hint to her at her doorstep the night before
of “something special, darling, tomorrow”?
And did he call her at work
expecting her to faint with delight
at his celebration of her, his passion, his risk?
She will know I love her now,
the world will know my love for her!
A man risked his life to write the words.
Love is like this at the bone, we hope, love
is like this, Sweatheart, all sore and dumb
and dangerous, ignited, blessed – always,
regardless, no exceptions,
always in blazing matters like these: blessed.

by Thomas Lux

I hope we all get the chance today to express our affections, without risking life (!), for the things that we love to do and the beloved-ones in our lives.

A great article on NPR (by Patti Neighmond) gives us more insight into the benefits of Taiji…

“The study, which appears in the current New England Journal of Medicine, was headed by research scientist Fuzhong Li, who practices tai chi himself. Tai chi is sometimes described as “meditation in motion,” because it promotes serenity through gentle movements, connecting the mind to the body. It has been shown to help with loss of balance during normal aging and can help relieve stress. Typically, the positions and postures of tai chi involve slow, focused movements that flow from one to the next.

In the study, Li divided Parkinson’s patients into three groups. One group did resistance training with weights. Another, stretching classes. And the third took up tai chi. Each group participated in a 60-minute class twice a week for six months.

When they finished, Li found that the tai chi patients were stronger and had much better balance than patients in the other two groups. In fact, Li says their balance was “four times better than those patients assigned to the stretching group and about two times better than those in the resistance-training group.”

Listen to & read the full article, http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/02/09/146602943/tai-chi-may-help-parkinsons-patients-regain-balance

Know someone managing Parkinson’s? Let them know they have new options for movement practices!

“Do you think practicing Taiji & Qigong makes you more aware of things that are joyful…do you find that you experience more joy as a result of your practice?”, a student asked me this morning during class.

Short & to the point, yes.

I feel I’ve been fortunate to cultivate a deeper awareness of people, moments, experiences & events that have the spark of something special. When laughter is more infectious & honored. When a smile is recognized & allowed to dig right into the soul & warm from the inside.  When personal connections are made more directly, more clearly & with an unspoken agreement of doing what is good for both. When I accept the great fortune, health & happiness that is mine within & without…

On a morning in which the complexities of everything that I’ve chosen to attempt & succeed at are weighing heavily on me, the load was lightened by the joy I received from my Taiji class & my dedicated, thoughtful students.

Thank you. Spread the Joy.

I happened across this video from journalist Carl Honore, in which he “praises slowness”. Seeing how often I find myself teaching a form, saying “slow it down, sloower…thaaaat’s it” I just had to see what he was talking about. The world-wide phenomenon of the ‘Slow’ philosophy or the ‘Slow Movement’ has been taking place for years. Honore points out, “It’s about quality over quantity in everything from work to food to parenting.” And why not to how we move? Taiji & Qigong can train you from the inside out how to slow down.

Carl Honore: Slowing down in a world built for speed

What happens when, as Honore asks, “You feel like you’re racing through your life instead of actually living it”? And goes on to point out that something will eventually slow us down. I know from experience that injury & illness are tough ways to learn that lesson. He states:

“The latest neuroscience shows that when people are in a relaxed, mellow state, the brain slips into a deeper, richer, more nuanced mode of thought. Psychologists actually call this Slow Thinking. Artists have always known that you cannot hurry the act of creation and increasingly businesses are realizing the same thing: that workers need moments to relax, unplug, be silent in order to be creative and productive.”

When asked, “How do Oriental disciplines like Chi Kung, yoga and meditation fit into the Slow revolution?” He responds:

“They are completely in harmony with it. They teach us how to be comfortable with slowness. They retrain our bodies and minds and help shift us into a lower gear. This brings obvious physical benefits such as greater flexibility, strength and balance. But it also goes deeper than that. It can cultivate an inner calm that you take with you into the more hectic moments of the day – so that you keep your head while all around you others are losing theirs. By slowing us down, these Oriental practices also give more depth and meaning to our lives. One of the key benefits of decelerating is that it gives us the time and tranquility to look inside ourselves, to listen to our hearts, to get in touch with our souls, to ask the big questions in life.”

Taiji & Qigong practice are an ideal way to consistently make time for you to slow down…simply BE healthier, happier, slower.