Why I...do Tai Chi

Sydney Morning Herald

Thursday August 5, 2004

Anneli Knight

Last year, Dr Kerryn Phelps suffered from a pulmonary embolism. With medication and exercise, Phelps says she felt 90 per cent better and doctors told her she was in a normal range for recovery.

"But I didn't want to be average. I wanted to be optimal," she says. So she started Tai Chi.

"I knew about it and I tried it out over the years and it was something I recommended to my patients, particularly if they needed to learn to manage a stressful life. It is a very gentle form of exercise. Some people think you need to thrash your exercise out."

Phelps learnt a basic form of Tai Chi at a health retreat and for the past six months she has been spending 15 to 20 minutes doing the exercise before sunrise each day.

"It gets your day off to a fantastic start. Your body has been exercised and your mind has been centred and it helps with concentration during the day."

Phelps does her Tai Chi routine on a headland overlooking the ocean and says location is important. "You need peace and calm and, ideally, to be surrounded by nature. It is a form of moving meditation - and you wouldn't meditate in the middle of a supermarket."

She says it is easy to learn but recommends learning with a teacher rather than through videos or books because feedback is an important part of the learning process. "It's one of those activities where you can learn the basic things very easily and the moves can get more difficult as you get better."

THE EXPERT

Dr Paul Lam, a physician and world leader in the field of Tai Chi for health improvement:

"Tai Chi offers many benefits which you can classify as mental and physical. It is good for relaxation and it helps people to concentrate better.

"It also helps cardiovascular fitness and improves muscle strength and balance.

"There are five major types of Tai Chi and individuals should research the most suitable type for them.

"Most types of chronic diseases would benefit from the right type of Tai Chi. But people do need to be careful because, like any exercise, you can get muscular injuries."

© 2004 Sydney Morning Herald

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