Tai Chi & Qigong: Historical and Scientific Foundations

by Michael DeMarco, Arieh Lev Breslow, C.J. Rhoads, Kenneth Cohen, Duane Crider

Overview

T’ai Chi and qigong are popular because of their great reputations as exercises with numerous health-related benefits. Can these benefits simply be results of placebo effects? Chapters in this e-book not only provide an interesting historical backdrop in which taiji and qigong developed, but also provide scientific support for the efficacy and effects of both modalities.
Breslow’s chapter focuses on Daoist practices associated with their quest for immortality and longevity. Rhoads, Crider, and Hayduk looks at taiji and qigong with the tools of modern science. DeMarco compares Yang-style taiji practice of with guidelines provided by the National Institue of Health. Kachur, Carleton, and Asmundson provide an excellent chapter that gives insight into aspects of taiji practice that improve balance. The final chapter by Kenneth Cohen offers a history of the taiji ruler as a tool conducive to vitalizing the qi. Included are aspects of design, lineage, and some illustrated exercises, plus details on qi circulation.
For anyone who questions the validity of taiji and qigong as exercise modalities, the collected writings in this book will provide information not available elsewhere. In addition to finding the historical and scientific foundation of these practices, the contents in this book will help improve taiji and qigong practice, bringing the many benefits as claimed for these gems of Chinese culture.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940151321549
Publisher:	Via Media Publishing Company
Publication date:	04/08/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	10 MB

About the Author

Gordon Asmundson, Ph.D., is a full professor of health studies and psychology at the University of Regina and a Canadian Institutes of Health Research Investigator.

Arieh Lev Breslow, M.A., received his M.A. in history from the University of Wisconsin. He has studied and taught taijiquan for over thirty-five years and is the founder of the Jerusalem School of T’ai Chi Ch’uan.

R. Nicholas Carleton, M.A., has a dozen publications and has presented more than forty research pieces at national and international conferences on pain, trauma, and anxiety.

Kenneth S. Cohen, M.A., M.S.Th., executive director of the Qigong Research & Practice Center, has studied qigong, taijiquan, and various other Chinese martial arts for forty-five years. In 2003 he won the Alyce and Elmer Green Award for Innovation and Lifetime Achievement, the leading international award in energy medicine.

Duane Crider, Ph.D., holds a certificate in taijiquan and an instructor’s certificate in qigong. He is currently a professor of sport management at Kutztown University. He has published two books on martial arts instruction. Dr. Crider holds a doctoral degree in health education from Pennsylvania State University.

Michael A. DeMarco, M.A., received his degree from Seton Hall University’s Asian Studies Department. In 1964 he began martial art studies. Since 1973 he has focused on taijiquan. He founded Via Media Publishing Company in 1991, producing the Journal of Asian Martial Arts and books.

Dina Hayduk, D.Ed., M.Ed., is a health educator at Kutztown University. She earned both her M.Ed. in health education and her D.Ed. in adult education from Pennsylvania State University.

Shane Kachur, B.M.R. (P.T), is a certified manipulative physical therapist and a graduate student working at the University of Regina. He has over twenty years of Chinese martial art experience and is a disciple of Nick Gracenin.

C. J. Rhoads, D.Ed., M.Ed., holds several certifications to teach taijiquan and is a member of the National Qigong Association. Rhoads is one of the founding members of the Taijiquan Enthusiasts Organization. Rhoads is an associate professor in the College of Business at Kutztown University. She has a doctorate from Lehigh University.