Chen's Taichi for Health and Wellness By Grandmaster Chen Zenglei. White Bench Publications, Toronto, Canada, 2010, 94 pages. Warmup exercises, and detailed instructions with some photographs for the Chen 18 Short Form. Jack Yan is a collaborator I like this book quite a bit. $24.00 in 2/2021. VSCL.
The Chen Style Taijiquan for Life Enhancement. Written by Chen Zhenglei and translated by Xu Hailing. Zhongzhou Classic Publishing House, Zhengzhou, China, 2002. Text in English and Chinese. ISBN: 7534821819. 149 pages. "Describes the principles of Chen style for life enhancement, basic training, Taiji Skills for Preserving Energy and the 18 Forms of the Chen Style. Many photos of Chen Zhenglei doing Exercises and forms. Chen Zhenglei is one of the top Chen stylists in China. Paperback, 149 pages, 5 1/2' by 8'. - Wayfarer Publications "It covers the content of the health exercise silk reeling video, and is a useful reference, giving more detail, especially on theory." This is a very expensive out of print book, not worth $150.00. I purchased back in 2004 for $25.00. VSCL.
Essence of Traditional Chen Style 18 Posture Short Form. Instructional DVD by Shifu Jiang Jian-ye. Color, 87 Minutes. Capital District Tai Chi and Kung Fu Association of New York, 1997. "Cheng Zheng Lei (the 19th generation of the Chen Family) created this form from the old style of Chen first and second routines. It includes "silk reeling," fa jin (releasing energy), and balance. This short form is a good introduction for beginners or for those with little Chen style experience." "A good introductory Chen form that includes silk reeling and fajing movements as well as other characteristics of the Chen first and second routines. Chen Zhenglei, one of today's top Chen stylists, created the form.There is a demonstration of the entire form followed by step-by-step teaching in slow motion with 2-4 views, from the front, back and side. There are front and back demonstrations of each segment (5 to 7 moves each.) At the end of the teaching there are demonstrations, front and back. There are also excerpts from other Chen forms." - Wayfarer Publications. CDTKA. VSCL. I use a Cboy V-Zon portable DVD player and this DVD works fine because of the way it is organized.
Chen Style Taijiquan Grandmaster Chen Zhenglei's Short 18 Movements Tai Chi Hand Form, 2001 List of 18 Movements
Chen Taijiquan Short 18 Form of Grandmaster Chen Zenglei. By Michael P. Garofalo. Bibliography, links, resources, notes, information, lists, practices, quotes.
Ecology and Mysticism Everyday Animism - Aliveness of Living Beings Poetry and Science Intermingle Truth and Fact are Not Synonyms Mystery - Unknown Dimensions, Awe Kindred, All Kith - Your local environment, Place Reciprocity - Interbeing, Interdependence All is Sacred - Reverence, Awe, Respect Enchantment and Wonder Creativity and the Great Work - Drawing, Painting, Collecting Eccentricity - Individuality, Unconventional
Try: Walking, Gardening, Reading, Nature Studies, Visiting Beautiful Places, Play, Listening, Seeing, Looking at Botany or Animal Books, Swimming, Going Barefoot on Grass or Sand, etc.
Keeping Your Balance and Avoiding Falls Safety Tips for Around Your House For Older Persons, Seniors, Elderly:
Avoid clutter. Don't leave things on the floor. Pick up after yourself. Make sure you have good lighting for both night and day. Keep furniture and tables to a minimum. Leave room for walking. Keep areas beside the bed and into a toilet clear and uncluttered. Use hand bars beside toilet and shower. Have a strong small ladder for reaching up to higher shelves. Wear good shoes indoors. Make sure rugs and runners are secure on the floor. Watch out if you have steps into your garage or rooms. Be careful, slow down, be alert! Use your cane or walker as needed. Be aware if medicines you take make you feel lightheaded or dizzy. If sitting for a long time, stand up slowly and carefully. Move carefully on arthritic or injured limbs. Use tips and techniques for standing up carefully and safely. Exercise each day to improve strength, flexibility, and balance. Make sure all chairs, seats, and tables are in good working order. Use it, or slowly but surely loose it. Keep all cabinet drawers or doors pushed and closed properly. Let others help you or pay for services. Know you own strengths, limitations, or weaknesses. If you are obese, it will impair your balance skills. Loose weight! Do exercises to improve the strength of your legs and hips. See a physician for serious dizziness. Practice Tai Chi Chuan to improve your balance skills. - Michael P. Garofalo, Balance
Aging Well Information, Bibliography, Quotes, Notes, Links
"To get back to my youth I would do anything in the world, except exercise, get up early, or be respectable." - Oscar Wilde
"The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for." - Will Rogers
"We must recognize that, as we grow older, we become like old cars – more and more repairs and replacements are necessary." - C.S. Lewis
"Old age comes at a bad time." – Sam Banducci “
"Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened." - Jennifer Yay
"Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you are aboard there is nothing you can do about it." - Golda Meir
"The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened. - Mark Twain
"Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age. Sometimes, age just shows up all by itself." - Tom Wilson
"I’m at that age where my back goes out more than I do." - Phyllis Diller
"Nice to be here? At my age it’s nice to be anywhere." – George Burns
"Don't let aging get you down. It's too hard to get back up." - John Wagner
"First you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down."
Leo Rosenberg
"At my age, flowers scare me." - George Burns
"At age 20, we worry about what others think of us…at age 40, we don’t care what they think of us… at age 60, we discover they haven’t been thinking of us at all." - Ann Landers
"As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two." - Sir Norman Wisdom
“The older I get, the better I used to be.” – Lee Trevino
"I don’t feel old. I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap." - Bob Hope
"Getting older. I used to be able to run a 4-minute mile, bench press 380 pounds, and tell the truth." -Conan O’Brien
"When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it’s a sure sign you’re getting old." - Mark Twain
"The idea is to die young as late as possible." - Ashley Montagu
"Through processes embedded in valued subjective
experience we have learned that disciplining how we think and feel about
ourselves and our health is as important to well-being as any physiological
markers of disease. Positive Aging describes a process whereby we take
control of our own late life experiences by discovering meaning in growing old
that transcends the deteriorative processes of aging. Positive Agers
posses four characteristics: (a) mobilizing resources to meet the challenges of
aging, (b) making life choices that preserve well-being, (c) cultivating
flexibility to deal with age-related decline, and (d) focusing on the positives
(verses the negatives) in old age."
- Robert T. Hill
Seven Strategies for Positive Aging 1. You can find
meaning in old age.
2. You're never to old to learn.
3. You can use the past to cultivate wisdom.
4. You can strengthen life-span relationships.
5. You can promote growth through giving and receiving help.
6. You can forgive yourself and others.
7. You can possess a grateful attitude.
- Robert T. Hill, Ph.D., Seven Strategies for Positive Aging,
2008
Seven Strategies for Positive Aging.
By Robert D. Hill, Ph.D.. New York, W.W. Norton and Co., 2008. Index,
references, 63 pages. ISBN: 978-0393705232. VSCL.
Keeping Your Balance and Avoiding Falls Safety Tips for Around Your House For Older Persons, Seniors, Elderly:
Avoid clutter. Don't leave things on the floor. Pick up after yourself. Make sure you have good lighting for both night and day. Keep furniture and tables to a minimum. Leave room for walking. Keep areas beside the bed and into a toilet clear and uncluttered. Use hand bars beside toilet and shower. Have a strong small ladder for reaching up to higher shelves. Wear good shoes indoors. Make sure rugs and runners are secure on the floor. Watch out if you have steps into your garage or rooms. Be careful, slow down, be alert! Use your cane or walker as needed. Be aware if medicines you take make you feel lightheaded or dizzy. If sitting for a long time, stand up slowly and carefully. Move carefully on arthritic or injured limbs. Use tips and techniques for standing up carefully and safely. Exercise each day to improve strength, flexibility, and balance. Make sure all chairs, seats, and tables are in good working order. Use it, or slowly but surely loose it. Keep all cabinet drawers or doors pushed and closed properly. Let others help you or pay for services. Know you own strengths, limitations, or weaknesses. If you are obese, it will impair your balance skills. Loose weight! Do exercises to improve the strength of your legs and hips. See a physician for serious dizziness. Practice Tai Chi Chuan to improve your balance skills. - Michael P. Garofalo, Balance
Aging Well Information, Bibliography, Quotes, Notes, Links
"1. Wear shoes that fit comfortably and promote balance. Look for shoes that are stable from side to side and are well-cushioned. They should enable you to walk smoothly and comfortably and provide you enough room to wiggle your toes while being snug in the heels.
2. When you step forward, always step with the heel first. Then roll your weight onto the bottom of your foot. This is the natural way to walk. If you can’t do this, then you need to ask for a diagnosis from your physician or physical therapist. If you are stepping with the flat part of the foot or the ball of the foot first, you will be unbalanced with each step.
3. Allow your weight to sink into your ankles and knees as if they were springs. This will impart a sense of buoyancy to your body as you walk. If your knee and ankle joints are held in a rigid or locked position, your gait will lose its fluidity and thus increase the probability of falling.
4. As you walk, be aware of the shifting of weight - Tai Chi Walking
5. Walk from your belly button. The Chinese call this area, Tan-Tien (pronounced “Dahn T-yen"). It is approximately the center of the body and the storage place of Chi energy. Imagine that you have a belt around your body with a piece of it extended out from your belly button. When you walk, allow yourself to be gently led as if someone was pulling the extended piece of belt. Remember that this is only an image. You should not walk with your belly sticking out. No one from the outside should know that you are using this image.
6. Walk with an Upright Body. The idea of your headtop being lifted toward heaven by a string is an important image in Tai Chi Walking. It works against the tendency to lean. When you lean, you are likely to fall in that direction.
7. Before you change direction, first turn your head and look in the direction you want to go. Then turn your body in that direction. Many falls occur when turning too fast.
8. The arms should swing naturally at the sides of the body. This is important because the arms provide balance and momentum. If they are held in the pockets, they cannot be used to prevent or to cushion a fall.
9. Breathe deeply in a natural way to relax the body. A stiff body is like a pole ready to topple over. Breathing deeply will also mitigate the mental fear factor."
Repost from 2012 from Red Bluff, regarding some of the Taijiquan Practices when I was 66 years of age. Now, at the age of 78, my energy levels are lower. Slow Taijiquan, qigong/yoga, moderate strength training, and walks on flat ground are more my style now. Heart disease has slowed my pace.
For two decades I have practiced the Yang style of Taijiquan at a slow, steady, even, smooth and meditative pace. The Sun style of Taijiquan is a bit faster with short quick steps. Since I began to practice martial arts routines and forms with a cane weapon, and with my beginning the practice of Chen Style Taijiquan, I have been increasing my speed and power while doing these forms. This has posed a new challenge for my cardio-vascular conditioning level, for my physical agility and coordination levels, and for my 66 year old body overall. I really enjoy the new challenge.
"Chen Style Taiji is perhaps the most overtly martial of all Taijiquan styles. Most Chen Style forms are fast. These include Second Form (Cannon Bashing), saber, double saber, spear, long staff, short staff, three-opponent staff, flaive, punching bags, and several combat exercises. The only two forms that are decidedly slow are the First Form and the straight sword.
Kinetic movements (meaning, again, movements that depend on momentum) must be trained at speed. Any time you have a weapon in your hands that swings or spins, you must actually swing it or spin it in order to learn its behavior. If you try to practice it slowly, you will not receive feedback from the weapon's own kinetic properties, and will consequently never learn how to exploit them. Without kinetic training, you will always be fighting the weapon.
In certain situations, you need to wield your own body kinetically. Chen Taiji's Second Form (Cannon Bashing) is designed for exactly that purpose. Any movement in which you sweep, leap, close quickly with the opponent, change orientation in mid-air, or swing around to attack from a different direction must similarly be trained at speed. These are all movements that exploit the body's mass and momentum."
- Mark Chen, Old Frame Chen Family Taijiquan, p. 86
"To get back to my youth I would do anything in the world, except exercise, get up early, or be respectable." - Oscar Wilde
"The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for." - Will Rogers
"We must recognize that, as we grow older, we become like old cars – more and more repairs and replacements are necessary." - C.S. Lewis
"Old age comes at a bad time." – Sam Banducci “
"Inside every older person is a younger person wondering what happened." - Jennifer Yay
"Old age is like a plane flying through a storm. Once you are aboard there is nothing you can do about it." - Golda Meir
"The older I get, the more clearly I remember things that never happened. - Mark Twain
"Wisdom doesn’t necessarily come with age. Sometimes, age just shows up all by itself." - Tom Wilson
"I’m at that age where my back goes out more than I do." - Phyllis Diller
"Nice to be here? At my age it’s nice to be anywhere." – George Burns
"Don't let aging get you down. It's too hard to get back up." - John Wagner
"First you forget names, then you forget faces, then you forget to pull your zipper up, then you forget to pull your zipper down."
Leo Rosenberg
"At my age, flowers scare me." - George Burns
"At age 20, we worry about what others think of us…at age 40, we don’t care what they think of us… at age 60, we discover they haven’t been thinking of us at all." - Ann Landers
"As you get older three things happen. The first is your memory goes, and I can't remember the other two." - Sir Norman Wisdom
“The older I get, the better I used to be.” – Lee Trevino
"I don’t feel old. I don’t feel anything until noon. Then it’s time for my nap." - Bob Hope
"Getting older. I used to be able to run a 4-minute mile, bench press 380 pounds, and tell the truth." -Conan O’Brien
"When your friends begin to flatter you on how young you look, it’s a sure sign you’re getting old." - Mark Twain
"The idea is to die young as late as possible." - Ashley Montagu
"Qigong can do wonders to rejuvenate the elderly. In fact, more than 50 percent of the people who begin tai chi and qigong in China do so after the age of 60, when the realities of aging can no longer be pushed aside. Already, hundreds of millions of people over the age of 60 have found qigong to be uniquely effective." - Bruce Frantzis, Qigong for Seniors
Qigong (Chi Kung): Styles,Bibliographies, Research, Resources, Links, Lessons, Benefits, Quotations. Website by Mike Garofalo.
A review of clinical trials of t’ai chi and qigong in older adults reported in the March 2009 issue of the Western Journal of Nursing Research notes that qigong improves physical functioning, limits fall risk, alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety, and lowers blood pressure in older adults. "Why Every Elderly Citizen Should Do Qigong: Qigong can treat many diseases. Qigong can prevent many diseases. Qigong can extend life. Qigong can improve the quality of life. Qigong can prevent accidents." "According to T'ai Chi and Qigong enthusiasts, the discipline can prevent many ailments, including high blood pressure, tuberculosis, and diabetes, and US scientists agree that T'ai Chi can offer some important fitness benefits, particularly for older adults." - Modern Maturity, V. 35 June/July 92 p. 60-62
"The average person uses only five to ten percent of his or her 15 billion brain cells; yet studies show that Qi Gong activates 90 percent of the human brain by suffusing it with stimulating bioelectric currents. This results in significant memory improvement, learning, and enhancement of the physiological functions controlled by the brain. Studies also show that practicing Qi Gong increases the level of essential neurotransmitters in the blood. Deficiency of these elements can cause Parkinsons, Alzheimer’s, chronic depression, and insomnia." - Lee Holden
According to the February 2009 issue of The Journal of Nursing, “evidence-based research supports the argument that qigong improves cardiovascular-respiratory function and lipid profile, decreases blood sugar, and relieves anxiety and depression.”
The Healing Promise of Qi: Creating Extraordinary Wellness Through Qigong and Tai Chi. By Roger Jahnke, O.M.D.. Chicago, Contemporary Books, 2002. Index, notes, extensive recommended reading list, 316 pages. ISBN: 0809295288. VSCL.
The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing. By Kenneth S. Cohen. Foreword by Larry Dossey. New York Ballantine Books, 1997. Index, notes, appendices, 427 pages. ISBN: 0345421094. One of my favorite books: comprehensive, informative, practical, and scientific. VSCL.
Playing with gusto and enthusiasm Becoming delighted by creative play Reducing stress Sharing activities and helping others Learning something interesting and valuable Trying to do your best Learning about Chinese internal martial arts Having some fun and pleasure Presenting a cheerful and upbeat demeanor Adjusting performance to limitations and setbacks Having a positive, open minded, and grateful manner Mastering an art or practice Respecting the achievements of older Taijiquan players Becoming strong, flexible, and conditioned Developing positive and uplifting habits Remaining in good health Preventing accidents and disease Facing death and dying with courage, poise, dignity, and compassion
Both qigong and taijiquan books frequently show persons over 70 practicing these movement arts. Some books feature masters who lived to be 100 years of age. The enhanced vitality and athletic exuberance of these seniors is an encouragement to everyone; and if longevity is an additional benefit, then so be it.
"So far as motivational status is concerned, healthy people have sufficiently gratified their basic needs for safety, belongingness, love, respect and self-esteem so that they are motivated primarily by trends to self-actualization (defined as ongoing actualization of potentials, capacities and talents, as fulfillment of mission (or call, fate, destiny, or vocation), as a fuller knowledge of, and acceptance of, the person's own intrinsic nature, as an unceasing trend toward unity, integration or synergy within the person. ... These healthy people are there defined by describing their clinically observed characteristics. These are: 1. Superior perception of reality. 2. Increased acceptance of self, of others and of nature. 3. Increased spontaneity. 4. Increase in problem-centering. 5. Increased detachment and desire for privacy. 6. Increased autonomy, and resistance to enculturation. 7. Greater freshness of appreciation, and richness of emotional reaction. 8. Higher frequency of peak experiences. 9. Increased identification with the human species. 10. Changed and improved interpersonal relations. 11. More democratic character structure. 12. Greatly increased creativeness. 13. Certain changes in the value system."
Toward a Psychology of Being. Abraham Maslow. New Jersey, Van Nostrand, 1962. 3rd Edition, Wiley, 1998. 320 pages. ISBN: 0471293091. pp.23-24
"Japanese Advice for the Elderly Aging Hints from Hinohara Shigeaki, 1911- (translated and adapted from Tanoyaku, Vol 38, June, 2007)
Emphasize love, not hate Recognize your imperfection but aim to improve Try something new Focus your attention; don't waste time thoughtlessly Find a model person to imitate Seek to empathize Value encounters with others Maintain small eating habits But don't be neurotic about diet; enjoy food Walk; use stairs as much as possible Participate in group sport activities Enjoy leisure; avoid a life with only work Handle stress by exercising; walk, play Take responsibility for your own behavior Change habits when necessary; don't be obsessed with maintaining habits" - Advice for Aging Well from David K. Reynolds, Ph.D.
A New Weekly Workout Plan Monday Beat around the bush Lift myself up by the bootsraps Make mountains out of mole hills Get all fired up Jump to conclusions Climb the walls
Tuesday Drag my heels Make my point Push my luck Pull my own load Hit the nail on the head
Wednesday Bend over backwards Jump on the Band Wagon Grab all I can get Run around in circles Shoulder my share of responsibility
Thursday Shop till I drop Hang loose Grind to a halt Rest and recuperate
Friday Push it to the limit Pull out all the stops Add fuel to the fire Pave the roadway to hell Throw it all away
Saturday Open a can of worms Put my foot in my mouth Start the ball rolling Go over the edge
Sunday Pick up the pieces. Wade through the morning paper Lift my spirits Toot my own horn
"Ten Ways to Inspire People to Keep Fit: Be a role model; make fitness fun; be both active and productive; make workouts short and sweet; extol the benefits; train for a charity event together; set short-term goals; offer to be a workout partner; use inspirational music; don't preach, lecture or nag. " - American Council on Exercise
“There is a fountain of youth: it is your mind, your talents, the creativity you bring to your life and the lives of people you love. When you learn to tap this source, you will truly have defeated age.” - Sophia Loren
"So far as motivational status is concerned, healthy people have sufficiently gratified their basic needs for safety, belongingness, love, respect and self-esteem so that they are motivated primarily by trends to self-actualization (defined as ongoing actualization of potentials, capacitates and talents, as fulfillment of mission (or call, fate, destiny, or vocation), as a fuller knowledge of, and acceptance of, the person's own intrinsic nature, as an unceasing trend toward unity, integration or synergy within the person. .. These healthy people are there defined by describing their clinically observed characteristics. These are: 1. Superior perception of reality. 2. Increased acceptance of self, of others and of nature. 3. Increased spontaneity. 4. Increase in problem-centering. 5. Increased detachment and desire for privacy. 6. Increased autonomy, and resistance to enculturation. 7. Greater freshness of appreciation, and richness of emotional reaction. 8. Higher frequency of peak experiences. 9. Increased identification with the human species. 10. Changed and improved interpersonal relations. 11. More democratic character structure. 12. Greatly increased creativeness. 13. Certain changes in the value system." - Toward a Psychology of Being. Abraham Maslow. New Jersey, Van Nostrand, 1962. 3rd Edition, Wiley, 1998. 320 pages. ISBN: 0471293091. pp.23-24
By Robert D. Hill, Ph.D.. New York, W.W. Norton and Co., 2008. Index,
references, 63 pages. ISBN: 978-0393705232. VSCL. 
