Tai Chi Goes Global.docVIP

Tai Chi Goes Global 　　It’s not easy for people to understand tai chi. The traditional Chinese exercise is not a religion， a science or a sport. Instead， it can be thought of as a system for developing people’s ability to connect with their inner energy， or life force， and to use it to empower the body and mind. 　　Tai chi was likely first practiced by Taoists centuries ago with the objective of purifying the mind and building the body’s ability to ward off disease. Many practitioners succeeded： Generations of masters have enjoyed anxiety-free pure souls over the course of disease-free long lifespans. 　　Yang Xinhua is a highly regarded tai chi master teaching at Nanjing University. She is the daughter of a great master， Yang Chenjie， a descendant， in the 19th generation， of tai chi creators. Today she is in her mid-60s， slim， with a smile radiating calmness and joy―a token of harmony and happiness. I met her for the second time in the summer of 2016. She looked identical to when I saw her four years ago. Asked about trophies， Yang replied that the list is too long to mention. She considers having the opportunity to teach “slow and mysterious motions of tai chi to repair people’s hearts” to be the greatest blessing given to her by heaven. 　　Over the past couple of decades， tai chi has surged in global popularity. It has also gained approval from international authorities on health. Both the World Health Organization and the Harvard Medical School have praised its benefits. 　　This spring， I took tai chi classes with Ken Nelson at the Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in Massachusetts. Nelson has been engaged at his school ever since starting it from scratch over 20 years ago. His class brought new depth to the understanding of tai chi I acquired in China. His pleasant voice accords well with his gentle teaching style， and both combine to put students at ease. 　　An estimated 60 million people in the United States presently suffer from loneliness， which has be