USA TODAY published an article about tai chi on 11/4/24 that gives a good overview but also includes a nod to some of the people and programs that make tai chi popular. If it's a fad, it is a fad that started around the year 1300 AD. The article can be found here,
As you read the article, notice mention of NCCIH (National Center for Complimentary and Integrative Health) part of NIH (National Institutes of Health) which comes under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. They conduct and support research and provide information about complementary health products and practices. Tai chi has been at the center of more than 500 published medical studies. This blogger participated in one of these studies for six months in 2024. Also mentioned is Peter Wayne, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Harvard Medical School and at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Massachusetts. Dr. Wayne, along with Mark L. Fuerst, is the author of The Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi. It is a book that I've recommended on this site. It's a good read and the breakdown of how tai chi helps people with various medical conditions is extremely valuable. If you don't have ANY medical problems, tai chi still has incredible value and should be considered as a practice to be integrated into your regular exercise routine.
The article also mentions Dr. Paul Lam. Dr. Lam teaches the Sun Style of tai chi and offers online classes. It's hard to miss his videos on YouTube if you search for "tai chi." Sun is the most modern of the 5 major styles and very popular around the world. Yang Style continues to be the most popular. Dr. Lam mentions that tai chi can take weeks to get used to. Many masters have agreed that it takes 3-6 months to learn the basic movements and a year before all of the movements and principles can be correctly integrated. It has been my experience that in any class, some students will be overwhelmed at their first class (despite my best efforts to explain and demonstrate that each piece of training has benefits) while others love the challenge and commit to learn tai chi. If you are serious and have a LOT of time, you can flip the 157 pages of links provided by NIH to see the studies!
Good Health to All
Peace
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