Mindfulness - Your Present Moment

This was the email i received back in August or early September

Subject: Taiji, Qigong, and Immune Response

An increasing number of Americans are turning to T’ai Chi for exercise and better health, and scientists have begun testing whether the art offers the health benefits that traditional practitioners have long claimed.

Now a new study from Yang Yang and his colleagues at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign shows that Taiji (T’ai Chi) and Qigong improved older adults’ immune response to the flu vaccine.

The study was published August 15 by the American Journal of Chinese Medicine. The News Bureau at the University of Illinois issued a news release, which you can find at:
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2007-08/uoia-tce081307.php.

United Press International covered the study, and it is being talked about on many blogs.
Upon request, I can send the abstract or the original pdf file of the whole paper.

—
Yang Yang, Ph.D.

Adjunct Faculty
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Director
Center for Taiji Studies
Champaign, IL  U.S.A.

Emails:    yyang5@uiuc.edu    or     yang@centerfortaiji.com

Tel.: (217)351-9388
www.centerfortaiji.com

Since then I’ve had the opportunity to speak with and exchange emails with Dr. Yang. Hopefully we will get together in 2008 for him to do some presentations and some training.

Most recently Yang’s research on the use of Tai Chi and Qigong to Boost the Flue Vaccine has been featured by Inner IDEA, a labor of love by Peter Davis. Inner IDEA, has a great resource library for the Body, Mind, & Spirit community.

Peter and his wife, Kathy, started IDEA Health and Fitness in 1982. They were featured in Tom Hill’s Eaglezine in October. Both Inner Idea and Eaglezine are interesting reading.