In his new book, the Harvard Medical School Guide to Tai Chi, Dr. Peter Wayne lays out the "8 Active Ingredients of Tai Chi" to help us understand the interface between traditional Tai Chi practice and the Western biomedical paradigm.
As the Research Director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine, jointly based at Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, and the founder of the Tree of Life Tai Chi Center, Peter blends more than three decades of teaching experience with ongoing inquiry into what makes Tai Chi an effective medical intervention.
In this episode of Qigong Radio, we explore the development of the 8 Active Ingredients and how help translate Tai Chi into a Western context
The 8 Active Ingredients of Tai Chi are:
- Awareness, Mindfulness, Focused Attention
- Intention, Belief, Expectation
- Dynamic Structural Integration
- Active Relaxation of Mind and Body
- Aerobic Exercise, Musculoskeletal Strengthening, and Flexibility
- Natural, Freer Breathing
- Social Interaction and Community
- Embodied Spirituality, Philosophy, and Ritual