運動醫(yī)學:太極如何治愈身心

運動醫(yī)學:太極如何治愈身心

As the sun breaks over the skyscrapers of Hong Kong, the smooth, graceful moves of Tai Chi sweep across the green spaces below. Surrounded by dozens of people from all ages, former ballet dancer Linda Fung joins them in breathing deeply in and out, her face calm and serene.

當太陽在香港的摩天大樓上冉冉升起時，太極拳優(yōu)美流暢的動作橫掃了下面的綠地。前芭蕾舞演員琳達·馮在幾十位來自各個年齡層的人的包圍中，與他們一起深呼吸，她的臉平靜而安詳。

"It is the most unbelievable, beautiful, harmonious, blissful exercise," Fung says, as she lifts her arms to the sky in the preparatory movement.

“這是最令人難以置信的、美麗的、和諧的、幸福的運動，”馮說，她在準備運動中向天舉起手臂。

"We breathe in, we open palms down, absorb the energy from Earth. We breathe in, palms up towards the sky, absorb the energy from heaven," she explains, bringing a dancer's innate elegance to the motions.

“我們吸氣，掌心向下張開，吸收來自地球的能量。我們吸氣，掌心朝向天空，吸收來自天堂的能量，”她解釋道，將舞者與生俱來的優(yōu)雅帶到動作中。

It was dance that brought Fung to the practice of Tai Chi, as she searched for ways to heal multiple injuries she sustained as she practiced her craft.

正是舞蹈讓馮開始練習太極，她在練習太極的同時也在尋找治療自己身上多處受傷的方法。

"As a ballerina, you always strive harder to break through the limits," Fung said. "Your body is getting sick and is injured all the time.

“作為一名芭蕾舞演員，你總是更努力地去突破極限，”馮說。“你的身體一直在生病和受傷。

"Why Tai Chi has good, amazing health benefits is because it's a self-healing process." she said. "When I started, I thought, 'This is quite phenomenal.'"

她說:“太極拳之所以有益健康，是因為它是一個自我治愈的過程。”“剛開始的時候，我想，‘這太了不起了。’”

A balance of yin and yang

陰陽平衡

Evolving from ancient martial arts, the core principles of Tai Chi are based on Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy which stresses a natural balance between two opposing forces called yin and yang.

太極起源于古代武術(shù)，其核心原則是建立在道教的基礎(chǔ)上的。道教是中國古代哲學，強調(diào)陰陽兩種對立力量之間的自然平衡。

Think of yin and yang as the complementary but opposite sides of a coin that together form a perfect whole.

把陰和陽看作是一枚硬幣的互補但相反的兩面，它們一起形成一個完美的整體。

"Yang is your mind, it's a cerebral activity. It's your emotions. Yin is your body," Fung said.

“陽是你的大腦，它是一種大腦活動。這是你的情緒。陰是你的身體，”馮說。

"By practicing Tai Chi, you connect these two parts, and you balance the yang energy with the yin energy."

“通過練習太極，你把這兩個部分連接起來，你就能平衡陰陽能量。”

"When these two things balance, then harmony is achieved," she continued. "When harmony is achieved, then transformation follows. And the transformation is -- you feel better."

“當這兩件事平衡了，那么和諧就實現(xiàn)了，”她繼續(xù)說。“當和諧實現(xiàn)時，變革也隨之而來。”變化是——你感覺更好。”

When you are in balance you feel your "chi" or life force which traditional Chinese medicine considers a form of energy that can heal mind and body. When chi is unlocked and flowing through the body, Fung said, it can address the body's injuries.

當你在平衡中，你會感覺到你的“氣”或生命力，中醫(yī)認為這是一種可以治愈身心的能量。當氣被釋放并流經(jīng)身體時，馮說，它可以解決身體的傷害。

"When the chi actually start working, your body improves. Your balance gets better. You sleep better. You have enhanced vitality, energy," said Fung, who now teaches classes in Hong Kong combining dance and Tai Chi. "And it keeps flowing. That's why it's amazing."

馮現(xiàn)在香港教授舞蹈和太極的課程，他說：“當氣真正開始起作用時，你的身體會得到改善。你的平衡會變得更好。你會睡得更好。你的活力和精力都增強了。”馮現(xiàn)在在香港教舞蹈和太極相結(jié)合的課程。“而且它一直在流動，這就是為什么它令人驚嘆。”

Science behind the mystery

神秘背后的科學

While all that sounds rather mystical, science shows Tai Chi can improve health. Researchers have discovered that even a shorter, modified exercise series of Tai Chi movements can improve muscle strength, balance and flexibility, while also reducing stress and lowering blood pressure.

雖然這一切聽起來很神秘，但科學表明，太極可以改善健康。研究人員發(fā)現(xiàn)，即使是較短的、經(jīng)過改良的太極系列運動也能增強肌肉力量、平衡和靈活性，同時還能減輕壓力和降低血壓。

Bone health: Tai Chi doesn't require any resistance or weight-bearing exercise, both known to increase bone formation, yet studies have shown that it can improve bone mineral density. It's also been shown to reduce bone loss and fractures in post-menopausal women. Research on men, however, has been contradictory.

骨骼健康:太極拳不需要任何阻力或負重運動，這兩種運動都能促進骨骼形成，但研究表明，它可以提高骨密度。它也被證明可以減少絕經(jīng)后婦女的骨質(zhì)流失和骨折。然而，對男性的研究是矛盾的。

Tai Chi also reduces falls and improves balance in the elderly, and is easier than traditional exercise for some with frail health or physical limitations.

太極拳還可以減少跌倒，提高老年人的平衡能力，對一些身體虛弱或身體有缺陷的人來說，太極拳比傳統(tǒng)運動更容易。

Cardiovascular disease: Tai Chi and Qigong, a very similar centuries-old system of movement, breathing and meditation, have shown to be extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health.

心血管疾病:太極和氣功，一個非常相似的古老的運動、呼吸和冥想系統(tǒng)，對心血管健康非常有益。

Inflammation: A few small studies have shown Tai Chi can reduce levels of C-reactive protein in the blood, a cardinal sign of inflammation. If that research is replicated, it could explain some of Tai Chi's health benefits due to a reduction of disease-causing inflammation in the body.

炎癥:一些小型研究表明，太極可以降低血液中c反應蛋白的水平，這是炎癥的主要癥狀。如果這一研究被重復，它可以解釋太極的一些健康益處，因為它可以減少體內(nèi)的致病炎癥。

Mental health: The calming, meditative trance needed to do a Tai Chi series has been shown to greatly reduce anxiety and stress, even lowering levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the blood of participants.

心理健康：做太極系列所需的平靜、冥想的恍惚狀態(tài)已被證明可以極大地減少焦慮和壓力，甚至降低參與者血液中應激激素皮質(zhì)醇的水平。