Elderly people should take up T'ai Chi, say academics

By Martin Beckford, Health Correspondent, Daily Telegraph

 

Elderly people should take up the gentle martial art of T’ai Chi for the sake of their physical and mental health, according to academics.

 

A new study has found that the ancient Chinese exercises, enjoyed by millions of people every morning, can help pensioners avoid falling injuries and boost their psychological well-being.

 

This is because its slow movements improve balance while its deep breathing techniques aid relaxation.

 

The authors of the paper, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine on Tuesday, conclude: “Our overview showed that T’ai Chi, which combines deep breathing and relaxation with slow and gentle movements, may exert exercise-based general benefits for fall prevention and improvement of balance in older people as well as some meditative effects for improving psychological health.

 

“We recommend T’ai Chi for older people for its various physical and psychological benefits."

 

T’ai Chi was developed hundreds of years ago in China as a series of graceful physical movements combined with deep breathing, and is now thought to be practised by 2.5million people around the world.

 

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Added 17th May, 2011