jerusalem | The ancient Chinese art of tai chi can help even the elderly and infirm improve their balance, walking and general health.
Around their first birthday, human beings learn — by trial and error — how to walk. When they enter old age, do they need to learn how to walk over again, this time in a systematic way? Arieh Lev Breslow, an Israeli teacher of the ancient Chinese martial art called tai chi, says they do — especially if they suffer from chronic diseases that cause imbalance, stiff joints or weakened leg muscles.
Although most complementary medical techniques have never been scientifically proven effective, tai chi has. Earlier this year, a meta-analysis of previous studies on patients suffering from chronic health conditions — published in the Archives of Internal Medicine of the American Medical Association — found that tai chi has beneficial effects on balance, flexibility and cardiovascular health. The technique, which combines deep breathing with relaxation and postures that flow from one to another through slow movements, has been found to promote good health, memory, concentration, digestion, balance and flexibility, and even to ameliorate anxiety and depression.
Tai chi, says Breslow, “means ‘supreme ultimate’ and also ‘the great pivot.’ In it, you learn to pivot your body properly, with correct posture and body integration.”
Although its origins are three millennia old, dating back to the Yellow Emperor’s classic on medicine, tai chi as we know it today can be traced back to China 400 years ago.
Breslow, who was born in Nebraska, moved to the Bay Area in 1971 after earning a master’s in European history from the University of Wisconsin. He wrote a book on Chinese culture and history called “Beyond the Closed Door,” and then his interests turned to tai chi. While living in Berkeley, he was one of the early organizers of the Aquarian Minyan and taught Jewish studies. During his 10 years in Northern California, he became observant, settling in Israel in 1981 and studying at a variety of yeshivot.
“There was really no tai chi in Israel then, so I began teaching it to fellow yeshiva students who were interested. This is a martial arts technique that never involved religion, so it was perfectly kosher. Tai chi shies away from religion, belts and degrees. You are known by your own skills and your teacher,” says Breslow.
“My teacher was Benjamin Lo, who was born in China, left in 1948 when the revolution took place, and reached San Francisco in 1973. He became well known from his teaching, and also translated Chinese tai chi classics into English.”
Ken Cohen, formerly of Berkeley and now of Colorado, gave Breslow his certification. Lo, who continues to live in San Francisco, is still active, and Breslow returns to the Bay Area from time to time to see him and learn more.
“Tai chi is like the Torah, in that there is always more to learn. You never finish learning.”
Breslow, who founded and runs the Jerusalem School of Tai Chi Chuan, has taught thousands of Israelis, and some of them have become teachers themselves.
“Some study for a year, while others have been with me for as long as 20 years. My youngest pupil is 20 — I don’t teach children or teenagers, as they are too active and it’s hard for them to slow down — and the oldest is 93. Israeli teachers of tai chi need to be certified by Netanya’s Wingate Institute of Physical Education, which has a special program.”
In his spare time, he wrote a 2002 murder mystery set in the Bay Area, titled “On the Wings of Dragons,” which uses the idea of Chinese immortality as a background.
While continuing to teach all adult age groups, Breslow — who lives in Efrat with his wife, Anne, and their three daughters — has devoted much time to helping seniors. He wrote “The Walking Manual for Seniors and the Physically Challenged: A Restorative Program to Improve Balance and Strengthen Legs,” which includes exercises for knee and hip extensions, toe raises, knee and side leg lifts to strengthen legs.
He has also produced a separate video and DVD with warm-up and flexibility exercises, lessons on tai chi walking and ways to massage the legs in order to soothe painful joints and muscles. The multimedia material shows a 92-year-old man in Efrat working out with Breslow.
“My specialty with seniors is to help them walk better — to help them strengthen their legs with exercises. I think that my taking the principles of tai chi on shifting weight and balance and turning it into walking exercises is unique.”
There are 60 to 120 different movements, he says, and that requires a lot of memory. Most seniors don’t have the ability to remember so many movements, and it can also be very physically demanding. But Breslow simplifies and customizes tai chi for these clients.
“I have patients with [conditions that make] it difficult for them to walk more than a few steps, with Parkinson’s disease, osteoporosis, arthritis and multiple sclerosis, and they improve and feel less stiff. I’ve also worked with people with early Alzheimer’s disease, but I can’t say how much it has helped; if the mind is not strong, it’s difficult to benefit from tai chi.”
Tai chi, he emphasizes, “is done very slowly, with the mind focusing on what has to be done, so it’s great for the elderly. I teach seniors to compensate with their minds for the weakness of their bodies, and how to shift their weight. Healthy people don’t have to think about how they walk — but older people need to focus on their legs. They shift weight and can find where weakness and balance problems are.”
The technique, he continues, emphasizes a good vertical posture.
He recommends that seniors who want to walk buy well-cushioned shoes that fit comfortably and provide enough room to wiggle the toes while being snug in the heels. Allow your weight to sink into your ankles and knees as if they were springs, to get a sense of buoyancy. Your arms should swing naturally at the sides, and breathe deeply to relax.
People of all ages have to exercise, Breslow adds. “The more you walk, the better you’ll get at it, and the faster your quality of life will improve.”
J. staff writer Janet Silver Ghent contributed to this report.