Synopses and Excerpts of News Articles

Due to the influx of material to be presented in VFJ for the ‘TCC in The Media’ section, we have decided to present a synopsis and an excerpt of each article published about TCC.

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From: The LaCrosse Tribune, Free Time Section: T’ai Chi. Featuring Sister Marian Massman, a certified teacher since 1990, she teaches TCC in La Crosse, WI.

Synopsis: This May 12, 1996 newspaper article shows several pictures of students doing TCC. The story by Joan Kent, photos by Ron Johnson, does an excellent job of explaining T’ai Chi Chih, its originator, its history, and its benefits. It details the development of TCC, how the movements work to relax the body and quiet the mind, discusses energy and its relationship to illness, how TCC differs from exercise, and the importance of practicing TCC regularly.

Excerpt: Some people call Franciscan sister Marian Massman the T’ai Chi nun. Massman, who belongs to the Franciscan Spirituality Center, teaches T’ai Chi Chih, a series of movements based on Chinese healing principles. “No one has ever questioned why a nun would be teaching T’ai Chi Chih,” she said. “It is not a religion. People of different religions practice it.” But the series of 20 movements, which balance the “chi,” which means energy, does have a spiritual quality, she said. “By quieting, T’ai Chi helps to center oneself so you can here the inner voice of the spirit,” she said.

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From: The Record, September 9, 1996. An article entitled, Life As a Balancing Act, by Donna Renton, Staff Writer, features Sister Antonia Cooper and Edie Budney from New Jersey.

Synopsis: This article features Sr. Antonia Cooper and Edie Budney, both TCC instructors from New Jersey They describe TCC and its benefits for seniors. It references the JAMA and Emory University studies.

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From: Berryessa Sun, September 1996. Section: Community. Featuring Bonnie McKenzie, who returned to the San Francisco Bay Area last year and resides in Saratoga.

Synopsis: The Berryessa Sun is a local neighborhood paper featuring news and events in the Berryessa section of San Jose, CA. McKenzie, who taught TCC at West Valley College many years ago before leaving the area, now has returned to the area and is featured in this article on senior activities provided at Berryessa Center. The article also features pictures taken of her practice sessions held at Alum Rock Park in San Jose, CA.

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From: Healthy Alliance Journal, Vol. III, No. 3. T’ai Chi Chih … Healing Through Grace. Written by Elissa Maguire, who is certified to teach T’ai Chi Chih as well as Iyengar-certified Yoga and resides in Winter Park, FL.

Synopsis: Another excellent article oriented toward explaining TCC’s relationship to the development of T’ai Chi throughout history. Also contains a well worded description of the way in which TCC allows the muscles to work in a way such that balanced development is concurrent with relaxation. Reference is made to the physiological benefits of T’ai Chi – especially with regard to improved cardiorespiratory fitness.

Excerpt: Slow movements require endurance rather than force and so they develop a different type of muscle fiber. The result is that our muscular responses to stress change over time and we become progressively relieved of the burden of accumulated physical tension.

The changes in our muscles also start to improve our posture. The back muscles learn to relax, enabling them to elongate. The ligaments become more supple and so the movement of the entire spinal column tend to become more supple and more comfortable.