The capitalism of hippie babble

A great comic from the folks over at xkcd:

Science search engine

So you want to know what scientific research there is out the about Tai chi? Why not try the scientific search engine:

http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/search?q=%22tai+chi%22+&t=all&sort=0&g=s

One review article I read had the following conlcusion in it's abstract:

RESULTS: Seventy-seven articles met the inclusion criteria. The nine outcome category groupings that emerged were bone density (n = 4), cardiopulmonary effects (n = 19), physical function (n = 16), falls and related risk factors (n = 23), quality of life (n = 17), self-efficacy (n = 8), patient-reported outcomes (n = 13), psychological symptoms (n = 27), and immune function (n = 6).

CONCLUSIONS: Research has demonstrated consistent, significant results for a number of health benefits in RCTs, evidencing progress toward recognizing the similarity and equivalence of Qigong and Tai Chi.

 Seems like there's some good health stuff there (as we all knew - it's common sense). But also as we knew there's nothing there about "chi energy" or proof about hippy cosmic energy forces man.... 

Next time you read something about "how western science is just starting to understand how.....blah blah" have a wander over to scrius or google scholar and check for yourself.

The Top Eight Tai Chi Robots

Watch how I punch. Yes I can punch. Stand in my way - I'll punch you.



Punching is for loosers. I can kick. Kick you I will, and then open up my third eye and annihilate you with my chi flash.



Watch how I string a whole sequence of moves together. I am a Tai Chi Master (on ice). [click here for wmv video]



I am a samuari - in simple moves we reveal the essence of the spirit. I shealth my sword in Zen.



Zen is not for Robots. Marvel as I waved my arms around randomly.



I am QRIO. I am more accomplished than you, see how graceful I am.



Graceful yes, but there's one of you and five of us.



The dream....



The nightmare...

Spiral music

Truly this is spiralwise - The beautiful pattern of simple maths making a lovely melody :-)

http://wheelof.com/whitney/whitneyCarol.swf

A translation of Chi

It seems to me that one of the biggest obstacles to widespread internal arts adoption in Western cultures is "chi". Chi is the Chinese word for energy, however as this article points out, chi is to the Chinese what snow is to the Eskimo - there are innumerable subtleties that are simply lost in translation.

There are therefore two points - the first is the translation of the subtleties so that correct understanding and teaching can be achieved. As I discussed elsewhere, it is simply an issue of cultural differences. The chi framework can easily be expressed in more Western friendly language without losing any of the benefits - after all, a rose by any other name would still smell as sweet. Indeed this is the whole (slightly evangelical) mission of Joanna Zorya over at Marshal Tai Chi. So for example, there is no real loss to refer to "sinking your chi" as "lowering your centre of gravity", what we are after here is transmission of thought and understanding from teacher to student. Everyone has different personalities, methods of learning and experiences, hence it is only natural that things need to be rephrased, re-expressed and translated. It is self-evident to me that a large number of Westerners are simply put off by what they perceive to be new-age mumbo-jumbo, so there is no problem with translating the mumbo-jumbo into language that will not put off Westerners new to the internal arts.

The second point is the question of whether "chi" actually exists? Clearly this has been asked for millennium, and my current understanding is that it does not. What I believe is that it is a very valuable communications framework (a la point one above) that has been built up. Instead of being an actual physical energy, it is really a method for describing "how your body feels" from the inside. Everyone has a internal body map that corresponds to the properception sensation. This body map can be trained through conscious understanding so that you become more sensitive to particular aspects. In other words a guitarist might correspond particular cords to finger shapes (e.g. this "feels like a harmonic") or a sportsman will become more skilled through paying more attention to particular aspects of their body depending on the sport. Chi is just the language that is used to describe how doing internal arts "feels".

If this sounds like it is missing out on the spiritual aspects, then I do not believe this is the case either, and I would direct you to read about the God machine. Chi is like the religious equivalent of the soul - experiments to find it are fruitless. Hundreds, thousands maybe even millions of devout religious types over the asons have devised every possible experiment they could conceive of, in an attempt to prove the existence of a soul (and in a similar manner chi). The failure of all of these experiments speaks volumes (to anyone who is not blinded by the brainwashing of their "belief"). In many ways it is a shame that in scientific parlance it is impossible to prove a negative, so the experiments will continue...

In summary therefore do not be put off by chi, it does not exist in a physical sense. It is simply a language that is used to discuss bodily sensations in the martial arts. Do not be afraid to translate this language if it is of benefit to you, but as we all know from our travels round the globe - in the end, the way to get the richest and most fulfilling experience of a foreign culture is to learn the language.

Quantum Chi - for all your energy needs

Wonderful website, celebrating the charlatanism of "new age" products in true satorial style! Hehe :-)

http://www.quantumchi.co.uk/

Dr Yang's Chi bioelectricity conection

Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming is a Tai Chi Master and also a scientifically trained physicist and mechanical engineer PhD. His book The Root of Chinese Qigong: Secrets of Health, Longevity, & Enlightenment (contains a section on the scientific interpretation of Chi).

The main hypothesis of the book is that Chi and bioelectromagnetic energy are the same thing. Chi is what the ancient Chinese and Chinese medicine is based upon. Bioelectric energy is what Western science calls bioelectricity. Western medicine understands that electricity plays a fundamental part in the operation of the human body, such as electrical nerve impulses of neurons or ion-exchange.

In many ways I find this connection to be quite intriguing. Clearly there are a lot of parallels due to the fact that many parts of the body such as the (fasica) are electrically conductive. It has also been well reported (in fact shouted from the rooftops by every alternative healer in the world) that research has revealed that each of the traditional Chinese acupuncture points corresponds to a point in the body of a particularly low electrical resistance. Equally bioelectricity can help to explain the presence of the near-field electromagnetic force around the body which have strong parallels with an aura and kirlian photography.

Equally I could be convinced that there is a sound scientific basis to the fact that electrical flows in the body generate an electromagnetic force and hence an EM field around the body. When two bodies come close to each other these fields can plausibly interact with each other and hence, "sensing person's aura" or "healing by laying on of hands" are not totally without foundation in my opinion.

Dr. Yang however takes these principles too far in a desperate attempt to "prove the existence of Chi", making massive logic leaps, which is disappointing for academically trained scientist. To be fair to him however he readily admits that these are only hypotheses on his part. A couple of his howlers include:

[a halo] is commonly seen in paintings of Jesus Christ, the Buddha and other Oriental goods. Frequently the light is picture as surrounding the whole body. This phenomenon may again be explained by the body Electric theory. When a person has cultivated his Chi (electricity) to a high level, Chi may be led to and accumulate in the head. This Chi then interact with the oxygen molecules in the air, and ionise them, causing them to glow.

No. Do we see oxygen molecules of the air glowing around the transmission line strung up to electricity pylons? Does your washing machine glow? No. The minute voltages and currents in human body are never likely to cause ionisation.

[Talking about interaction with the Earth's magnetic field] I believe this means if you live in the northern hemisphere, your brain (i.e. your upper dan-tien) is constantly being nourished and stimulated by the energy from the lower dan-tien. <....> This may be a possible explanation for why more human technology was developed in the northern hemisphere.

Nothing to do with the fact that the majority of the population live in the northern hemisphere then? Or perhaps the huge numbers of socio-economic and political factors throughout history that have shaped the world. These types of statements annoy me, as they undermine Dr. Yang's entire argument with ludicrous alternative new-age mumbo-jumbo. Dr. Yang makes a convincing case for the parallels between Chi and bioelectricity, and then shoots himself in the foot by getting carried away. To quote again:

Countless experiments have been conducted in China, Japan and other countries to study how external magnetic or electrical fields can adjust the body's chi field. <.....> Although many experimenters have claimed a degree of success in the experiments, none has been able to publish any detailed convincing proof of his results, or give a good explanation for the theory behind his experiment.

So that is simply all we're able to say at this point, the rest is speculation. There maybe parallels between bioelectricity and chi, but there is simply no proof that they are one and the same. This is not for lack of research mind you, hence given the plethora on null results, it is tempting to draw the opposite conclusion, that they are in fact different (but I will resist that temptation for now). Despite Dr Yang's best efforts therefore (and I recommend reading what he has to say) Chi remains intangible, bioelectricity is not.