TAI CHI AND ME

Advantages: Gentle, suitable for any age group and fitness level
Disadvantages: none

...~~ TAI CHI FOR DIABETES ~~ About 6 weeks ago now, I was feeling very poorly, so I went to the doctors, where I was told that I had diabetes, I should not really have been surprised as it has been in my family for 4 generations, I am obese, I smoke (well did, I have given up in the last couple of weeks), and well, I am over 40, so it all leads to Type 2 diabetes. Even through I knew the chances were high, I still cried, and well, I just did not want to be diabetic. Whilst I was waiting for my first appointments with the diabetic clinic, I scoured the internet for information on diabetes. I needed exercise, but my breathing was very laboured and I could not walk far, (my poor dog Chloe is over weight due to lack of exercise, because I cannot take her), without going dizzy. So, whilst searching on Ciao I saw this DVD Tai Chi...

arnoldhenryrufus 02.12.2005 (03.12.2005) · Read review
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Review of Tai Chi For Diabetes (DVD)

Feel like a drink's been chucked over you!

Advantages: Lots in the jar, smells and tastes okay
Disadvantages: Not much shimmer, feels sticky and horrible!

...I bought this on sale at Save on Makeup, at the time costing around £3.99 I believe. It has now been further reduced to £1.99, which is pretty darn cheap considering the RRP is £15 (which is way too much)! There are three flavours available - pina colada, mai tai and cosmopolitan. I opted for mai tai because I don't like coconuts or cosmopolitans, and also because I would rather have golden shimmer than white or pink. The product is intended to smell and taste like the drink whilst giving you a shimmer. You do get a lot of product for your money, 60g (2.12oz) in a sturdy acrylic see-through container with a gold lid which has a jewel decoration on it. I think the jewel makes it look a bit childish and tacky, almost like some kind of Disney princess merchandise! I can imagine the pink would have looked even worse, in my opinion...

bamamo 22.08.2008 · Read review
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Tai - Pan

Advantages: Ripsnorting Storyline, Historical Element.
Disadvantages: None in Particular

...Introduction Tai Pan is James Clavell's Epic tale of the establishment of Hong Kong, the effect of growing western powers on China and the lives of the merchant princes that ply their trade between England and China. The Scene The year is 1841, a war between England and China has gone as intended and for the first time in their history, the Chinese lie beaten and humiliated. As part of the settlement the Chinese are forced to cede Hong Kong, a tiny island to England and this is to be the gateway to the China trade. For England is highly dependant on tea and silks from China as they grows in popularity across Europe yet the chinese will only accept silver for their tea. The trade decimates Europe's economy until an alternative is found, opium. As opium becomes the third point in the trade triangle, a breed of merchants sail...

hero164 25.03.2007 · Read review
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Review of Tai-Pan - James Clavell

A Favourite Thing - Chiang Mai

Advantages: see op
Disadvantages: see op

...Chiang Mai is one of the biggest cities in the North of Thailand and I?m lucky enough to have recently returned from there. I visited Thailand for a fortnight as a break from a trip to Singapore visiting relatives, and although I?ve been to Thailand before, this was my first trip to the North and to Chiang Mai. I had spent 2 days in Pattaya before we set off on the journey up to Chiang Mai, that took a 2 hour trip to Bangkok and then a 16 hour coach ride to take us to Chiang Mai itself. To be perfectly honest, I was dreading this and would have then preferred to spend some more time in Pattaya but it proved worthwhile! Part of me was also quite looking forward to this leg of the trip too as I?d been told that Chiang Mai was a nice quiet retreat after spending time in the bustling atmosphere of Bangkok and Pattaya. My first...

Celia86 07.08.2002 (10.09.2004) · Read review
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Review of Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Oh Me Oh Mai

Advantages: Fitter, Happier, Cleaner.
Disadvantages: The Overnight Train.

...Chaing Mai is the capital of the Northern Thailand province of Chaing Mai. With a population of just over 160,000 people it is the perfect urban getaway from the strangling density of Bangkok. The weather is also a little cooler than the capital and its centre is beautifully contained within a square moat. There are a range of options available in getting to Chaing Mai from the capital. We took an overnight train which left Bangkok at 10 in the evening and arrived in Chaing Mai at 12 noon the next day. You can also bus it which takes around 12 hours. Many of the agencies on the Khao San road offer a VIP bus to Chaing Mai. The last alternative is to fly which would probably be best for those with limited time. Our single train journey cost us 500 Baht each (12 Euro). ACCOMMODATION We stayed in 2 guesthouses while in Chaing...

indiecater 14.10.2002 · Read review
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Review of Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Tai Chi Instructional DVD

Advantages: Easy to learn and understand.
Disadvantages: None...

...I found this dvd to be very informative and with over 7 hours of material on two dvds contains a lot of information regarding Tai Chi. The dvds are also filmed live so the infomation is easily undertood with no voice overs. Both Yang and Chen style Tai Chi are covered with a dvd specifically for each style and there is also a basic Qi Gong style covered. On both of the dvds, there is a section for basic training which covers the basic hand and feet movements as well as basic footwork for that particular style of Tai Chi. There is then a section for all of the applications for the Tai Chi style which shows Master Wong demonstrating the techniques on a student wearing full body so that the techniques can be performed with proper force. The dvd then has a section that shows the full form presented at full speed and the form is...

plingingo 23.08.2007 · Read review
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Review of Tai Chi Combat (DVD)

Chiang Mai - Rose of the North

Advantages: Little pollution, friendly people, opportunities to explore the countryside
Disadvantages: Not a big nightlife if you like that sort of thing, for some people a limited range of things to do.

...people where ever you go. Depending on your interests, you may actually find that after a few days that you have done all you want because it is a relatively small town but don?t let that sway you. Its still well worth going no matter what interests you have. There is the usual heat but the air is much cleaner than Bangkok so you don?t notice it as much. Update - Oct 2002. I managed to pay a quick visit to Chiang Mai coming back from Chiang Rai. The city centre is now as developed as almost every other tourist destination in Thailand and there seems to be even more souvenir shops round the night market area. All the usual suspect shops are now here including Starbucks, McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut and so on. It seems the price of progress is uniformity. It has spoiled the atmosphere of the centre somewhat as it is more more...

ultras67 04.08.2000 (11.07.2003) · Read review
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Review of Chiang Mai (Thailand)

Tai Chi - China's gift to the world

Advantages: Stronger muscles, better balance and teaches discipline
Disadvantages: Needs time and patience

...Tai Chi, which means 'supreme ultimate fist', is an ancient Chinese Martial Art practised all over the world. What makes Tai Chi so attractive to such a variety of people (both young and old, male and female) is the fact that it does not focus on fast and hard movements like other Martials Arts, such as Karate and Kung Fu. Instead Tai Chi must be practised in a relaxed state, and all the movements are practised and in a slow and flowing state. Don't fool yourselves though, you won't manage to do most of the movements correctly first time round as it is much tougher than it looks. To practise this Martial Art, one must learn a Form. This is like a routine or a dance, that is normally performed slowly. You might be asking yourself....how is practising a slow dance going to make me an effective Martial Artist? I know what you mean...

jeffe 22.07.2005 · Read review
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Review of Tai Chi - Chi Kung

Tai Chi - A Way of Life

Advantages: Relaxing, improves health, fitness and well-being
Disadvantages: None

...I started learning the Chinese Martial Art of Tai Chi with Peter Warr in Milton Keynes in late 1997, and decided a year later to train to become a qualified Coach. I was bitten by the bug! There are five main styles of Tai Chi - Li (or Lee), Chen, Sun, Wu and Yang, of which Yang style is my "speciality". For each style there are a series of routines, or Forms, to be learned. Primarily used in the West as a means of relaxing and destressing, Tai Chi also encourages correct posture alignment, diaphragm breathing, spatial and visual awareness, flexibility, balance and co-ordination. The benefits themselves are too numerous to mention here, but I have taught people with health problems, ie: replacement hip, weak backs and knees, stress, arthritis and diabetes, who have all reported an improvement in their well-being after practising...

JJane 06.11.2002 · Read review
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Review of Tai Chi - Chi Kung

The benefits of Tai Chi Chuan

Advantages: Stress reduction, fitness building,well-being,perspective changing qualities.
Disadvantages: It can often be hard to find a centre nearby and it is expensive sometimes especially if you have a private tutorial.

...Tai Chi Chaun , roughly translates into English as ' grand ultimate fist' and once you have tried the exercises you will see how inappropriate a title this is. The truth of the matter is that Tai Chi is often called ’moving meditation’ and that it really is what that reference provides. The art itself was founded in China around 914 BCE and was reportedly created by a monk who's name is held in the Shaolin temple and is only released to the highest of all monks that visit there. The exercises were invented to teach a group of Buddhist monks who had been quite lethargic and were in his view ‘not appropriately fit for the guarding of the temple’. The monk devised a set of 35 exercises to be practiced at extremely low speed every morning to build up the monks both physically and mentally. After...

hex4_u 30.07.2001 · Read review
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Review of Tai Chi - Grand Ultimate Fist