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Traditional Chinese & Modern Western Medicine
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"Tai Chi Gives You Longevity and a Healthy body to enjoy it".
Noel Pittman
By
Lu Molberg,
Director, Riverside County Office on Aging
and
Tai Chi Student
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Tai Chi means the "great ultimate," according to Noel Pittman, a Tai Chi Instructor with a commitment to help people change their lives for the better, especially seniors and those with a disability. As one of his students, I see Noel as a gifted and dedicated teacher with a passion for working with his students.
Tai Chi is a Chinese exercise of slow patterned movements. Noel, who has been practicing this exercise form for over 20 years, claims that the benefits of Tai Chi include:
Improved coordination and balance
Increased strength, stamina and energy
Improved flexibility
Better concentration
Reduction of stress
Increased confidence and discipline.
Noel had polio at age 2. At age 16, as a member of the National Ethical Youth Organization in New York, Noel started to study world religions and to search seriously for his own life path. The journey moved him from Karate to Kung Fu to Tai Chi, which he eventually studied with Mr. Peter Lee who founded the Flower Drum Restaurant in Palm Springs.
Noel speaks with reverence of his dedication to his teacher, who gave him a foundation and understanding of Tai Chi, both as an exercise form and a spiritual pathway. He found Tai Chi to be a form of exercise that could sustain his own health and strength, and also provide a constant source of joy in his life. Noel explains, "Tai Chi is a self defense art that incorporates the principle of yielding, and protects against any form of negativity." "This is important, for in all of life it is negativity that destroys balance", he says.
Through improvement of coordination and balance, Tai Chi helps seniors reduce their risk of falling while building their strength, energy and endurance, and increasing poise and self-confidence, according to Noel. There is growing research to indicate the health benefits of this Chinese exercise for those persons suffering from Multiple Sclerosis, heart disease, and aging.
Although Tai Chi is not well known in the West, its popularity is growing. To relate, the Western mind must move from rigid to "soft" thinking, and the Westerner must move from instant gratification to consistent practice over time. Tai Chi is an exercise art form that has many dimensions, which defy the Western tendency to categorize. Noel explains that "It is a microcosm of all principles in the universe, and unifies all forms of energy." "It requires an open mind to understand the consciousness of the world at large." Noel predicts that Tai Chi will become much more popular in time and that the health of many will be improved as a result. Noel cannot hide his genuine dedication to helping those with disabilities improve their health. From his perspective, he is in the business of helping individuals save their life simply by using a form of exercise that anyone can do.
Noel recommends that anyone wanting to study Tai Chi should find a qualified teacher. He says that a qualified teacher is someone who has studied for at least three years with someone who is already recognized as a qualified teacher. He suggests further that people check references of anyone they are considering studying with and that they also talk with the teacher’s other students.
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Meeting the Challenges
is published by the Partnership to Preserve Independent Living for Seniors and Persons with Disabilities ,
6296 Rivercrest Drive, Suite K, Riverside, CA 92507. Telephone: 909.697.4697 / Fax: 909.697.4698. The Partnership is a non-profit, tax-exempt corporation organized for the purpose of improving and preserving the independence and dignity of the elderly and persons with disabilities and their families.
The educational and transportation programs of the Partnership are supported by funding from the Riverside County Office on Aging, the Riverside County Transportation Commission, the City of Blythe, and the charitable contributions of individuals and organizations.
If you you would like to receive Meeting the Challenges by mail, contact the Partnership to Preserve Independent Living at (909) 697- 4697 a suggested donation of $10 per year is requested.
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Pao Peter Lee came to The United States fleeing civil war in his native China.
He came to New York City and became a calligrapher for The United Nations. He saved his money and strived to obtain the American Dream by starting his own small business. He opened the Flower Drum Restaurant in 1963. And for over 30 years gained world renown by serving the finest quality gourmet Chinese cuisine. He gave back to his adopted country a wealth far greater than he ever amassed. He shared the wisdom of 5000 years of culture and history.
The Tai Chi Education and Research Institute honors Pao Peter Lee as one of a select few outstanding human beings who pioneered the teaching of Tai Chi Chuan in the United States.
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