Medicine in motion: How Tai Chi heals body and mind
运动的良药：太极是如何帮助身体与精神恢复的
As the sun breaks over the skyscrapers of Hong Kong, the smooth, graceful moves of Tai Chi sweep across the green spaces below. Surrounded by dozens of people from all ages, former ballet dancer Linda Fung joins them in breathing deeply in and out, her face calm and serene.
当清晨的阳光从香港的摩天大楼间穿过时，流畅而优雅的太极运动也在楼下的各个绿地上展开了。在数十名各年龄层的运动者之间，前芭蕾舞者琳达·方也参与其中，在深呼吸的过程中，她的表情看起来平静而安详。
"It is the most unbelievable, beautiful, harmonious, blissful exercise," Fung says, as she lifts her arms to the sky in the preparatory movement called Wu Chi.
随着她将手臂举向天空、进行吴氏太极的准备动作时，方小姐说“这是一种最不可思议、美丽、和谐且让人快乐的锻炼”。
"We breathe in, we open palms down, absorb the energy from Earth. We breathe in, palms up towards the sky, absorb the energy from heaven," she explains, bringing a dancer's innate elegance to the motions.
“当我们双掌向下打开并吸气时，可以吸取大地的能量；当我们双掌向天空打开并吸气时，可以吸取上天的能量。”她一边解释，一边以舞者优雅的姿态运动着。
It was dance that brought Fung to the practice of Tai Chi, as she searched for ways to heal multiple injuries she sustained as she practiced her craft.
正是舞蹈让方小姐开始练习太极——她当时正在寻找治疗因练舞导致的多处伤病的方法。
"As a ballerina, you always strive harder to break through the limits," Fung said. "Your body is getting sick and is injured all the time.
"Why Tai Chi has good, amazing health benefits is because it's a self-healing process." she said. "When I started, I thought, 'This is quite phenomenal.'"
方小姐说：“作为芭蕾舞者，你必须努力练习、突破极限，所以身体一直会受到伤病卡困扰。太极能对健康带来不可思议好处的原因是它是一个自愈的过程。当我开始练习的时候，我就感觉到这真是太惊人了。”
A balance of yin and yang 阴阳的平衡
Evolving from ancient martial arts, the core principles of Tai Chi are based on Taoism, an ancient Chinese philosophy which stresses a natural balance between two opposing forces called yin and yang.
太极从古代武术演化而来，它的核心理念是中国传统哲学道家思想，强调阴阳这两种对立能量的自然平衡。
Think of yin and yang as the complementary but opposite sides of a coin that together form a perfect whole.
可以将阴阳理解为硬币的两面，他们及对立又互补，共同构成了完整的硬币。
"Yang is your mind, it's a cerebral activity. It's your emotions. Yin is your body," Fung said. "By practicing Tai Chi, you connect these two parts, and you balance the yang energy with the yin energy."
"When these two things balance, then harmony is achieved," she continued. "When harmony is achieved, then transformation follows. And the transformation is -- you feel better."
方小姐介绍说：“阳是你的精神，一种大脑活动，是你情绪的表现。阴则是你的身体。通过练习太极，你可以将二者统一起来，使你阴阳平衡。 当两者平衡时，你的身体就调和了；而当身体调和时，就会出现变化——让你觉得更好的变化。”
When you are in balance you feel your "chi" or life force which traditional Chinese medicine considers a form of energy that can heal mind and body. When chi is unlocked and flowing through the body, Fung said, it can address the body's injuries.
当达到平衡时，你可以感受到体内的气或者说生命力。传统中国医学认为这种能量可以治愈身体及心灵。方小姐说，当气在体内流动时，它可以治疗身体的伤病。
"When the chi actually start working, your body improves. Your balance gets better. You sleep better. You have enhanced vitality, energy," said Fung, who now teaches classes in Hong Kong combining dance and Tai Chi. "And it keeps flowing. That's why it's amazing."
“当气真正开始运转后，你的身体状况会改善，体内平衡更好，睡眠更好，会更有活力和能量。它会一直在体内流动，这也是为什么它这么棒的原因。”方小姐现在在香港教授舞蹈和太极结合的课程。
Science behind the mystery 玄学背后的科学
While all that sounds rather mystical, science shows Tai Chi can improve health. Researchers have discovered that even a shorter, modified exercise series of Tai Chi movements can improve muscle strength, balance and flexibility, while also reducing stress and lowering blood pressure.
虽然这些听起来都很玄妙，但科学证明太极的确有助于健康。研究人员发现哪怕只进行改编后时间更短的太极运动，都有助于增强肌肉力量，改善平衡性和身体柔韧度，同时还能缓解紧张并降低血压。
Bone health: Tai Chi doesn't require any resistance or weight-bearing exercise, both known to increase bone formation, yet studies have shown that it can improve bone mineral density. It's also been shown to reduce bone loss and fractures in post-menopausal women. Research on men, however, has been contradictory.
骨骼健康：通常认为耐力和负重运动有助于骨骼生产，太极不属于其中任何一项，但研究却表明它也能增加骨骼的矿物密度。此外，研究表明太极对更年期女性减少骨质流失及骨折有帮助，但在男性身上效果却相反。
Tai Chi also reduces falls and improves balance in the elderly, and is easier than traditional exercise for some with frail health or physical limitations.
通过太极锻炼，还能够改善老人的平衡能力，减少跌倒可能性。和其它运动相比，太极更适合虚弱或有身体残疾的人士进行。
Cardiovascular disease: Tai Chi and Qigong, a very similar centuries-old system of movement, breathing and meditation, have shown to be extremely beneficial for cardiovascular health.
心血管疾病：研究也表明太极和气功这两种有数百年历史，结合了肢体活动、呼吸及冥想的运动，对心血管健康也有极大的好处。
Significant blood pressure reduction was a key finding in most studies, showing the ancient practices to be as effective in reducing hypertension as weight loss, a low-sodium diet or reducing alcohol use. Some randomized clinical trials, the gold-standard for research, have found Tai Chi can reduce cholesterol levels; other studies have seen improvements in blood sugar control.
大多数研究都发现这项古老运动和减肥、减盐及戒酒等一样，能够显著降低血压。标准的随机临床试验证明太极可以降低胆固醇含量；其它研究发现其在控制血糖方面也有效果。
Inflammation: A few small studies have shown Tai Chi can reduce levels of C-reactive protein in the blood, a cardinal sign of inflammation. If that research is replicated, it could explain some of Tai Chi's health benefits due to a reduction of disease-causing inflammation in the body.
炎症：有一些小研究表明太极可以降低血液内的C反应蛋白浓度，这是一个炎症相关的指标。如果这个研究可以被重复实现的话，就可以解释太极对健康某些益处的原因了——通过降低体内炎症减少疾病发作。
Mental health: The calming, meditative trance needed to do a Tai Chi series has been shown to greatly reduce anxiety and stress, even lowering levels of cortisol, the stress hormone, in the blood of participants.
精神健康：打一套太极需要精神平静、沉思，这可以极大的降低焦虑和压力，甚至可以降低运动者血液内导致紧张的荷尔蒙——皮质醇。
A city of healthy elderly 健康老人之城
In Hong Kong, where Fung lives, the practice of Tai Chi is common.
在方小姐生活的香港，练习太极非常普遍。
In addition to a healthy diet of fish, rice and vegetables, access to green spaces and a lack of crime, experts point to the health benefits of Tai Chi as a reason lifespan has increased in Hong Kong over the last 50 years.
除了食用鱼类、米饭和蔬菜的健康饮食，随处可见的绿地公园以及低犯罪率之外，专家们还指出练习太极给健康带来的好处也是过去50年来香港预期寿命持续增长的原因之一。
"For women, it is 88 years," said geriatrician Timothy Kwok, a professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. "Less in men, it is 82 years."
香港中文大学的老年医学专家郭教授说该市女性（预期寿命）是88岁，男性短一些，为82岁。
The health benefits are so impressive the Hong Kong government promotes the practice of Tai Chi by providing free classes.
太极对健康的益处甚至让香港政府提供免费培训课程推广太极的练习。
"All around the parks in Hong Kong, every morning, you have some people just getting groups of people and teaching them how to Tai Chi," Kwok said. "It is all for free."
郭教授说在香港所有的公园，每天早上都有一些人聚集在一起，免费学习太极。
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