Once practiced almost exclusively in China, tai chi has grown to become one of the most recognizable forms of exercise in existence.

A cross between yoga and meditation, tai chi consists of a series of movements and breathing exercises designed to build strength, restore balance and increase flexibility while helping a person attain a heightened state of being.

Although it is practiced by people of all ages, tai chi is particularly popular among the elderly. A pair of new studies involving older populations - one conducted at the Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio,1 the other at the Oregon Research Institute2 - have found that tai chi can reduce pain levels in people with arthritis and increase mobility and physical functioning in otherwise sedentary senior citizens.

Subjects in the tai chi classes were instructed in a series of movements from the first circle of the wu style form of tai chi. Researchers found that tai chi reduced the pain levels in people with arthritis and increased mobility and physical functioning in otherwise sedentary senior citizens. Particularly interesting is a chart detailing the improvement of a group of Tai Chi practicioners compared with a control group.

For the article in Acupuncture Today see their article entitled Tai Chi for the Elderly.