Alexander Technique vs Tai Chi
Balance and coordination
The Alexander Technique has been shown to bring about improvement in balance and coordination, both in healthy people and those recovering from conditions such as stroke and multiple sclerosis.
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Tai chi is even more effective in enhancing coordination and balance – so much so that it is often prescribed to elderly people as a fall prevention strategy.
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Stress busting
The signs are that this is good for stress – in one study, musicians’ performance-related anxiety responded as well to it as to beta-blockers – although the evidence isn’t as established as it is for tai chi.
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There is substantial research to show how effective this discipine is at reducing stress; for example, the University of Liverpool found that 12 weeks of tai chi resulted in drops in blood pressure.
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Keeping joints healthy
The Alexander Technique aims to identify the causes of muscular pain and joint dysfunction, and then eliminate them, but “unlearning” deeply ingrained bad habits can be a long process.
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The gentle discipline of tai chi take joints through their full range of movement without impact – and these techniques can be learned more quickly than the Alexander Technique.
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Improving posture
Good posture, at rest or in movement, is the raison d’être of the Alexander Technique. Research has shown increases in height and shoulder width in musicians and office workers following training.
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According to the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, regular tai chi practice helps to improve posture and body awareness, though it is only one aspect of tai chi, not its primary goal.
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Boosting heart and lungs
Won’t give you a cardiovascular workout, but it can improve respiratory health, including peak expiratory flow (how fast you expel air from the lungs), according to research at Columbia University.
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Evidence suggests tai chi is good for heart and lungs – a recent review of more than 40 studies concluded that long-term practice could have favourable effects on cardiovascular and respiratory health.
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