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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 1993)
ArtsSentertainment _ -Daily - Nebraskan Wadnasday, Fabruary 23,1923 Expert brings world of tai chi to Lincoln Calm, relaxation are important to many martial arts, she says fsLKnmaiv jj By Bryan Peterson Staff Reporter Using soft, expressive hand ges tures as she spoke in Chinese, Di Ma watched her husband, Jim Chen. Chen began to translate, then broke into Chinese to discuss the philosophical details of the translation of a particu lar term. The two continued in their native tongue for a moment; then Chen went on in English. Because she does not consider her English to be adequate, Ma spoke sometimes on her own and sometimes through her husband while explaining her practice and teaching of tai chi. It was soon clear that her personality and her practice of tai chi are nearly inseparable. Tai chi is a traditional Chinese martial art that is practiced more widely as a form of exercise or medi tation today. Performed in sequences consisting of24,48 cm- more motions, the tai chi form suggests beauty, power and control brought forth through an intense union of mental and physical concentration. “Modem tai chi is about 400 years old,” Ma said. “It was previously more oriented toward fighting. The turning point was the introduction of weap ons” . ... ,1..-^ After that time, it became less prac tical to defend oneself against armed attackers. Although contemporary tai chi emphasizes exercise and meditation more than self-defense applications, Ma stressed the seriousness of prac tice. “Tai chi is different from sports,” Ma said. “You should become calm and relaxed before practicing, then breathe with each movement.” The emphasis on calmness and relaxation is what draws many people to practice the art of tai chi. -44 In China I had more time to practice. It is harder to calm down in the United States before practicing. You need to practice every day. Then you feel good. — Di Ma, tai chi instructor -tf - “It is gaining more popularity and awareness in the United States now,” said Chen, a doctoral student in man agement. “That is a good thing in modem society, with the fast pace and many stresses.” Coming from a family steeped in the Chinese martial arts, Ma began her studies at age 11. Both her father and her grandfather were serious prac tices of the arts. Two of Ma’s three brothers were trained by her father and now act in Chinese martial arts movies. Ma was not often able to train with her father because she spent nine years at a special school for children who Therrese Goodiett/DN Di Ma has been practicing tai chi since she was 7 years old. She learned it from her father, who learned it from nis father. _im r »» i snow special apuiuae in me maruai arts. There she studied wu shu, a term encompassing such practices as that of tai chi; the use of weapons such as the staff, spear and sword; the breath ing exercises known as qi gong; and chuan, or “fist way.” After nine years of wu shu training, Ma was hospitalized for a slipped disc ip her back. A doctor told her she likely would not be an athlete again. “Bull practiced tai chi and qi gong every day, and now I feel much bet ter,” Ma said. “Qi gong promotes the functions of internal organs by dealing chan nets, improving Diuuuuuvuiauuu ami assisting the exchange of energy be tween the self and the world,” said Chen. Ma continues to practice tai chi, though not as often as she would like. “In China I had more time to prac tice. It is harder to calm down in the United States before practicing,” said Ma. ‘‘You need to practice every day. Then you feel good.” Ma is currently offering instruc tion in tai chi and tai ch i sword through the F Street Recreation Center (1225 FSl). Anew session will begin April 4 and will last “eight or 10 weeks for vPllrUl lYia XUU. Tai chi sword, as the name sug gests, adds the use of a sword to a form similar to those of tai chi. “It is my favorite,” Ma said. “When I was 14 I won second place in a national competition with the sword.” However, that competition was in wu shu sword, which uses the same weapon but has much faster motions than the tai chi sword she now teaches, Ma added. Ma sometimes practices outdoors with her sword and also reviews tai See DIMA on 9 In-depth book explores meditation techniques, healing ability of mind BILL MOVERS □HEALING ,4 -AND* THF MIND 1 Courtesy of Doubleday By Heather Sinor Staff Reporter Can meditation cure chronic illness? Bill Moyers, PBS journalist, former White House press secretary, and author of the book, “Healing and the Mind,” interviewed profes sionals who say it can. Moyers’s book, arranged as a collection of interviews with physicians, scientists, thera pists and patients, gives a fascinating insight into the realm of mind/body healing. He begins by examining the effects medita tion (more popularly referred to as “stress reduetion”) techniques have had on patients who are participating in newly developed self help programs. Award-winning professor of Medicine at the University of Massachusetts Medical School, JohnZawacki, M.D., told Moyers that although he didn’tknow where the source of energy from meditation comes from, he believes it is partly learning to love oneself. He says chronically ill patients on a medita tion program for only eight weeks undergo a self-awareness that is part of the healing pro cess. “They have come to an understanding that they can adapt, and that they can carry out their daily activities despite discomforts, and that they can enjoy life more,” Zawacki said. The most intriguing part of the book comes when Moyers probes into exactly what the mediation process involves. He examines the procedures of Jon Kabat-Zinn, Ph.D., a mindful meditation professor, who teaches his students how to “scan” their bodies using yoga tech niques. Moyers describes a room with 25 people sitting in a circle on the floor, with their eyes closed, eating raisins—three of them. “S-L-O W-L-Y,” says the man in the center. “Lift one raisin slowly to your mouth. Chew it v-e-r-y s 1-o-w-l-y... This begins the session. Kabat tells Moyers that most of us live with our minds on auto-pilot. He says, “Without really realizing it, every one of the people in this circle is actually practicing an eating’ medita tion, mindful of the raisin, living in the mo ment, becoming aware of something other than their pain.” But Moyers doesn't stop with Western Cul ture. He travels to the People’s Republic of China, where he interviews Chinese medical authorities and patients on effective medical therapies like acupuflCtPreand traditional herbal remedies that have been around f&scpnuries. He interviews a Chinese pharmacist who explains how elaborate mixtures of specific Chinese herbs are boiled in copper pots for about an hour and a half and then administered to the patients like a kind of tea every day. See MIND on 9 ‘Master of Horror’ shakes supernatural, rattles reader with modem murder instead Stephen King “Dolores Claiborne” Viking been almost two novels Stephen King, proclaimed the “Master of Horror,” has recently takAn a stah at rr»n tem porary fiction His last completely devoid of supernatural napp j — JLg^lings—and they have both ,B~ WlUN been written from a woman’s perspective, something that King said he thought he was inca pable of just a few years ago. ; . 5. The latest, “Dolores Claiborne,” is set in rural Maine (no sur prise) and written entirely from the perspec tive of an older woman. The woman is the title character, Dolores Claiborne. She gives her account of two murders, both in which she was a key sus pect The first murder victim was her hus band, Joe, who was killed 29 years ago. There were lots of suspicions regarding her involvement, but nothing was proven. second death is Dolores’ employer Donovan, an eccentric woman who died mysteriously, again with heavy evi dence pointing toward Dolores. Dolores admits to the murder of her hus band in order to convince the town sheriff that she is innocent of Vera Donovan’s homicide. She tells her audience what her husband did to their daughter and why she felt justified in killing him. King develops her character as she tells her tale. She changes from a subservient Courtesy of Viking Penguin housewife into a calculating murderer. Dolores is a solid, believable character and the reader is swayed to her side after hearing her tragic experiences. King is still his old self, building up suspense at crucial points and graphically describing Joe's murder. Joe doesn’t die cleanly or easily, and King includes some surprises. The first-person perspective of the book and Dolores’ colorful slang take some get ting used to. The New England, backwoods language interferes at first, but it is essential to the story and Dolores’ character. Her cynical humor makes the story flow better and adds some levity to an otherwise serious tale. King proves he is still the “Master of Horror.” He makes the reader feel a little anxiety with his description of Vera Donovan’s insane terror of the dust bunnies in her room. “Duh-lorrr-isss! It’s dust bunnies! They’re everywhere! Oh-dear-God! Oh-dear-God! Duh-lorrr-iss, help! Help me!” “Dolores Claiborne” is an entertaining read, a must for King fans and enjoyable for anyone. ^ — Joel Str&uch
