太极的疗愈之道
As the sun breaks over the skyscrapers of Hong Kong, the smooth, graceful moves of Tai Chi sweep across the green spaces below.
当太阳在香港的摩天大楼上冉冉升起时，太极拳优美流畅的动作正横扫了下面的绿地。
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.
前芭蕾舞演员琳达·冯在几十位来自各个年龄层的人的包围中，与他们一起深呼吸，她的脸看起来平静而安详。
"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.
“这是最令人难以置信的、美丽的、和谐的、幸福的运动，”冯女士说道，她在名为“呼气”的准备运动中向天举起手臂。
"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.
“我们吸气，掌心向下张开，吸收来自地球的能量。我们吸气，掌心朝向天空，吸收来自天堂的能量，”她解释道，将舞者与生俱来的优雅融入到了动作当中。
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.
正是舞蹈让冯女士开始练习太极，她在练习太极的同时也在寻找治疗自己身上多处受伤的方法。
“As a ballerina, you always strive harder to break through the limits," Fung said.
“作为一名芭蕾舞演员，你总是更努力地去突破极限，”冯女士说道。
"Your body is getting sick and is injured all the time.”
“你的身体总是很容易有各种伤病。”
"Why Tai Chi has good, amazing health benefits is because it's a self-healing process." she said.
她说:“太极拳之所以有益健康，是因为它是一个自我治愈的过程。”
"When I started, I thought, 'This is quite phenomenal.'"
“刚开始练的时候，我想，'这太了不起了。’”
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.
太极起源于古代武术，其核心原则是建立在道教的基础上的，道教是中国古代哲学，强调阴阳两种对立力量之间的自然平衡。
Think of yin and yang as the complementary but opposite sides of a coin that together form a perfect whole.
你可以把阴和阳看作是一枚硬币的互补但相反的两面，它们一起形成一个完美的整体。
"Yang is your mind, it's a cerebral activity. It's your emotions. Yin is your body," Fung said.
“阳是你的大脑，它是一种大脑活动。这是你的情绪。阴是你的身体，”冯说。
"By practicing Tai Chi, you connect these two parts, and you balance the yang energy with the yin energy."
“通过练习太极，你把这两个部分连接起来，你就能平衡阴阳能量。”
"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."
“当这两件事平衡了，那么和谐就实现了，”她继续说。“当和谐实现时，变革也随之而来。”变化是——你感觉更好了。”
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.
当你在平衡中，你会感觉到你的“气”或生命力，中医认为这是一种可以治愈身心的能量。
When chi is unlocked and flowing through the body, Fung said, it can address the body's injuries.
当气被释放并流经身体时，冯女士说，它可以缓解身体的伤害。
"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.
“当气真正开始工作时，你的身体就会改善。你的平衡感会更好。你睡得更好。”现在在香港教授舞蹈和太极结合课程的冯女士说道。
"And it keeps flowing. That's why it's amazing."
“气会不断地流动。这也是它的魅力所在。”
While all that sounds rather mystical, science shows Tai Chi can improve health.
虽然这一切听起来很神秘，但科学表明，练太极确实可以改善健康。
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.
研究人员发现，即使是较短的、经过改良的太极系列运动也能增强肌肉力量、平衡和灵活性，同时还能减轻压力和降低血压。
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.
骨骼健康:太极拳不需要任何阻力或负重运动，这两种运动都能促进骨骼形成，但研究表明，它可以提高骨密度。
It's also been shown to reduce bone loss and fractures in post-menopausal women.
它也被证明可以减少绝经后妇女的骨质流失和骨折。
Research on men, however, has been contradictory.
然而，对男性的研究结果是矛盾的。
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.
太极拳还可以减少跌倒，提高老年人的平衡能力，对一些身体虚弱或身体有缺陷的人来说，太极拳比传统运动更容易。
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:太极和气功，后者是一个非常相似的古老的运动、呼吸和冥想系统，它们对心血管健康都非常有益。
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.
在大多数研究中，显著降低血压是一项关键发现，表明古代的做法在降低高血压方面与减肥、低钠饮食或减少饮酒一样有效。
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.
一些随机临床试验(研究的黄金标准)发现，太极可以降低胆固醇水平;其他研究也发现了血糖控制的改善。
Inflammation: A few small studies have shown Tai Chi can reduce levels of C-reactive protein in the blood, a cardinal sign of inflammation.
炎症:一些小型研究表明，太极可以降低血液中c反应蛋白的水平，这是炎症的主要症状。
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.
如果这一研究可以被重复出来的话，它就可以解释太极的一些健康益处，因为它可以减少体内的致病炎症。
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.
心理健康:练习太极系列所需要的镇静、冥想的恍惚状态已被证明能极大地减少焦虑和压力，甚至降低参与者血液中的皮质醇水平。
In Hong Kong, where Fung lives, the practice of Tai Chi is common.
在冯女士居住的香港，打太极是很普遍的。
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.
专家指出，在过去50年里，香港人的寿命之所以延长，除了鱼、大米和蔬菜等健康饮食、有机会接触绿色空间以及犯罪行为少之外，还有一个原因就是太极对健康的好处。
"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)教授、老年医学专家郭·提摩西说:“对女性来说，是88岁。”“男性少一点，是82岁。”
The health benefits are so impressive the Hong Kong government promotes the practice of Tai Chi by providing free classes.
太极对健康的益处令人印象深刻，香港政府通过提供免费课程来推广太极。
"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."
“在香港的公园里，每天早上都有一些人聚在一起教他们打太极，”郭说。“都是免费的。”
For Fung, the ancient Chinese movements are a key to self-healing she cannot live without.
对冯来说，中国古代的运动是她自我治愈的关键，她已经离不开它了。
"If you understand how it works, you understand the nature, the fundamentals, the inner workings of what Tai Chi is," Fung said," then when you apply it, and when it works, then it's no turning back."
“如果你了解它是如何运作的，你就会了解太极的本质、基本原理和内在原理，”冯女士说，“那么当你运用它的时候，当它运作的时候，才不会受伤。”
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