Customer Reviews

Tai Chi For Seniors

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

After seeing this preview on collagevideo com & then another on his own site TaiChiForSeniorsVideo com I had to order it.

The video is about 57 min.
Qi Gong - Warm up - 19 min
Mark starts with Qi Gong warm up exercises that I've seen on my favorite Qi Qong DVD "Discovering Chi" w/Linda Modero & also Dr. Yang Jwing Ming's "Eight Simple Qigong Exercises For Health - The 8 Pieces of Brocade." He only does a few of them of those DVDs, but he speaks at a clipped pace & does them quick which is good for those who get bored easily. His execution of the exercises though seems a bit sloppy which worried me. He also includes using a few acupressure points, some neck & head tapping, thymus thumping, teeth clicking, tongue rolling, face massage, abdominal massage, joint shaking, leg swinging for lymph, arm swinging for the heart, "the elephant raises his trunk" for the pituitary, etc. Even though he sails through it at a quick rate, I felt more relaxed & calm after.
Tai Chi Demonstration w/no narration/direction - 8 min
Mark demonstrates Tai Chi w/two women, one who is 92. He does it 1x with all of them facing the camera for 4 min & then again with him along with his back to the camera for 4 min. From my limited Tai Chi knowledge of only Short Yang style, I recognized some of the moves like single Whip, press & release, repulse monkey. The foot movements seem to be modified a little with an extra step to normal stance or eliminated any kicks to make it easier w/less balance & leg strength needed.
Instruction of Movements - 20 min
Mark teaches each move slowly with all the arm movements, what not to do, etc. He doesn't put much emphasis on telling weight distribution like in a real class or in Terrance Dunn's.
Normal Speed w/breathing - 4 min
Mark does it normal speed w/breathing & instruction.
Micro Cosmic Orbit
It ends with "holding the big jug" or "micro cosmic orbit" is a simple standing with visualization of energy traveling up the spine, over the head, and down the front of the body w/deep breathing.
Mark Johnson has great knowledge & gives great information but tells you quick with good, relaxed speaking like to a friend, not a monotone lecture.
If you order it from here, make sure you email the sellers first to make sure you have the right VHS w/Mark.

My 90 year old mother has exercised to this tape for years. Unfortunately, her VCR "ate" the tape and I had to replace it. Because these tapes aren't available new any longer, or on DVD (as far as I can tell), she has worn out several, and I must search out new venues for her. This tape, however, was excellent, particularly for seniors.

There are as many forms of Tai chi as there are practitioners. This is one more example of "move it or lose it"

Excellent content and the demonstrations are easy to understand. Clarification that the opening "stress releaving" exercises do not appear in the daily routine would have been nice. Silver horizontal lines appear several times during the viewing and it is not a VCR problem. For the price, I recommend it.

This unfortunately is recorded on EP Extended Play VHS and thus is poor video quality. The program is good. Too bad the picture quality is bad.

I received the video in excellent condition just as described. It came very quickly. I would have responded earlier but was on a trip. I am a very satisifed customer.