Sunset Tai Chi: Simplified Tai Chi for Relaxation and Longevity

While the bestselling Sunrise Tai Chi offered a program to get energized in the morning, Sunset Tai Chi teaches you how to relax and calm down at the end of the day.

Sunset Tai Chi is a comprehensive introduction to using Tai Chi for stress relief. This mind/body program is designed for beginners and teaches how to calm down and recuperate from the stress of the day, thus preventing and healing numerous stress-related illnesses.

A full mind/body workout is presented, which can be practiced sitting or standing. This workout includes restorative poses from yoga, purifying movements and meditations from qigong, tai chi stances and drills, as well as a short Sunset Tai Chi form.

• Relax and rejuvenate yourself after a long day.
• Incorporate mind/body exercise into your daily activities.
• Increase your lung capacity and increase your oxygen intake.
• Prevent injuries.
• Boost your natural healing of chronic conditions, including arthritis, fibromyalgia, insomnia, osteoporosis, sarcopenia, and cancer.

Report from the New England Journal of Medicine

Using elements found in the Sunset Tai Chi program, a controlled study at Tufts School of Medicine showed the benefits of tai chi for fibromyalgia. The results were published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine on August 19, 2010 regarding this single-blind, randomized trial of classic Yang-style Tai Chi as compared with a control intervention consisting of wellness education and stretching for the treatment of fibromyalgia. The conclusion is that Tai Chi may be a useful treatment for fibromyalgia and merits long-term study in larger study populations.

Dr. Chenchen Wang, a Tufts rheumatologist who led the study, said she attributed the results to the fact that "fibromyalgia is a very complex problem" and "tai chi has multiple components ― physical, psychological, social and spiritual."

Ramel Rones is a gold medalist, award-winning martial artist in both the U.S. and China. With 16 years of experience leading Tai Chi, Qigong and Meditation classes, he focuses on helping individuals with conditions like cancer, arthritis, and fibromyalgia. Rami is a consultant on mind/body therapies at Harvard and Tufts Medical Schools, and is the co-author of numerous publications.

In 2004, National Geographic filmed a study done on the effects of Meditation and Tai Chi. Ramel Rones was asked to meditate using various methods, while his brain was scanned and vital signs were recorded.

The data extracted demonstrated Rami's ability to rapidly modulate his breathing rate and physiological arousal level as he entered a meditative state. This found that advanced meditators like Rami are able to activate a broad network of cortical and subcortical areas associated with emotional and cognitive regulation, which has many health benefits.

David Silver has had a lifelong interest in meditation, and began training Gojū Ryū Karate at age 11. He studied Taijiquan, Qigong, and Yoga in his 20's, and became certified by world-renown Chinese martial arts master, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming, as a YMAA Qigong Instructor.

He volunteers for the nonprofit YMAA Retreat Center.

David works as a writer, producer, and director of instructional martial arts and health books and DVDs. He is the co-writer of the best-selling Sunrise Tai Chi book and DVD, Tai Chi Energy Patterns DVD, and Sunset Tai Chi book and DVD. He has produced many titles, including those by Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. David lives and teaches on Cape Cod, MA.