FAQ About Traditional
Chinese Therapeutic Exercises

What kinds of traditional Chinese therapeutic exercises are there? What are they good for? Where do they come from? Can anyone do them? Get answers here to these and other frequently asked questions (FAQ) about traditional Chinese health exercises. If your question hasn't been answered yet you can ask it here - Matthew Scott, site owner, will be happy to help you.

Where do the exercises on this site come from?

Traditional Chinese exercises were developed in China over a period of at least 2000 years by taoists, doctors, martial artists and common people as a simple, convenient way to relieve and prevent ill health and disease. The exercises and techniques on this site have been selected for their ease of learning and effectiveness - Matthew has been doing them himself and passing them onto others since 1987.

Matthew learned the traditional Chinese way of exercising from various sources starting with his Chinese medicine teachers at the Australian College of Natural Medicine in Brisbane. Other Australian sources include kungfu and taichi instructors and professional Chinese medicine workshops and seminars. Matthew also has an extensive reference library of traditional Chinese medicine books, some of which are listed below if you wish to dig deeper into this vast topic.

In 2000 Matthew moved to China. He regularly exercises outside and he often sees Chinese people doing the very same exercises he learned back home and that appear on this website. Matthew continues to practice and learn new Chinese health exercises from the source - the locals he meets and exercises with in nearby parks and outdoor areas in China.

What kinds of exercises are there?

Traditional Chinese exercises include stretching, strengthening and loosening exercises, deep breathing exercises, self-massage and acupressure techniques and others. Just take a look around the site to see many examples.

What are Chinese health exercises good for?

Strength, toning, stress, anxiety, improved sleep, better digestion and bowel movements, pain relief, greater energy, improved overall health and more.

Do I need any equipment?

No. All you need is a place to exercise such as a park, yard or garden or a room that's airy but not too windy.

Can I stop other kinds of exercise and just do traditional Chinese exercises?

Sure. Everyone has different needs though. In China, middle-aged and elderly people do daily traditional Chinese exercises and take regular walks. If you're younger you'll probably want to do some more strenuous forms of exercise too, e.g. you could do Chinese style exercises in the morning to wake you up and get you going, then do a more physical workout or sport in the afternoon or evening.

Who can do Chinese therapeutic exercises?

Almost anyone. Check with your health professional first though, especially if you haven't exercised for some time or you have problems like back or neck pain.

Does it take long to learn the exercises?

No. All the exercises and techniques on this site include photo illustrations and step-by-step instructions. There are also many books on the subject on Amazon.com, including:

• Simple Fitness Exercises: Traditional Chinese Movements For Health and Rejuvenation (Jiawen Miao)
• Art of Chi Kung (Wong Kiew Kit)
• The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity (Daniel Reid)
• Imperial Secrets of Health and Longevity (Bob Flaws)
• The Web That Has No Weaver (Ted Kaptchuck), for an intro to Chinese medical theory.

Learning traditional Chinese therapeutic exercises can be difficult and confusing from books alone, though, which is why Matthew designed several traditional Chinese exercise programs on downloadable video.

Ask below... Matthew Scott, site owner, will be happy to help and to introduce you to the power of traditional Chinese therapeutic exercises.

Click below to see questions from other visitors to this page...

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Healthy Lifestyle the Chinese Way  I must admit you have done a great job on this site and been ever so generous with your suggestions and videos and I am sure that many are going to benefit ...

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Congestion, Digestive System Not Working Properly  I have been told I have too much congestion in my system since my digestion is not working properly, which I have been told is due to my spleen meridian ...

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