Since stress is at the core of many health issues, St. Rose Ambulatory & Surgery Center is sponsoring a free presentation on Tai Chi, which combines breathing, visualization and gentle movements to cleanse the body of tension.

          The interactive televideo (ITV) presentation is called “Tai Chi: A Gentle Yet Powerful Exercise for Managing Stress” and is open to the public. It is scheduled for 3 to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 20 at St. Rose in the basement-level St. Dominic Room.

          “Tai Chi’s powerful stress-management aspects have been shown to dramatically boost immune-system responses,” said Bill Douglas, presenter. “Medical research shows that most health issues benefit from regular Tai Chi practice, and Harvard Health Publications called it ‘medication in motion.’

          “Tai Chi has been proven to increase brain size and is the best balance coordinator we know of,” Douglas continued. “It is also the lowest-impact exercise and is safe for those with arthritis, yet it burns nearly as many calories as surfing.”

          The gentle exercise has been shown to help with high blood pressure, heart disease, COPD, depression, anxiety, Type 2 diabetes, Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis and much more.

          “Tai Chi is the result of several thousand years of health research in China,” Douglas noted. “We can teach the body to move in the most effortless and powerful ways.

          “It is an excellent program for caregivers too,” Douglas elaborated. “It not only helps lower stress, anxiety and depression, it gives physical benefits to help caregivers complete their tasks with less chance of injury.”

          Those who attend the ITV presentation will be introduced to the Sitting Qigong meditative practice, Moving Qigong’s gentle movement meditative techniques and a Tai Chi short form.

          “Just come to the presentation to breathe, loosen and play,” Douglas encouraged. “You will feel wonderful when you leave.”

          Douglas is the author of the best-selling Tai Chi book, “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tai Chi and Qigong,” and was the 2009 inductee into the Internal Arts Hall of Fame in New York. He has been a Tai Chi source for The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Reader’s Digest and other media.

          The presentation at St. Rose is part of a Midwest Cancer Alliance (MCA) series of health and wellness events for cancer patients in particular and the community in general. St. Rose is a member of MCA, the outreach arm of The University of Kansas Cancer Center.

          St. Rose is part of Centura Health, which connects individuals and families across western Kansas and Colorado with more than 6,000 physicians, 15 hospitals, seven senior-living communities, physician practices and clinics, and home-care and hospice services.