Doreen Hynd demonstrates Tai Chi Chuan in New York, the United States, on April 19, 2018. Doreen Hynd, a passionate and energetic woman who lives in the United States, said she attributes her vigor to a lifetime love of and persistent practice of Tai Chi Chuan, a Chinese martial art form practiced to defend oneself and keep healthy. At the age of 93, she can still do almost everything she wants to -- cook, dance, play tennis, take the bus to different places to teach her students -- without burdening her body. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)
by Xinhua writer Wang Jiangang
NEW YORK, April 25 (Xinhua) -- At the age of 93, she can still do almost everything she wants to -- cook, dance, play tennis, take the bus to different places to teach her students -- without burdening her body.
Doreen Hynd, a passionate and energetic woman who lives in the United States, said she attributes her vigor to a lifetime love of and persistent practice of Tai Chi Chuan, a Chinese martial art form practiced to defend oneself and keep healthy.
PRECIOUS GIFT
Born in Australia in 1925, Hynd began Tai Chi Chuan training in her fifties, and moved to the United States in 1984, where she later became an instructor herself.
To date, Hynd has taught for almost three decades at such places as the United Nations (UN), Carnegie Hall, and the State University of New York.
Hynd said she loves dancing, gardening, and getting to know all kinds of people, but her "greatest passion" is practicing Tai Chi Chuan.
"It is such a gift. I have been wanting to bring it to the whole world," she said. "Tai Chi has withstood the test of time for several centuries in the Chinese culture."
The concept of Tai Chi (supreme ultimate) appears in both Taoist and Confucian Chinese philosophy, where it represents the fusion or mother of yin and yang into a single ultimate, represented by the Tai Chi Tu symbol. Tai Chi Chuan theory and practice evolved in agreement with many Chinese philosophical principles, including those of Taoism and Confucianism.
"It allows a quiet approach by not using force. It brings about an awareness of breath and calmness and invites the body, mind, and inner consciousness to work together for an experience of lightness and strength," Hynd said.
On the 9th UN Chinese Language Day, which is observed annually on April 20, Hynd was among those invitees who are either experts on the Chinese culture or have a special skill related to the culture.
Hynd stunned all those present while performing Tai Chi Chuan at an event sponsored by the UN Tai Chi Club.
"I just can't believe my eyes that she is a 93-year-old grandma," said Iris Wang, secretary-general of the non-profit World Accountability Organization based in New York.
"She could bend her body, raise her leg so easily and keep herself still while standing on one leg. It's just amazing!" she said.
Cao Guozhong, president of the club, said Hynd serves as the best example that one could benefit enormously from practicing Tai Chi Chuan.
"What's more important is that she is one of the few Americans who really understands the core values of Tai Chi Chuan," Cao said.
ACHIEVING BALANCE
When asked what the greatest benefit was that she had derived from practicing Tai Chi Chuan for several decades, Hynd said, "balance."
"We human beings should live with very fine balance in our emotions, including how to present ourselves to the world," she said, adding that practicing the martial art helps bring balance.
"Practicing Tai Chi Chuan helps you develop and acquire the balance, and guides you to take time to listen. To absorb what is being heard will help bring balance right then," Hynd said.
"The practicing of Tai Chi Chuan begins with a physical one, but it gradually develops to a stage that universal truth could be felt," she added.
Chen Feng, a senior interpreter at the United Nations, said that he thinks Tai Chi Chuan helped Hynd achieve balance, both physically and mentally.
"Balance here means one could keep a very good balance between yin (dark or negative force) and yang (bright or positive force)," he said.
"From what she has said and the way she presents herself, I bet she knows very well that how seemingly opposite or contrary forces may actually be complementary, interconnected, and interdependent in the natural world, and how they may give rise to each other as they interrelate to one another," Chen said.
ASSOCIATION WITH CHINESE CULTURE
Hynd has been teaching retired people of all ages and different cultural backgrounds how to practice Tai Chi Chuan in Canada.
"These people have benefitted tremendously from their association with the Chinese culture," Hynd said.
Tai Chi Chuan allows these people to understand that, from the perspective of yin and yang, all things are interrelated.
"This philosophy helps them understand that wherever we are living, black or white, poor or rich, we are all of one family," she said.
"This might be where the appeal of Tai Chi Chuan lies," she said. "It helps remove differences."
Almost all of her students are developing a balanced state of mind after months of practicing, and many have improved their health, she said.
Hynd recounted the story of a doctor who had suffered brain injuries and been hospitalized for years. He was told that his lost memory would never come back. But he came back to his doctor one day after three years of practicing Tai Chi Chuan, saying joyfully "my memory is coming back."
"This slow-motion exercises are gradually curing many of my students," Hynd said, adding that medical practitioners want to know what's behind all these miracles.
Ed Emswiler, who has been practicing Tai Chi Chuan for nine months with Hynd, said "it's peaceful, relaxing, and centering."
"Somehow, it has brought changes to my life," he said. "The more I practice, the more I realize that it will have a greater impact on my life and the way I deal with others."
Hynd said she's going to share this great gift from China with elementary, middle and high school students as well.
As a renowned practitioner and teacher of China's Tai Chi Chuan, Hynd said it is a pity she has never visited the ancient country which boasts a glamorous civilization and modern vitality. If given the chance, she would like to go and seek out the descendants of a renowned Tai Chi Chuan teacher, Grand Master Ma Yueh Liang.
"I would love very much to visit China. I like to walk in China's streets and get to know the people and visit the descendants of my Grand Master Ma," she said.
