May 2026 Newsletter

Dear friends,

On April 30, our 2024 randomized controlled trial on virtually delivered Tai Chi, Qigong, and meditation for chronic low back pain — among the top-scoring submissions to the conference —was presented at The Science of Tai Chi and Qigong as Whole Person Health at Harvard Medical School. The trial, published in the North American Spine Society Journal, followed 350 adults across twelve weeks and demonstrated clinically and statistically significant improvement in pain-related disability, pain intensity, and overall quality of life, with statistically significant improvement in sleep quality.

The noon experiential session filled beyond capacity. After the 100 seats were taken, attendees stood. For 45 minutes, over 100 researchers, clinicians, and practitioners moved together through the foundational training — the same building blocks of stillness and movement many of you know from our weekly Saturday classes.

Later that afternoon, the trial itself was presented to the conference’s research audience. Sharing this work at Harvard — among colleagues who have spent their careers bringing Tai Chi and Qigong into Western medicine — was a humbling milestone.

Our principal investigator, Dr. Ken Knapp, shepherded the study from start to publication — the steady hand behind a three-year effort.

Our senior author, Dr. Härtl, championed this work from the beginning — without his vision and leadership, the study would not exist.

“Yang Yang combines deep traditional Tai Chi mastery with rigorous scientific training — a rare pairing. He led the 350-participant randomized controlled trial we published in the North American Spine Society Journal on virtual Tai Chi for chronic low back pain.”

— Roger Härtl, MD

This work was carried by many hands — twenty authors across Weill Cornell Medicine, Mayo Clinic, New York Medical College, the National Cancer Institute, and seven other institutions; referring physicians from across the country; Northwell Health’s Employee Wellness program; and our CTQS supporting team. Most of all, the 350 participants themselves carried the practice into their daily lives.

What comes next

Harvard was a milestone, not a destination. Our live online Saturday classes continue, open to anyone living with back pain and other chronic conditions. Learn more about the Saturday classes.

The larger project remains what it has always been: to bring evidence-based Tai Chi and Qigong into Western medicine and public health, as a complementary partner to clinical care.

To support our next back pain study aiming for 600 participants, donate here.

Thank you, as always, for being part of it.

— Master Yang Yang, PhD

From a Colleague in China

Professor Yulong Yang, who attended the Harvard session, shared a generous reflection on the experience — describing the approach as a “completely fresh perspective on the principles and therapeutic benefits of traditional Chinese Qigong and Tai Chi”; and “an elevation of traditional Chinese healing and martial arts philosophy within the context of modern civilization.”

Upcoming

• Saturday live online classes — continuing weekly, open to anyone living with back pain and other chronic conditions. Learn more

• Summer Camps — still time to sign up for our two camps this summer.
  - Tai Chi and Qigong Fundamentals Camp
  - Chen Tai Chi Cannon Fist Camp

• Posture and kyphosis — featured monthly focus, coming soon.

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