- A Tai Chi Essay - 

TAI CHI IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC 

Hello, TAI CHI CROSSROADS friends.

Much of what I have to say may well be familiar to you by now, but given current circumstances, it is worth repeating.

As you well know, these are strange times we find ourselves in. It’s amazing how much suffering and sorrow a virus, one hundred times smaller than bacteria, can cause. It has been coming for a while, but it seems like over night the coronavirus has suddenly changed our world. 

A virus is small, about 100X smaller than bacteria. You can see bacteria with a typical microscope, but to be seen the coronavirus requires an electron microscope. A single coronavirus is about 120 nm (nanometers) in diameter. A nanometer is one billionth of a meter, or 0.000000001 meters. 

Viruses cannot replicate outside of a living organism, but they can live outside a body for several hours. It has been reported that the  coronavirus can live on a hard surface such as plastic or steel for up to 72 hours and on cardboard for 24. The coronavirus is different from other viruses in that it is very robust and extremely contagious. It can transmit from person to person quite easily and is about 5 times more deadly than typical flu viruses.

Once it enters the body, a virus penetrates a human cell and hijacks it. The virus takes control of the cell and turns it into its own personal factory. The cell is directed to reproduce the virus in great numbers. Eventually, the cell walls burst open sending the virus replications out to invade other cells, which will repeat the process.

Items frequently touched by human hands are prone to carrying lots of viruses. These items include cell phones, door knobs, furniture and flat surfaces such as tables, countertops, laptop computers, and floors. If a person is infected, they can emit tiny virus-laden respiratory droplets which can land on clothes, doorknobs, elevator buttons, handrails or countertops and spread the virus to anyone who touches these surfaces.

Ultraviolet (UVA) light sources such as sunlight can damage most viruses given enough time. Hand sanitizers can also destroy a virus, however they must contain at least 60% isopropyl alcohol. Disinfectant wipes are good virus killers, but the champion virus killer is S O A P.

As it happens, viruses, including coronavirus, are surrounded by a protective surface layer of lipids, a type of fatty acid. Soap contains similar lipids that are attracted to virus lipids. Soap lipids will challenge the virus lipids for positions around a virus. Once the soap lipids break through the virus lipids, the virus is exposed and falls apart, becoming neutralized. Soap is also attracted to water molecules. Rinsing carries the soap off the washed surface, pulling the virus material away. This is why washing hands with soap is the best method for removing virus from your skin.

Results of washing hands seen under a black light.

Effective hand washing takes a minimum of 20 seconds of rubbing from top to bottom and in between fingers. The longer you scrub, the more viruses you will eliminate. 

To battle the coronavirus, disinfecting door knobs, cell phones, hand rails and any surfaces that are frequently handled or touched is strongly recommended. But the greatest weapon is washing your hands. Because of how we use them for so many functions, the hands are virtual virus magnets. Pretend that you are a surgeon and wash them often and thoroughly.

Remember, we can use our tai chi and qigong practice to make us healthy, but we need our tai chi wisdom, vigilance, and healthy practices to keep us that way. The life you save could be your own or that of your loved ones, friends, neighbors, and many others in the world. The good decisions and practices that you make will benefit people, seen and unseen. Your actions, based on awareness and knowledge, can make a great difference in a time of threat and confusion. 

It's a confusing time when our social, business, and public lives are suddenly eclipsed by quarantine and isolation and not knowing what will happen. It's a strange feeling for all. From a Taoist perspective, we've switched over to 'Yin Mode.' As we know, yin is very important and useful. This can be a time of rest, renewal, and rejuvenation. We can use this time to energize, read, write, listen to music, play with the kids, call old friends, or create art. We can use the situation to our advantage and be better for it. Do your tai chi and qigong. Contemplate and wonder. Take time to do things that you didn't have time for before. Let's all come out of this as better and more balanced people. 

Stay safe, stay healthy, and wash those hands.

- TaiChi_John