Participating in physical activity can be challenging for people with chronic and significant lung disease due to the multifaceted disruptive effects of their symptoms and variable disease course. According to Mayo Clinic, interstitial lung disease describes a large group of disorders, most of which cause progressive scarring of lung tissue. The scarring associated with interstitial lung disease eventually affects your ability to breathe and get enough oxygen into your bloodstream.
A study recently published by Global advances in integrative medicine and health investigates a novel approach to increasing physical activity by collaboratively and adaptively developing a Tai Chi class for and by persons with lung diseases and explores participants’ perceptions of their experiences in the co-developed Tai Chi class.
A collaboration between the Interstitial Lung Disease (ILD) Collaborative and the Tai Chi Foundation was formed to develop a Tai Chi class appropriate for persons with ILD and other lung diseases. The Tai Chi class was offered online, during the early phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, when pulmonary patients were isolated socially.
The class sessions were held twice weekly for 12 weeks with 12 participants. Ethnographic field methods were used to collect observations and conduct interviews with teachers and students. The Social Ecological Model (SEM) for understanding factors in intrapersonal, interpersonal, social, and organizational contexts was used to explore ways in which wellness practices, particularly those involving changes in health behaviors, can be collaboratively conceived, and developed by persons with the lived experience of illness and community organizations that are sensitive to their personal and social contexts. The constant comparative method was used for data analysis.
The findings include the importance of –
(1) creating a supportive class environment, characterized by interactive and reciprocal relationships among students and teachers.
(2) alternating segments of movement and meditation to avoid fatigue and breathlessness.
(3) cultivating sensory awareness and body trust, resting when needed and rejoining the movements when ready.
(4) increasing the capacity to meditate through deepening presence and renewing the vital connection with inner and outer sources of energy.
(5) reducing, through meditative movement, the persistent anxiety, isolation, and sense of loss that accompany chronic disease diagnosis and progression.
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