Thousands exercise daily at Sun Yat-sen and Chiang Kai-shek memorial halls in Taipei and many of them are leading the way to fitness with centuries-old exercises which Europeans are starting to adopt for themselves.
European gyms are reducing the tempo a little. Out go aerobics and the endurance training of steps and in come softer disciplines often based on the breathing exercises of yoga and the movements of tai chi.
PHOTO: DPA
And the new exercise forms bring a whole new philosophy full of Asian ideas. Adjuncts to the movements are massages, the whirlpool, the sauna and the solarium in the modern European gym.
"Before, aerobics and steps set the trend towards endurance training," says Britta Winnemoeller of the German Association of Sport Studios in Hamburg, "but current thinking stresses a gentler regime and all-round well-being."
The courses now on offer have names like power yoga, Thai yoga, power gym and yoga gym. "There are lots of different names," Winnemoeller notes and there are no clear dividing lines.
Although the heads of the health studios tend to decide what name to give a particular course, the basic idea is the same: body and soul need to be brought into harmony.
"Basically, they are suited to all age groups," says Klaus Voelker, the vice-president of the German Society for Sports Medicine in the southern town of Freibourg. "If they are properly run, there should be no risk of injury," he said.
Thai yoga combines yoga with elements of tai chi, which originates in self-defense techniques. Sessions start with breathing exercises and tai chi movements, which are followed by basic yoga exercises, called asanas.
The muscles are alternately strengthened, stretched or used to create balance. The session ends with relaxation and meditation exercises.
"These courses can be really quite tiring, although no one gets sweaty and red-faced, as with aerobics," Winnemoeller says. Instead, a kind of glow spreads over the whole body.
Power yoga has no tai chi but is otherwise similar. It is based on Ashtanga yoga, and the asanas become a flowing interchange between exercises. Correct breathing is essential. Each position has a link with breathing in or out.
"With power yoga, strength, movement, relaxation and stretching are the main components," says Raymond Zipter, a director at the German Fitness and Aerobic Association, in Bonn.
Zipter notes the rising popularity of Pilates, which has become the rage in the US and is now gaining in popularity in Europe.
Joseph Hubertus Pilates developed his equipment from 1923 onwards, although there have since been considerable changes by others to adapt it to contemporary knowledge.
The question remains: should it be the gentle yoga-based approach with soothing music in the background, or rather the thumping beat of the aerobic dance floor?
"A balanced mix of endurance, coordination and strength training is best for general all-round health," Voelker believes.
He adds that the new methods tend to neglect endurance training. "This aspect needs to be taken into account," the professor said.
Winnemoeller advises fitness fanatics to shop around, taking their own particular aims into account and ensuring above all that they are having fun in whatever regime they choose.
"I know from personal experience that only if I'm happy in the course will I keep going back for more," she says.
And Zipter is sceptical whether the new trends will last. "People come and go, and this means that it's difficult to maintain consistency," he said.
Success for the participants depends on how much attention they receive from the course leader. "When there are 30 members at a single session, that's difficult," Zipter says.
Voelker also sees problems here. "With simple exercises it doesn't really matter if someone lags behind, but when the movements are quicker and more complex, this can become a problem," he said.
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