NEW YORK, Dec. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Gaiam, Inc., the leading distributor of lifestyle media, announced today the release of Intro to T'ai Chi: the 9 Beginner Flows and the DVD version of the PBS pledge show, T'ai Chi for Health & Happiness. Led by acclaimed master instructor David-Dorian Ross, the DVDs demonstrate the practice of T'ai Chi, a practice that was developed in China hundreds of years ago and provides a myriad of health benefits to its millions of practitioners.   

"T'ai Chi focuses on the connection between movements to create balance in one's whole life – the body, mind, and spirit," says Ross. "My goal is to make the practice as accessible as possible, so everyone can reap the physical and mental health benefits of T'ai Chi."

T'ai Chi for Health & Happiness, which originally aired as a pledge show on PBS, introduces the benefits of T'ai Chi with the goal of teaching viewers how easy it is to learn and practice for lifelong benefits. This DVD guides the user through four easy moves to create a simple flow that can be used daily to bring balance, power, and integrity into their everyday experience. Additionally, the DVD shares how T'ai Chi can help with three of the biggest health concerns today: obesity, aging, and disease.

In Intro to T'ai Chi, Ross provides an easy-to-follow introduction to the fundamentals of T'ai Chi, leading the viewer through a flow sequence that can help balance all aspects of life. The DVD features three 20-minute practices which include:

• Entering The Flow (20 min) – Introduces the first two principles of T'ai Chi – Slow Down and Relax – along with the first two moves in the flow sequence.
• Finding Your Still Point (20 min) – Continues with the next two principles – Sink Down/Stay Down and Be Neutral – and the next three moves in the series.
• Create Balance (20 min) – Explores the final two principles – Balance Energy and Coordinate – as it teaches the final four moves of the routine.

Once completed, viewers are able to put together the nine moves in an easy-to-follow flow sequence that can be practiced daily.

"At a time when T'ai Chi is resurging in popularity in the U.S., we are excited to once again work with David-Dorian Ross, the authority when it comes to T'ai Chi," says Bill Sondheim, president of Gaiam. "T'ai Chi provides an array of incredible health benefits that include slowing down the aging process, improving brain function, and controlling stress and anxiety.  We look forward to introducing our consumers to the practice and having them reap the benefits."

Intro to T'ai Chi and T'ai Chi for Health & Happiness Yoga each has an approximate runtime of 60 minutes. They are sold separately and each has a suggested retail price of $14.98. The DVDs will be available beginning December 4, 2012 in stores nationwide and online at Amazon.com.

About David-Dorian Ross
David-Dorian Ross has been practicing T'ai Chi (The Art of Harmony) for 35 years. He is America's "Chi-vangelist," whose public appearances introduce people to the benefits, accessibility, and sheer joy of learning T'ai Chi. He recently hosted the prime-time special "T'ai Chi, Health and Happiness" for the PBS network (airing November/December 2012). This was his second public television program on T'ai Chi. His first show was "T'ai Chi in Paradise," produced with Hawaiian Public Television in Honolulu. Inside Kung-fu Magazine called David-Dorian "the man who brought T'ai Chi mainstream." His T'ai Chi instructional DVDs have sold more than 1 million copies world-wide, and his program T'ai Chi Beginners' Practice is the best-selling T'ai Chi DVD of all time.

David-Dorian also holds the record as America's competitive T'ai Chi Champion – winning 8 U.S. Gold Medals, a World Silver medal and 2 World Bronze medals in T'ai Chi performance (still the highest record of any American T'ai Chi athlete). David-Dorian is also the founder of T'ai Chi Fitness Instructor Training (F.I.T.)™ - the first teacher training program recognized by the fitness industry, as well as the founder of T'ai Chi Connect (www.taichiconnect.com) the first international social networking site for players of T'ai Chi.

About GAIAM
Gaiam, Inc. (Nasdaq: GAIA) is a leading producer and marketer of lifestyle media and fitness accessories. With a wide distribution network that consists of over 60,000 retail doors, close to 15,000 store within stores, 5,600 media category management locations, a digital distribution platform and more than 10 million direct customers, Gaiam is dedicated to providing solutions for healthy and eco-conscious living. The company dominates the health and wellness category and releases non-theatrical programming focused on family entertainment and conscious media. For more information about Gaiam, please visit www.gaiam.com or call 1.800.869.3603.

Media Contact:
Lauren Aboulessan
Krupp Kommunications
(212) 886-6710
LAboulessan@kruppnyc.com

SOURCE Gaiam Inc.