I had no idea what to expect when I walked into my first Tai Chi class this morning. Although I knew that it is one of the gentlest of the martial arts forms, I had no idea how difficult it would be to learn and pick up. My friend told me that it required a lot of coordination to learn the various movements. Even though I am very flexible and have a good sense of balance, remembering series of motions is not my forte. My doctor recommended Qi Gong for my asthma and for relaxation. Since this particular Tai Chi class consists of about 95% Qi Gong, it seemed like it might be a good fit for me.
My fears were alleviated the second that the instructor opened his mouth. His gentle voice immediately put me at ease. Throughout the class, I enjoyed the way that he not only led us through the motions, but explained to us why we were doing each motion and how it was helping our bodies. But hands down, what I loved the most about the class was the way that it integrated so many of my experiences from the past few years.
The class began with Qi Gong-- slow moving, meditative motions and stretches. As the instructor said, "Tai Chi is often called mindfulness in motion." The way that the instructor led us through these exercise reminded me of my first exposure to meditations with movement. During a two and a half hour session a few years ago, about twenty members of my school district were lucky enough to experience guided meditations involving movement with none other than Jon Kabat-Zinn himself.
This morning's guided meditations were not only powerful, but held a special significance for me. During one series of exercises we were instructed to shift our weight back and forth from one leg to another, imagining water filling up one side and draining the other. During another exercise, we were instructed to breathe in and more our hands and arms up above our heads-- when we breathed out, we were to slowly move our arms down and bend our heads and body down, picturing water or a color draining all of our worries and tensions away as they all flowed down our bodies and out through our toes. Conjuring images of water is relaxing for me as I spent much of last year taking pictures at Spy Pond throughout the seasons, inspired by my friend Grace's pictures involving water and reflections.
The instructor described how he likes getting his students into a relaxed and open state of mind before teaching and entering into the Tai Chi movements. To this end, he led us through the stretches, the guided meditations, and then a relaxing meditation-- letting us relax our bodies in whatever position was most comfortable for us, for about five minutes. I chose to lie with my back on the floor.
After this resting meditation, I felt very Zen-like and calm. The instructor wanted us to use this energy as we entered into the Tai Chi movements. He only wanted natural movements, nothing too forced. He explained how energy flows differently through different bodies so we would not always look the same in our movements. This talk of energy flow, of what the Chinese call chi, throughout the body makes a lot of sense to me since I have been going to acupuncture for almost four years. Although the instructor diligently taught us how to place our feet and our cores for each new movement, for the rest of the movement, he showed us what to do as a guide with the leeway to do what made sense to us.
The core is the root of the many issues that people often have with their backs, their necks, their feet, their knees, he explained. This is very similar to what my physical therapist told me when she diagnosed me with a lack of core stability. This morning we were taught the 70% rule-- to do 70% of a motion was enough. More than 70% is what causes strain and fear. 70% will lead to a lot of progress through Tai Chi.
One of my favorite guided movements came toward the end of the class when we were taught a stance and how to slowly turn and shift our weight from one side to another. We were instructed to move our arm and hand like the Chinese practice calligraphy-- in long, expansive strokes with a loose wrist. This direction made a lot of sense to me. For the past five years, a man named Steven Ratiner has been coming to my school to teach the fourth grade classes about Chinese poetry, history, and calligraphy. When he teaches calligraphy, he teaches the kids how to hold their brushes by keeping their wrists loose and then to make long brushstrokes from their entire arms, not from their wrists. The Tai Chi movement this morning was similar.
As the clock signaled that the class would end in several minutes, I was concerned that I would leave feeling so relaxed that I would feel sleepy. No need to worry about that! One of the coolest sensations came at the end of class-- during the tap down. The instructor explained that this was to make sure that the chi spread throughout our bodies. This exercise consisted of hitting, patting, and tapping our bodies up and down our arms, outer legs, inner legs, chest and core, lower backs, up and down our spines, back of neck, and head. This exercise was invigorating and centering, leaving me feeling all at once-- energized, calm, and relaxed. A great combination!
So, did the Tai Chi class accomplish what my doctor hoped that it would for me? Absolutely! Relaxation and calmness-- check! As for breathing, most definitely! Some of the exercise-- through their steadiness and repetitive natures, helped me to keep a regular breathing pattern. Some of the exercises through through expansive natures, helped me to open up and stretch my lungs and diaphragm.
And there was another health benefit for me today. Waking up I felt somewhat sore and stiff as I had slept in a strange position last night. Throughout the class, the instructor talked about how in Chinese medicine chi energy, can stagnate in the body, resulting in all kinds of problems. I know this all too well from acupuncture! For each exercise, the instructor asked how to notice what parts of our body we could feel, which we couldn't, and if there was tension to try to breathe into that area. And guess what...I left the class feeling less sore and my body more relaxed.
Am I looking forward to my next Tai Chi class? Absolutely!
