The Oak Ridge branch of the International Taoist Tai Chi Society offers a Health Recovery class. (Submitted photo)
By Marian Varner
January—it’s a time when many of us think about our health objectives for the coming year. We would all like to enjoy good health, but sometimes that is not easy. For some, finding an interesting, fun exercise can be a challenge. Tai Chi is one exercise option that even those who experience health difficulties of various kinds can try.
The Oak Ridge branch of the International Taoist Tai Chi Society has been teaching Tai Chi locally for about 30 years. This charitable organization includes a Health Recovery class as one of its offerings, in addition to the usual beginner and continuing classes. The Health Recovery class enables students to work with various exercises, adapted to whatever limitations each student has.
Tai Chi is known for improving the health of its practitioners in numerous ways. Most students of this ancient Chinese art discover better balance, increased flexibility, and relief from stress. With regular practice of Tai Chi, students have reported improvement in conditions such as high blood pressure, arthritis, back pain, low spirits, joint immobility, respiratory problems, digestive disorders, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, the long-term consequences of trauma or stroke, and fibromyalgia.
In the local Health Recovery class, several students recently shared some of the benefits they had experienced from the class. Anne Dunthorn used her Tai Chi practice to help recover from a recent medical incident. She states that “Tai Chi helps build my core strength and has helped alleviate the progression of my back pain.” Jennifer Pomerance finds that “the danyu exercise has strengthened my thigh muscles so that I can get up from a chair more easily. Another one of the exercises has gotten rid of my carpal tunnel problems.” Musician Jean Box is very happy that “Tai Chi has helped the arthritis in my hands, which is so important for my flute playing.”
These students encourage others to try Tai Chi to improve their health. Instructor Marian Varner explains that: “In the Health Recovery class, we accept students at all levels, including ones with significant health problems. Our exercises can be done standing or sitting, according to the student’s choice. We have several assistants in the class, so we can give more individual attention to each student. If a student has difficulty with a particular exercise, we try to find a way for the student to practice that does not aggravate pre-existing conditions.”
The Health Recovery class meets at the Oak Ridge TTCS Center at 362 East Tennessee Avenue on Tuesdays from 10:45 a.m.-12 p.m. Students are welcome to join the class at any time, and can try their first class for free. For more information, call the Center at (865) 482-7761, email oakridge.tn@taoist.org, or visit the international website at www.taoist.org.
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