Tai Chi

Peter Sellers and Burt Kwouk

My husband was cautious when I returned home on Friday. He was standing in the hallway and I went straight into my crouching dragon position. The cat ran away quickly after seeing the purpose and determination in my eyes. I looked Richard up and down, thinking to myself, "Soon I'll be able to take him down." 

Am I too ambitious - am I shooting too high? I started Tai Chi classes yesterday and today actually feel stiff from the stretching and balance challenges. Tai Chi (which means "supreme ultimate fist") is recommended for people with acoustic neuromas for relaxation and improvement of blance; from this first class - it seems perfect for me. The instructor is calm and quiet and the music is very soft and relaxing. Aerobics classes became too hectic for me - couldn't stand the loud music.

Burt Kwouk today at 83

An uncoordinated slob compared to the rest of the group, I bumbled through the moves. Some of the people have been in the class for years and are very good.

We did "Pouring" - pouring the weight from one leg into the other while breathing slowly in and out. Did the "white crane spreads wings" posture and the beak - simply forming your fingers into an approximation of a bird's beak. The instructor follows what seems to be a pleasant sequence of postures beginning and ending with relaxation. Somehow I thought there might be a theory component to the classes where you learn about the history of the art and the logic behind the moves but I guess that would be another kind of class. There's plenty of meaty information on-line that I can read.

Richard has nothing to worry about yet...they say it takes three to four months before you can kill someone with your little finger.