Page 28 - Prevention - USA (April 2020)

W E L LN E S S
Natural Fixes
Tai Chi for Better Balance
BY ASHLEY BREEDING
ou may think tai chi
is only for the senior
set, especially if you’ve
Yseen groups of retirees
in the park with their arms
and legs moving artfully and
unhurriedly. But the martial
art is becoming popular among
younger adults too. “We call
our students seniors in train-
ing, because the more you do it,
the more it will prepare you as
you age,” says David Goldberg, a tai chi class?
leader of the Tri-State Branch
of the Taoist Tai Chi Society.
“You see people moving slowly.
But it’s actually not slow at all;
there’s so much that goes on
in the body and mind.” Taoist
tai chi is a modified, health-
focused form; it adheres to the
belief that people cannot be
steady on their feet without
first being balanced internally.
Here, Goldberg explains how
to achieve both.
What is tai chi?
Tai chi is a Chinese martial
art composed of a series of
26 PREVENTION.COM • AP R I L 2020
movements. There are several
different styles, and within
them are several forms. Some
martial arts are only about
aggression—you might, say,
learn how to hurt a mugger
or break a board. Taoist tai
chi is also about spirituality,
community, and what happens
on the inside.
What happens during
We do several 16- to 18-
minute sets of 108 movements,
with about a 15-minute break
in the middle of a 90-minute
class. Sets are broken down
into chunks to explore different
ways the body works, and
during the break we drink tea
and internalize everything
that’s happening. We teach
with very little talking—we
want you to watch, follow, and
fully feel the movement of your
body. The constant expansion,
contraction, and rotation of
the spine exercises all connec-
tive tissue and moves fluids