T'AI CHI
New Beginner Class starting January 6th, 2008, 7 pm to 8 pm.
Advanced practitioners - call for information .
W. Terry Beck
Teacher
All Classes are open to Men, Women and Teens
Classes at The Body Shop:
Beginner Tai Chi
Starting Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2009
7:00 pm - 8:00 pm
10 weeks - $100.00
Hands On Correction Classes
(for those who have completed 'the form')
Call for class start dates
7:00 to 8:30 pm
10 weeks, $100.00
All Classes require Pre-Registration
Please Call 934-0066 for information
We happily accept Independent Health's FlexFit program for Tai Chi classes.
T’ai Chi For Health
Mary Alice stands quietly facing the front of the room seemingly not to be moving. Her feet are placed shoulder width apart, equally weighted in both legs, her knees gently bent, and her toes pointing forward. As she releases her weight down into the floor, she can feel a sense of relaxation through her whole body. The tension in her shoulders and the back of her neck is released and she begins to notice that her breathing is quieter and more at ease. Her arms hang heavy like ropes, slightly away from the body with the backs of her hands facing forward. Her fingers are long and also relaxed, feeling heavy and slightly tingly as though water is pouring off of them. Slowly, as though the room is filling with that water, her arms begin to float up, elbows bent and her hands hanging from the wrist. Once her wrists get opposite her shoulders, her hands now float parallel to the floor as though on the surface of the water. At this point her elbows begin to sink pulling the hands back towards her shoulders. As her elbows continue to sink, her hands are pulled below the surface of this imagined water until they come to rest in the starting position. Mary Alice has now completed ‘Preparation for Movement’ one of the first movements of something called T’ai Chi.
Mary Alice is one of a number of students now studying the centuries old form of Chinese exercise called T’ai Chi (or T’ai Chi Chuan) through The Body Shop in Silver Creek, NY. With movements with such poetic names as “White Crane Spreads Wings”, “Embrace Tiger and Return to Mountain”, and “ Wave Hands in Clouds” (to name a few), this simple series of slow, choreographed, relaxed yet alert moving postures has found increased popularity in all age groups. As health conscious individuals seek out other forms of physical activity that do not require machines, gym memberships, or the strains and pains of more strenuous exercises, T’ai Chi seems to fit the bill. Besides being a classical exercise, T’ai Chi is also a form of self-defense and a meditative discipline (often referred to as “meditation in motion”), embracing philosophy, and psychology. T’ai chi therefore exercises both the body and mind; integrating the two in every movement through mental and visual concepts, slow respiration and dynamic relaxation.
The Chinese say that whoever practices T’ai Chi will gain “the pliability of a child, the vitality of a lumberjack and the wisdom of a sage”.
But just what is T’ai Chi and how can it possibly be of any benefit?
With its increased popularity and its particular appeal to senior citizens, more and more studies and articles are being written about T’ai Chi (translated the “Grand Ultimate”). While US Scientists are not quick to make sweeping health claims about T’ai Chi, studies by the NIA (the National Institute of Aging) and the National Center for Nursing Research awarded a grant to the Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, in Atlanta, Georgia, to test the benefits of T’ai Chi as a clinical part of a $2.9 million, eight-site, three year study called FISCIT (Frailty and Injuries: Cooperative Studies of Intervention Techniques). FISCIT’s primary concern was to find ways to improve mobility, balance, strength and endurance of older people. With the increase of individuals living beyond the age of 75, studies done by the NIA show that nearly 40 percent of this age group cannot walk two blocks; 32 percent are incapable of climbing ten steps; 22 percent cannot lift ten pounds; 7 percent cannot walk across the length of a room; and 50 percent of those individuals who fracture hips never walk independently again, many dying from complications as a result of these injuries. Because T’ai Chi can be performed at an individual’s level of physical ability, Tai Chi for older persons is particularly appealing. Studies also have shown that those individuals who are more active in their later years have fewer stability problems and thus the quality of their lives can greatly improve. Frailty, often brought on by the fear of falling, becomes a byproduct of inactivity. FISCIT study results showed that …“After adjusting for fall risk factors, Tai Chi was found to reduce the risk of multiple falls by 47.5%.”
For better or worse in this country we have embraced the concept of “no pain, no gain”. This is a far cry from the teachings of T’ai Chi that emphasize the belief that “less is more”. One of the first challenges of studying T’ai Chi therefore may be to give up the outdated definitions of exercise, and replace it with how to most effectively exercise the entire physiology, not just a few muscle groups. The benefits that are most immediately obvious are improved posture, breathing, balance, circulation, and stress reduction. Chinese physicians have long recommended T’ai Chi as physical therapy and “gymnastic medicine” in combination with acupuncture, acupressure, and herbs as holistic treatment for disease.
Classes at The Body Shop are taught by Terry Beck, a licensed acupuncture practitioner, dancer and choreographer who has been practicing T’ai Chi for twenty-eight years, and has taught T’ai Chi over the past eleven years in this country and in Europe. For class dates and further information, please contact The Body Shop at 934-0066.
NOTE: IF SILVER CREEK SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED DUE TO INCLEMENT WEATHER, THE BODY SHOP WILL ALSO BE CLOSED AND ALL CLASSES CANCELLED FOR THAT EVENING. PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CALL AND CONFIRM IF CLASSES ARE BEING HELD.
About our Instructor
W. TERRY BECK
M.Ac. Lic.Ac Dipl.Ac (NCCAOM)
W. Terry Beck is a licensed acupuncturist and Shiatsu practitioner. He earned his Master Degree at the Traditional Acupuncture Institute in Laurel, Maryland. For many years he worked at The Sign of Jonah Acupuncture clinic in Washington, DC, offering acupuncture and Chinese Medicine to those persons living with HIV/AIDS in Washington, Maryland and Virginia.
Additionally, he is NADA certified and has worked extensively with substance abuse recovery clients. In his Five Element Acupuncture private practice, he currently sees patients of all ages and with a wide variety of health related issues.
Mr. Beck is a dancer and choreographer who has performed worldwide and has been teaching T’ai Chi for over eleven years in the US and Europe. He is now teaching T’ai Chi in the Northern Chautauqua Area.
To register for Tai Chi classes, or to get current start dates, Contact Us
Professor Cheng Man-Ch'ing,
Founder of the Yang style of T'ai Chi