"Tai Chi has been really good for me!"

Real quotes by real people!

Multiple Sclerosis

- I’ve taught yoga and done Thai Yoga Massage for thirty years, but a few years ago I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. I have a lot of weakness, and my balance is poor. When I first came to Tai Chi, I was sitting most of the time, but now I’m able to stand up for most of the class. And my back was hurting, but now it doesn’t hurt any more. There’s been a real shift in my body--more energy! I can walk better, I feel more rooted, more grounded, stronger! I love yoga, but Tai Chi helps me with movement and balance.

 -I have MS and am seated in a scooter quite a lot. I go to class every week. And doing the Tai Chi-Qigong DVD in between classes for 15 minutes a day keeps me toned, flexible, and feeling good!

 -I have multiple sclerosis, and I try never to miss a Tai Chi class. Otherwise, I stiffen up and can’t move.

 -I found increased mobility right after the first class, and it carried over the next day. Each one of the things I learn helps me with mobility and pain. Simple things like turning over in bed at night. I get a lot of benefits I don’t get with medication, even though I’m on one of the newest medications. I credit the Tai chi class with those things, and that’s why I come every week.

 -The DVD is really great - easy to follow, and it has been very good for calming my tremors and improving my balance. Thank you!

Stroke

-I had a stroke a long time ago, in 1982. Most people think that after that long you can’t regain much function. My right arm was very stiff and the hand was tight, and all of that made my right side rigid. Now my hand is open, and I can move my arm and do a lot of things I couldn’t do before. And my gait is a lot better than it used to be. Tai Chi has been really good for me.

 -I started coming to Tai Chi because my doctor recommended it for a stroke. I have weakness on my left side, and she thought I could get some movement back. And that has happened. Before, my arm was tight to my body and now it’s a lot looser. I can move it around and lift it up. And personal hygiene is a lot easier--very important! I can hold my hands up above my head. I couldn’t do that before I started class. A new grandbaby is coming in a few months, and I’m looking forward to holding her. Class has been very inspirational and an opportunity to meet wonderful people.  Just a better attitude about everything, very positive! I love riding roller coasters and climbing mountains, and I want to do that again!

 -I had a stroke in 1982, and my doctors think it is good for me to do Tai Chi. The exercises have helped me keep going, taking care of three children. My hand was very tight, and now it is open. We do side stepping and that helps me with my balance. And taking a bath was very frustrating because I couldn’t wash my toes, but now I can bend over and do that. So it helps with the things I do every day. I’m able to lift jars out of the refrigerator and open them, which sounds like nothing, but when you can’t do it, it’s a problem. Now I can do them. It has really made a difference in my quality of life!

Arthritis

-Tai Chi class really helps me. You know when you get older things don’t work like they should. You don’t go for walks as much, and you don’t move around, and you have aches and pains, and your knees get stiff. I have arthritis, and I have it all over my body, but it’s more in my knees. My knee just goes out. I found out that at Tai Chi you don’t have to get up and down off the floor. I can’t keep up with some of those exercise videos. But I get a lot out of Tai Chi class. It has helped my balance and my breathing. The weight shifting is really good because it helps my knees and I’m not so likely to fall. The meditation is wonderful. It’s a marvelous thing. I get relaxed and the more calm I am, the more I can make my body do what I want it to do. It just works! I don’t get so frustrated with myself. I have friends who are having so many problems, and you have to think about what will happen. I’m so thankful I’m able to feel good.

 -If you just sit and do nothing, you have aches and pains. I have arthritis, and when I’m more active I feel better and take less over-the-counter pain medicine. Tai Chi helps my arthritis. And I just enjoy it. It’s a sociable hour for me.

Fibromyalgia

-I do the New Creation Tai Chi-Qigong DVD three times a week. I love the DVD. All of the movements are good for me. It’s exercise I can do. It keeps me moving and reduces the pain from fibromyalgia.

 -I decide which movements to do on the DVD based on what my body needs on any particular day. Some days my body doesn’t cooperate, so I pick what I can do that day. The DVD has seven 15-minute segments, and my goal is to do the whole thing. Even though I may not feel good, I encourage myself.  I usually get through three or four sections, and if I do that I’m happy with myself. I give a sigh of relief and a pat on the back. I did it. What helps is consistency—repeating the movements over and over from one time to another. It trains the muscles. So even though sometimes the muscles may not be moving, they know what’s coming and they may catch on and work. And they get stronger from repetition. I’ve been doing it in the morning, but I think I’m going to try some in the evening to see if I sleep better.

 -The Tai Chi-Qigong movements loosen me up, and that protects my body from severe pain. The tighter the muscles are, the more painful they are and the harder it is to move. So Tai chi helps me loosen up. One movement is especially good—it’s the very best. That’s Touching the Earth. Whenever I’m feeling some pain, I just stop and do it, and I feel better. I do it several times a day.

 -I’d say if you have fibromyalgia, don’t quit. If you’re doing the DVD, keep going until you finish the section you are on. You may have to stop for a little bit, but then you get up and finish that section. Don’t give up and don’t quit. You will feel better.

Back pain

-I used to have really serious back problems, and I was going to the chiropractor a couple of times a week just to try to keep my job. It was a lot of pain and stress. After I learned to do “touching the earth” at Tai Chi class, my problem was solved. I never go to the chiropractor any more. I just do Tai Chi. I feel a lot better, and it saves me a lot of money!

Diabetes

-As a diabetic, Tai Chi is very important. I need calm, and it reduces stress that compounds the problems of diabetes. If you are stressed, your blood pressure goes up. Tai chi helps me stay on an even keel with no ups and downs. It helps me get my problems in perspective because I can slow down and think clearly. It’s good for me because my glucose readings have come down, and I am able to be quiet with myself. It provides a consistency of exercise that I need. It makes me feel stronger, more calm, more energetic for all the possibilities a day offers.

Active Seniors

-I have always been interested inTai Chi and how beautiful it is, and so graceful, and I just wanted to be involved in it. I’m an active senior, and I enjoy the class. Being a senior is wonderful.

Improved Daily Activities

-Sister C.(active senior): I’m an 89-year-old nun, and I am very active. Before coming to class, I was frustrated because I could not reach down and put on my socks. Such a small thing is a big inconvenience. At the very first Tai Chi class I learned a bending over movement, and I have been able to put my socks on ever since! I’m so thankful!

Retirement

-Tai Chi and Qigong are the best partners you can have as you go into retirement years. I’m getting older and starting to realize that what is important is to focus each day on the things that really matter. Tai Chi helps me slow down after years of working hard and having a lot of stress in my life. It’s a way to exercise my muscles and my entire system in a way that is healthy and positive. It’s important to be able to create a unified sense of energy. Tai Chi is ideal for people like me who want to eat, be healthy and have a consistent exercise program that is suitable for our age and condition.

Stress

-The breathing is extremely important. It is something you can carry over to the rest of your day, breathing fully and deeply. As a diabetic, there are times when you are anxious. Instead of getting into a cycle of anxiety, you calm down and practice breathing. You breathe in and out. It brings your body to a more moderate place, and you return to normal.

Overall Health

-Tai Chi has helped me become a healthier person overall. I changed my diet and became more of a vegetarian. Not because anyone told me to but because I wanted to be healthier. Doing the slow movements and meditations helps you become calm so you can focus and tune into what your body needs. That has been an important component in stabilizing my blood sugar and opening me up to making changes. Because I can see for myself what my body needs. Doing the slow movements, I have time to explore what it means to be more connected to my body and to be able to connect to what I want to do for myself.

Invigorating exercise

-Tai Chi is an exercise that you do slowly, but it is a very vigorous workout. Afterward I feel tired but reinvigorated. It’s surprising how much exercise it provides. At the same time, it allows me to quiet my mind and focus on things that are important.

Positive Attitude

-Doing Tai Chi is different from doing other exercise. In exercise classes at the gym, everyone is complaining about their aches and pains. At Tai Chi, all the parts are working together, and there is a sense of wellbeing. You forget about your pains. It’s not like counting to ten while lifting an iron bar.

 -At first, when you do Tai Chi and Qigong, the changes in your body and mind seem subtle, but then when you do it for a while, you realize that they are quite dramatic. You realize it has a calming effect that enables you to be grateful. It creates a sense of gratitude for who you are, where you are in life, and what is important. You start counting the pluses and forget the negatives.

Meditation

-Doing the exercises forces you to concentrate on the present moment and what you are doing right now in that moment, moving and breathing. You think about what you are doing, and you don’t dwell on things that bothered you. You are thinking about the Universe and energy. You are doing the energy ball and movements that imitate things in nature, like animals and birds and clouds. It projects you into a new, positive place. Doing the meditations is like being in another zone, in a spiritual mode. Because you are seeking to find your place in the universe and balance your life in the world. You want a sense of connectedness to the world, to the universe and to people. You project inward in a peaceful way. You get energy from the Universe and from yourself. You use energy, but you get energy. It balances you and makes you feel whole.

Rehabilitation after injury

-A few months ago I had a knee injury that was very painful and slowed me down to a snail’s pace. I have been doing Tai Chi and Qigong for several years, and during the rehabilitation, my Tai Chi experience helped me tremendously. I was accustomed to moving slowly and knew the benefits. So emotionally I was much more ready to do the slow work I had to do. I already knew how to stand and move and shift my weight in a way that would not be painful or increase my injury. That helped me stay more active overall and recover more quickly. Doing slow, meditative movement helped me tune in to what was happening in my body, even in specific muscles and tendons. It was an amazing experience! I could feel the muscles changing and feel how specific exercises helped me move better from day to day. I could also sense when a movement or exercise was not working and when I needed to make a change. Because I was moving slowly, I was able to assess calmly and clearly what was going on and what I needed to do for myself. . I had no re-injury during my rehab, and that was fantastic. As I improved, I began doing more and more Tai Chi drills that we do in class, moving slowly, smoothly and safely. That helped me regain my strength and balance. As I improved, the Tai Chi movements helped me practice turning and moving safely in many different directions, building up my muscles and increasing my stability. My rehabilitation would have taken much longer if I had not been doing Tai Chi.