A Quick Convert

In only a few short weeks, my experience of T’ai Chi Chih has given me a lifetime of value. I’ve long relied upon basic principles of meditation to help reduce stress and better focus my thoughts. But TCC has taken that to a new and exciting level. Frankly, TCC has proven more accessible to me than meditation, especially within the context of my busy life. That is, I don’t always have the time or inclination to devote to concentrated meditation. But TCC can be practiced almost anytime, anywhere, to any degree, and the meditative nature of the movements themselves help engender similar feelings of calm, relaxation, and balance. Furthermore, through periodic practice, I find myself more in control of my posture, my alignment, and my overall disposition. It’s as if the rhythms of my movements are softer, more in harmony, and more serene.

We are flooded day and night with noise – society goads us constantly to buy, consume, view, listen, act and react. I find TCC to be inherently quiet – disconcertingly so at first. But through practice, I feel this quietness will have an ever-more profound effect on me. Still in the early stages of learning, I know that over time, TCC offers the promise of balance and sanity. I know it can enhance my health and vitality. And eventually, I believe it will help me channel my energies toward positive change for myself and those around me.

Crouching With Impunity

By Laurenda Messer, TOWN, STATE

My venture into the world of T’ai Chi Chih began at the suggestion of my physician. As I entered my sixties I found that whenever I crouched down – to garden or scrub a floor, for instance – I would gently topple over. I wasn’t dizzy; it was more like there’d been a subtle loss of muscle tone.

After joining Donna Tiroly’s TCC class for a few months, I noticed that I no longer toppled over. I don’t pretend to understand the mechanism. Maybe muscle tone did gradually improve with the gentle exercises. Maybe a gradually increasing awareness of my physical self in a spatial sense helped. I don’t know. But I can now crouch (and rise from a crouch) with impunity. And my posture is much improved, possibly because “lead with the T’an T’ien” is a more effective instruction than “stand up straight.”

These are positive and pragmatic reasons that I’m glad I started TCC classes, but I’ve found a larger, unexpected, and more difficult to articulate benefit as well. Once the movements have been learned so that the conscious mind doesn’t have to be busy remembering them, it can enjoy the sensations experienced in doing the movements. It is freed to feel what it feels like, and that is an experience that brings about an entirely new perception of TCC and its purpose. 

I suspect most people begin TCC as a means to an end, but for some of us the practicing becomes an end in itself.

Chronic Fatigue Reduced

By Margie Cala, TOWN, STATE

I started T’ai Chi Chih three years ago when looking for something I was able to do physically. I’ve had Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome (CFIDS) for twenty years. Hallmark symptoms include fatigue (very low stamina and endurance), muscle and joint pain, and post exertional malaise. I tried T’ai Chi Chu’an but found that it made me feel worse. TCC accommodates my physical limitations and makes me feel like I’m helping my body heal. I believe it enhances my immune system function by circulating the energy, helping me to cope with the disease, and by replacing stress with serenity. The meditative movements center me, improve my balance, and sharpen my focus. My Instructor, Donna Tiroly, offers weekly classes through the local recreation department, which keeps me on track and motivates me to practice daily. If I skip daily practice, I feel like something is missing.