A Seated Model for Semi-Independent Seniors

Justin Stone first taught ‘seated’ T’ai Chi Chih (TCC) in 1975. The opportunity for teaching this modified version of TCC is increasing as the demand for ‘seated’ as well as regular TCC expands, providing a venue in the medical and rehabilitation sectors as well as retirement communities, residence inns, and care facilities.

For the last seven months I have taught ‘seated’ T’ai Chi Chih to semi-independent seniors at the Cupertino-Sunnyvale Senior Day Care Services on a volunteer basis. I teach an hour-long class Monday through Thursday – two days at the Cupertino Center and two days at the Sunnyvale Center.

Recently, I wrote Justin Stone about the class format I developed for teaching ‘seated’ TCC to the frail elderly. I wanted to make sure I was on the right track. He wrote back, encouraging me to share the development of my class format with other teachers through VFJ.

The staff at both Senior Day Centers have provided guidance in understanding the limitations of these semi-independent seniors, making sure that both their shortened attention span and their physical capabilities are honored. This means that the class hour is broken into segments for these frail elderly students (average class size is 15 or more).

Class Format

First, Read for 3-5 minutes to get them settled down. The criteria: something short that is either uplifting, informative, newsworthy, or spiritually inspiring. Sources often used are: Stone’s photo-text or books, poetry, articles in VFJ, Richard Brier’s Sacred Stories for Remembrance. Also medical journals, newspaper and magazine articles, and studies addressing the validity of T’ai Chi. For variety and enrichment, I occasionally show segments from the video of “Interviews with Justin Stone and Carmen – T’ai Chi Chih Joy Thru Movement” from the PBS series. Then students can identify with who Justin Stone and Carmen Brocklehurst are when I refer to them.

Second, Preparing Semi-Independent Seniors for Movement: Chinese massages presented by Stone in Seijaku and a few rotation warm-ups for loosening up the lower torso gently prepare this senior population for movement. The staff at the Centers — who conduct the regular exercise programs — say that the warm-ups are an important preparation in readying these seniors to do TCC moves. They are different enough from the TCC form to serve as their own segment (which helps in dealing with the shortened attention span), yet they provide an important transition into the TCC form.

Third, the TCC form. Most days they get through all the movements (usually 6 rotations on each side – we don’t always do all of the taffies) and have worked up to about 20-25 minutes of continuous movement. It was hard at first to get them to move for more than 5 minutes. They were not used to moving their arms in a soft, patterned way, nor were they used to moving from the hips (tan t’ien).

The build up of practice time and the learning has taken place over several months. Being able to work with them twice a week has been key in implementing the program. (Sometimes, I work the form backward, starting with movement #19 – to check their attention span and to provide variety.) Students will not become bored if the program is conducted in segments, allowing variability in the class format if interest and attention lag. For instance, standing up in the middle of the circle to lead the movement, rotating slowly inspires them to try just a little harder to keep going, as they become tired!

Teaching tip: Verbal cueing is very important in order to keep the pattern going, to keep the hips, wrists, and feet moving. Many students in this population group need additional “hands on” help to learn the movement patterns. (There is a wide range of conditions among the frail elderly, e.g., (strokes, terminal illnesses, Alzheimer’s, heavily medicated students who fall asleep, and much more are all part of the population base being taught.) Ask for staff assistance, if the class is especially large, for those who need prompting or help to get a movement going. In my class, students are always seated in a circle for the entire hour. Instructing from the center in a straight-backed chair with no arms, students are verbally cued after each movement to relax their abdomens and return their focus to the soles of their feet.

Fourth: Concluding with Visualization Meditation. After each practice session, the hour is concluded with visualization/meditation. Students are asked to close their eyes and place their attention at the ‘soles of their feet’ – the ‘Bubbling Spring’. They are then instructed to create a ‘bubbling spring’ of energy at the ‘soles of their feet’ with their imagination and take it up into their body and out the top of the head, bringing it back down and out through the “soles of their feet.” After this, they are asked to visualize a waterfall and to allow it to flow over them as well as through them; then let the boundaries dissolve for just a few moments and become the waterfall. These two visualizations last about ten minutes, providing a nice way for students to sit and absorb chi while releasing any remaining tension from the body!

Fifth, an addition which I use for variety is “Healing With Joy”. After having read the chapter on chanting from Heightened Awareness to students, we have started singing “Healing With Joy” occasionally, when accompaniment is available. One of the staff plays the guitar and sings, and we all join in.

End Notes: I also use music during certain portions of this hour-long program. Students seem to be able to relax more (be softer) when there is ambient music during practice time.

This program was developed to satisfy a specific teaching situation. It incorporates ideas learned from attending Teacher’s Conferences, Meditation/Seijaku Retreats and reading Justin Stone’s books. In developing this class format, it became clear that there is a need for appropriate and sanctioned teaching aids (including video instruction) for ‘seated’ TCC to provide teachers with specific guidelines for teaching ‘seated’ TCC. I believe that in the medical and rehabilitation settings especially, ‘seated’ TCC may well be able to function as the bridge to regular TCC.

Please write to Justin of your interest in and desire to contribute ideas about ‘seated’ TCC.