Alzheimer’s and T’ai Chi Chih

Recently I was invited to give a T’ai Chi Chih presentation by a lady named Judy who was overseeing a group of ten people who had the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s. The group included retired medical doctors, lawyers, and others who had been important and successful in their professional fields. They were in the beginning stages of the disease, and I was told that Alzheimer’s was irreversible and generally lasted from three to 20 years. I knew nothing about it besides having heard of the memory loss and the devastation it brings to the families involved.

All I really approached the situation with was a deep faith in the power of the Chi (the life-energy) as manifested in the precious jewel of movements known as T’ai Chi Chih, also called Joy Thru Movement. I’ve been practicing daily and teaching since 1980 and I firmly know that T’ai Chi Chih is a very simple, powerful and effective tool for self-healing, whether physical, emotional, mental or spiritual. I really didn’t know what to expect at the presentation; I just knew from experience that the balancing, stimulating, and circulating of the Chi via T’ai Chi Chih often made the miraculous commonplace. The Chinese have a saying: “With the cultivating of the Chi, all things are possible.” When I arrived, I told them about the possibility of cultivating the Chi, that was available to them, and that it could help them physically, with their balance for instance, and otherwise.

At the beginning they were quite wobbly on their feet. I mentioned that was often the case with beginners, because for many moving slowly with awareness was a brand new experience. They seemed to particularly respond when I gave them visualizations of nature, mentioning the spacious sky, the rooted tree reaching to heaven, the rhythmic ocean flowing, the golden warm sunlight.

As we all moved together I used these words and images, watching their reactions closely. I also taught them to move through very heavy air, effortlessly. I spoke slowly, moved with them slowly and encouraged them. Their movements didn’t conform very much to mine but that didn’t matter. For they were flowing a bit and some were softly smiling. I finished the presentation by asking them to sit and then thanking them for inviting me there. They applauded and I began to leave. Judy, who had invited me there, thanked me graciously and said she’d speak to her advisor about the possibility of an ongoing class. She also thanked me for not treating the group with condescension or judgment. She said the people really liked me, she could tell, and that the T’ai Chi Chih and I brought a really calming influence to the group.

A week passed and then Judy called and said they had decided to hire me. It was to be a 50-minute class each Tuesday morning 11 – 11:50 a.m. At the second class all ten people were there. They all had name tags, which made it easier to connect. I led them through the first two movements of T’ai Chi Chih and the basic stance only. We did many repetitions as I reminded them that the circulation and balancing of the Chi was the key point. I wrote on the blackboard in large print: “The Chi is omnipotent.”

During the class, I quoted Albert Einstein:

“Imagination is more important than knowledge.”

Immediately one of the Alzheimer’s group, a bearded gentleman, said,

“And there is no knowledge without imagination!”

He said it with passion and a rich smile. I thanked him for sharing his insight. The group energy appeared much more present than in the presentation. And they were doing the movements more cohesively. It was intense and fun for me. We ended with me thanking them and reminding them that practicing was the key to improved functioning, coordination and balance.

At the end of the class, Judy, the director told all of us that the previous class had taught her something unique in her experience. She usually goes home exhausted, but the night of the presentation class, she was filled with energy. She took her daughter out for dinner and a movie and only later remembered the T’ai Chi Chih class. Bingo! She was very impressed with how energized she felt and now she really knew what I was talking about. At the third class, I gave them a review of the first two movements, Rocking Motion and Bird Flaps Its Wings, along with the basic stance. Everyone seemed to enjoy him or her self, and some of the people were doing the movements more smoothly with better balance.

It has only been three classes but I’m enthused and feel that this may be something very new with many possibilities for those with Alzheimer’s disease. Above all, it is the animating principle, the Chi, which, when consciously cultivated, bring about a whole new dimension to the healing process.

Source: NM TCC News, December ’96