Elderhostels Provide Teaching Opportunity

From: DEMING HEADLIGHT, Entitled, T’ai Chi Chih art part of recent Elderhostel, by Lynn Lind

Synopsis: This article features Cedar Crest, NM TCC teacher Beverly McFarland, who replaced Gene Box (now living in Seal Beach, CA) at the Elderhostel Program in Deming, NM. The article describes how McFarland came to practice and ultimately teach TCC.

Participants in a recent Elderhostel in Deming were treated to daily exercise session of T’ai Chi Chih (pronounced Tie-Chee-Chuh), taught by Beverly McFarland of Cedar Crest.

T’ai Chi Chih is a particularly relaxing form of exercise developed by Justin Stone of Albuquerque, [NM] in 1974. Stone, an American T’ai Chi Ch’uan Master, found people weren’t getting results from that discipline because they were unable to learn the 108 movements.

“He believed there should be a way that people could have just the essence of it so they could experience the benefits right away – in a matter of weeks,” McFarland said.

“The movements that became T’ai Chi Chih started coming to Stone, and he found they worked quite well. Stone had amazing results,” said McFarland, who studies the art with Stone.

McFarland is now an accredited T’ai Chi Chih instructor, who has been teaching it for about three years, and studying it for six years. She said she came to T’ai Chi Chih through a series of dreams.

“I was doing these movements, but 10 feet up in the air under ancient trees,” McFarland said. “They were totally joyful, serene dreams and I woke up feeling enlivened.”

The dreams continued about one every six weeks until she had the dream two nights in a row. That’s when she began looking for something to give her an explanation.

“I found a flyer here on the mountain where I live,” she said. “I found out that T’ai Chi Chih means ‘joy through movement.’ That was the essence of my dream.”

As an instructor, McFarland said she’s worked with students who have lowered their cholesterol and their blood pressure by doing nothing different except T’ai Chi Chih. The exercise is also credited with increasing bone density and being easy and relaxing to do, making it attractive to senior citizens.

One of the first things T’ai Chi Chih does is restore balance. McFarland said she once taught the 19 movements an one posture to a blind woman. “I taught with my eyes closed so I would know how to describe it to her,” McFarland said. “At first I was very insecure, but as I progressed, my balance was restored. So I have experienced that first hand.”