Free Inside the Chi

Teaching at Folsom Prison

By Judy Tretheway

At Folsom Prison the Tai Chi Chih (TCC) class is held inside a peaceful chapel on the edge of a crowded, noisy exercise yard. To get inside I must pass through innumerable clanging gates, past cramped tiny cells, and weave my way through inmates and guards, both surly and friendly. As female, alone and free, I stand out, but few pay much attention to my presence. Everything is different than my “normal” life. Everything, that is, except the vitally serene flow of the chi as we practice together.

The Tai Chi Chih students are all captive men, shunned and set aside from my world outside the high walls and watch towers. Men with pasts and futures I don’t know about and would rather not speculate upon. The contrast between us is so great – Yin and Yang. I, a female and alone. They, male and so many. I, free to come and go. They, locked up for years and years. I can practice at the ocean, on a mountain top or in my garden. They practice in the shoulder wide space between their bunks, the toilet and the bars. I can wear any color except blue. They are all dressed alike. I can express myself and speak to any topic. They are reserved, cautious.

Yet the reason we are together is the same reason we all love and practice TCC. Together we find a sanctuary within the temple of our bodies. Together we rock and nurture our emerging selves. Together we seek a sense of harmony amid the chaos of our lives and our circumstances.

Their struggles and joy with the moves are no different than those of my students outside the bars. Although their bodies may be stiff and battered, their chi and teh (power of inner sincerity) is strong. They practice. They are appreciative and eager for coaching.

I am grateful to my captive audience. They have stimulated and nurtured my growth as a teacher. The experience has added greatly to my sense of self as a unique manifestation of the whole where we are all one.

Having no expectations or demands over me they stimulate my personal expansion. They teach me to carry limitations with dignity. They demonstrate how important it is to be able to develop inner resources and practice inner freedom within external restrictions. They are living, breathing examples of potential personal transformation within deeply challenging circumstances. They manifest the strength and potential healing power of the chi. They have taught me about unconditional love, about serenity amidst the storm, about persistent patience, about forgiveness and being non-judgmental. I have learned about strength and softness, about vulnerability and will, about manifesting and letting go, from an entirely different perspective. While suffering may be inevitable in each of our lives, misery is optional. Each of us can realize our potential no matter what our outside circumstances.

When I am at Folsom Prison I am fully alive in the divine flow of the chi and I am grateful for the opportunity to grow and practice with these gentlemen. I am both pleased and proud to represent the TCC community of teachers. Thank you for the opportunity.