Innumerable Blessings Of TCC

As I looked at my “brother” across the table at our favorite coffee shop, I realized how blessed I am and how much T’ai Chi Chih has enriched my life. You see, he’s not actually my brother but you would never know that in my family. He has become one of us and must be at family gatherings or my grandchildren ask where “Uncle” Bart is. We met 12 years ago at TCC. Several of my closest friends are those I’ve met in class. This is just one of many blessings.

I’ve struggled with high blood pressure all my adult life but have been able to lower it 30 points in 10 minutes, from 150 to 120, just by doing some of my favorite TCC movements.

Another “miracle” of TCC has been the ability to manage pain. About five years ago I was hospitalized on a Friday with acute pancreatitis, a very serious, often fatal condition. I was told that tiny gallstones were falling through the canal into my pancreas and infecting it. Long story short, the consensus was that I might be hospitalized for a very long time. Another doctor later told me that most people with this type of illness are often in the hospital for months – but I was home Monday afternoon, exactly three days after admission. I had surgery at 10 p.m. on Sunday and was home walking around 15 hours later, pain free.

Pancreatitis causes unbelievable pain. Although they did give me medication in the hospital, I sincerely believe that prayer and my constant mental TCC were what enabled me to get through the illness and home so quickly. Not only is the physical practice invaluable, the mental practice is also very effective – a wonderful discovery.

Another time I was at the dentist’s office for a root canal and he couldn’t get my mouth to numb. He gave me more and more medication, but it didn’t seem to work. Apparently the adrenaline was fighting the medication and he said he couldn’t give me any more shots. I asked him to give me 10 minutes and when he returned about 15 minutes later, my mouth was totally numb. When he asked how I had done that, I explained I had done an entire TCC practice mentally and had finally been able to achieve numbness. I never felt a thing through the entire procedure.

I’ve received so many blessings like these and am living proof that the benefits of TCC are innumerable. The practice has been a wonderful part of my life for 12 years and will be for the rest of my life. I just got off the phone with my friend Judy, who spent Thanksgiving with us. Guess where we met? Absolutely: TCC. We will be getting together again tomorrow as we do each week.

One of the biggest blessings for all of us in the Martinez Kaiser Permanente TCC class is our fantastic instructor, Wendy Helms. She exudes the essence of TCC and exemplifies what the practice is all about. She is well loved by all of us. We should all be steadfast in spreading the word. What a world of peace we would have if everyone were introduced to TCC.