TCC In Physical Therapy

As a physical therapist and accredited Tai Chi Chih instructor, I’ve seen through teaching that TCC is effective for people with fatigue, balance problems or pain. I often pick one or two movements to address a specific condition. For instance, Working The Pulley can be used as a shoulder exercise that improves range of motion, gently awakens the rotator cuff without strain and coordinates the movement of the rib cage and shoulder girdle. In another instance, one client consistently reduced his headaches by doing TCC. The wonderful research using TCC has provided a great justification for its use in a rehab setting.

Many in my practice are dealing with chronic conditions or recovering from cancer treatment, so a modified class format fits well. Classes are 30 minutes and consist of teaching two moves and discussing a principle (softness, moving from the tan t’ien, an introduction to Chi). Many students learn only a few movements but still seem to enjoy the benefits. I am very grateful to my inspirational teacher, Ray Payne, who has taught at the clinic for years – and to Justin Stone for creating TCC.

A Long Perspective

Interview by Linda Robinson, Seattle, WA

Editor’s Note: The Bainbridge Island (Washington) Senior Center has a weekly T’ai Chi Chih group that has been meeting for about twenty years. It’s so popular that new students want to take the beginner’s class so they can join the ongoing group. The group’s founding teachers, Donna Moore (age 79) and Arlene Daisy Hobbs (age 90), were interviewed by their former student.

What sparked your interest to take your first TCC class?

Donna: When I retired from the federal government in 1985, I wanted to explore more right brain things, so I went to a personal growth retreat. Each morning participants warmed up with a 15-minute TCC session, and I was really taken by it. I then discovered that Lillian Susumi taught TCC on Bainbridge so I signed up for her class. And a group of students and I kept meeting to practice and stay connected.”

Daisy: I volunteered with a student in one of Lillian’s classes, and she encouraged me to join her and her friends. TCC was love at first sight.

What led you to teach TCC and when did you get accredited?

Donna:I also grew to love TCC. After retirement and after practicing for a good number of years, I knew that I really like teaching things that I like to do. So I went up to Vancouver to become accreditated in 1990 and started offering a quarterly class with the Bainbridge Parks Department.

Daisy: I felt TCC was a spiritual experience and that it was important to coordinate the body and feel at peace with the world. I did not intend to teach but you know Donna. She was very persuasive. Upon retirement (from teaching) I went to San Diego in the late 1990’s and took the training with Steve Ridley. Teaching TCC was much more tranquil than working with second graders. It really fulfilled a need I had at the time, and I received lots of encouragement.

You have been practicing and teaching for over twenty years. How has your own practice evolved?

Donna:It’s not just exercise; I get a deeper meditative calm from it. I’ve never been very good at sitting meditation because my mind is always galloping. But with TCC I could discipline this monkey mind while doing something useful with and for my body. It developed into a moving meditation.

Daisy: It’s a spiritual practice and a group activity – quiet, silent and inward. And once you’ve learned it and the body gets it, you can let go of your mind and body. It becomes its own inner force.

Is there anything you would like to share with beginners?

Donna: TCC keeps opening up like a rose. At the beginning it seems simple and unpretentious. And the more you get into it, the further you can go. It’s totally up to you. You can do it on any level you want to. It lets you discover the richness for you. I think that’s the essence of a spiritual practice. It’s like when Japanese talk about not “getting misled by the finger that points at the moon.” The finger is just guiding you to find your way. If students want to discover that kind of deepness, it’s there for them. And if they don’t want it, that’s okay too. I seek the point where TCC starts doing TCC, and I am flowing with it.

Daisy: Each beginner needs to understand how to relax and feel totally in the body. They need to accept small steps at first. With regular practice, the rest will come.

Since you’ve gotten older and had more experience with seated TCC, could you speak to the differences between standing and seated practice?

Donna:Seated TCC doesn’t work as well for me, but it’s better than nothing. It has some other benefits — like breathing. When you are sitting in bed or seated in a wheelchair, you have a tendency to not breathe deeply enough. With TCC, you’re moving forward and back so that your lungs are definitely getting some exercise. And the same thing with my legs: even though I wasn’t able to stand, I could press my feet into the floor and move the Chi through my legs. It’s important when you can’t walk that you feel some control, do some good things for your body. So TCC helped focus my mind and live with pain, but it also gave me some control in my life at a difficult time.

Daisy: I have been able to stand, but I have trouble with balance now. I can do the forward and back movements, but side-to-side movements are difficult. When I’m seated I still coordinate the feet (forward and back) with the upper body movement. It’s reassuring to have a chair when you have a balance problem. Don’t try to tough it out because this will lead to problems. You do want to keep moving. It’s important to your mindset, your emotions, your whole being – to be moving with others.

Donna: Continuing from what Daisy was saying about being in community when you’re not feeling well, or coming out of an illness or an accident, it doesn’t really matter how well you do TCC. It’s that you are there, with the energy and that you are doing it the best you can. This is why having a practice group is so meaningful. Teaching is almost secondary. The quiet, meditative breathing, being in community, that’s what I like. For elders, the point is we are showing up and doing something healthy and good for ourselves together.