What T’ai Chi Chih Did for Me (March 2001)

My husband and I had been talking about taking T’ai Chi together for awhile. We decided that January 2000 was a great time to finally do it. So we went to the Community Center where they were offering classes for T’ai Chi Chih. We wanted to do something that was simple and not too physical.

T’ai Chi Chih is not only relaxing, giving me a better sense of physical balance, but it’s also given me a better mental balance. People I see daily as well as those I only see occasionally keep commenting how relaxed and calm I seem to be and look. I work with Children who have challenging behaviors and learning difficulties such as ADHD. I noticed right away that just by visualizing the movements in my head, such as Pulling in the Energy or Push Pull, it had a calming affect. I found that I could do this even while driving and still be very alert but calm and relaxed too. When I’m helping the children do their schoolwork they can get frustrated, which sometimes can be frustrating for me. When this happens now we stop and do deep breathing followed by the Six Healing Sounds. The children have even come up with some of their own sounds. They’re spending more time on the schoolwork and less on complaining about it.

Meditation is just as much a part of my morning routine now as showering and dressing are. I first started with a goal I knew I could hold to of just one to two minutes several times a week and I still thought, I’ll never get through this. I now do 15-20 minutes daily and I can’t believe how quickly the time goes by! On the few days I wasn’t able to commit, I found myself not able to focus as well and spinning off in too many directions. I have a much better quality of work and accomplish more. I have learned how to sit and focus on one thought at a time, which has given me a sense of clarity I’ve never known before. I look forward to the many benefits from T’ai Chi Chih still ahead of me.

– Judith Rivera