Tai chi is an important aspect of my life, bringing my body, mind and spirit into balance. As I have taught tai chi over the years, I have seen that balance as the outcome in students even when it was not their initial goal in taking the class.

Tai chi offers a groundedness and body sense to people who have been intellectuals and spiritual aspirants all their lives. People tell me that for the first time in their lives, they are really aware of their feet and how they are connecting with the earth. They begin to notice the subtle shifts in their bodies from day to day and from moment to moment. And--they begin to become more accepting of these variabilities in their bodies and they begin to celebrate the subtle changes that herald new awareness and new flexibility.

For students who have been athletes and body centered, tai chi often offers them a window into a stillness and a focus that they have not experienced previously. For the person who has primarily lived in their body, tai chi with its many steps and its attention to all aspects of the body in each move encourages them to really use their brains in a focused way. As they learn the form and begin to feel the flow of energy as they move through the form, there is a spiritual sense of total connectedness and completeness that is quite powerful. Body-centered people frequently tell me that they have never been able to sit still long enough to meditate but that they achieve a meditative state as they practice tai chi.

In addition to the enormous benefit of balance of mind, body, and spirit, tai chi also brings increased flexibility, decreased joint pain, and increased balance to practitioners. There are numerous studies supporting these claims.

As a family physician, I was so impressed with the studies (and changes in my own level of health), that I studied with Dr. Paul Lam, the developer of the Tai Chi for Health series of tai chi programs. I became a Master Trainer through him and taught over one hundred instructor workshops and spoke to many healthcare organizations until I retired in 2015.

For further information and instructors in your area, go to www.tchi.org (Tai Chi for Health Institute).