Tai Chi Classes for Health in South Miami Florida

Animals do it. Plants do it. We all do it.  Stretching that is.  

Stretching is an act of nature.  Place a plant in the shade and soon its leaves will be stretching to reach the light.  Tree roots stretch to drink water running deep in the earth.  A balled-up napping cat unfurls into wakefulness.

From reaching for items on a high shelf to bending over to tie shoes to looking back to reverse the car, stretching is an essential part of our daily lives.  And as we age, the muscles tend to tighten and joints stiffen, making stretching difficult and uncomfortable. 

A regular stretching program will elongate muscles and increase flexibility while at the same time relax the mind and dissolve stress and tension in the body.  Balance and posture are also enhanced through extending the torso and limbs.

Another benefit of stretching is the clearing of blockage in the meridian system, channels that carry vital chi (energy) throughout the body.   According to Chinese medicine, health is compromised when energy flow becomes stagnate.  Stretching with coordinated breathing stimulates chi circulation, supporting the self-healing capacity of the body.

Health enthusiasts will have an opportunity to experience a stretching program designed to move you beyond physical limitations to a poised body full of vigor and ease as Abide in Chi presents Chinese Yoga with Healing Qi on October 17.  

Developed by the Health Preservation Association under the direction of Grandmaster Jiang Jian-ye, this simple ten-form exercise combines Tai Chi, Chi Kung (Qigong), stretching, breathing, and balance with the concepts of meridian theory and Taoism.

In the three-hour workshop, students will engage in standing, natural flowing stretches, increase awareness of the body’s energy network and come to appreciate the role of stretching in our fitness and well-being.   

The form consists of gentle stretches and twists that massage internal organs, extend joints and muscles and improve energy, blood and oxygen circulation.  Chinese Yoga with Healing Qi is a very simple but highly effective form that can be practiced anytime, anywhere in limited space without a mat.  No prior yoga, tai chi or qigong experience needed.

The workshop will be held Saturday, October 17, 2009, from 2-5 p.m. at Ibeyond Pilates, 13825 S. Dixie Hwy, Miami, FL 33176.  $80 by September 17, 2009  (includes refreshments and bonus HPA T-Shirt . $100 after September 17 (doesn’t include T-Shirt). To register and for more information, visit www.abideinchi.com or call 305-343-6365.

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Swaying Bamboo creates flute like sounds that drift in the air.   Beneath the canopy of the heaven-reaching plants, people are performing the ancient exercise of Tai Chi.

This scene is not being played out in a park in China, but in Miami-Dade Parks’ Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead.   Every Saturday a group meets in the park’s Bamboo Garden to rejuvenate their bodies, relax their minds and recharge their spirits.  

People performing Tai Chi in parks is an everyday occurrence in China, but the scene is becoming common place in the West as more are people are embracing the practice that promotes mental quietude, increases muscular strength, improves flexibility and body structure and manages energy flow.

Outdoor practice is essential to the art as it enables participants to intentionally exchange chi (energy) with their environment.  This exchange of energy is vital to health.

According to Chinese medicine, there is a life force that animates all living beings __ humans, animals, plants, minerals, etc…  We are born with this force and store it in our bodies.  We also draw it from food, herbs, and the air.   If we have a healthy supply of chi circulating unimpeded throughout our bodies, our health is enhanced.

Interacting with nature gives Holly Gervais a greater sense of well being.   She’s been attending the Fruit and Spice Park Tai Chi class for the past 18 months and doesn’t view it as just physical exercise but also mental and spiritual fitness.

“It’s a mind, body, spirit connection and that’s important to me,” Gervais said. “It’s like being connected with your essence.”

Known as meditation in motion, Tai Chi is an enjoyable way to reduce stress and lift your spirit.  Requiring mental concentration and deep breathing, the exercise quiets the mind and generates oxygen throughout the body, inducing relaxation, increasing energy flow and clearing stress.

Parks’ scenery makes them the ideal place to practice meditative exercises.  Radiant greenery, colorful floral and open spaces invite visitors to give up a noisy cluttered mind for serene beauty.  Parks’ sound track — rustling leaves, running streams, cooing birds and other wildlife calls — is often captured on relaxation cds. 

The Fruit and Spice Park Tai Chi class performs the graceful, circular movements among clusters of naturally polished Bamboo.  When the wind blows, the plants bend and crackle making soothing sounds. 

Jose Imbert, 38, joined the Tai Chi class in April 2009.   He practices the exercise at home as well but prefers the park setting. 

“I like the fact that you’re outdoors, one with nature,” Imbert said.  “Indoors is an artificial environment.  It’s all brick, unless you have a plant in your room.”

Editor’s note:  The Fruit and Spice Park Tai Chi class is held Saturdays from 11 a.m.-12 p.m. at 24801 SW 187 Avenue, Homestead, FL  33031.   For more information on Tai Chi, visit www.abideinchi.com  

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As many of you, I have chosen to take a more active role in my well being.  I define well being to include physical, mental and spiritual health.  That is why I practice and teach Tai Chi, a holistic approach to wellness.

Originating out of China, Tai Chi is an ancient martial art that cultivates and manages the flow of Chi, the life force (energy) animating all living beings.  The Chinese believe that when we have a strong supply of energy circulating unimpeded through the body our health and vitality are enhanced.

Using slow circular movements that stimulate the internal organs and open the joints, Tai Chi allows Chi to flow uninhibited throughout the body.  The movements, engaging all major muscle groups and deep breathing, provide aerobic activity, mental relaxation and strength and endurance conditioning.

Since beginning the practice of Tai Chi in 2003, I feel more alive in my body.  I sense energy radiating in my being.  My posture and balance have improved.  My joints turn with ease and there is springiness in my steps.

At the age of 44, I feel more athletic and graceful than I did when I was in my 20s.   I wish the modern dance teacher who told me I was “uncoordinated “ could see me now as I float through movements that require proper body alignment as I kick in the air, carry the tiger and push the mountain.  

In addition to the healthy and joyful physical activity, Tai Chi has helped me to achieve a deeper sense of connectedness.  Known as meditation in motion, Tai Chi calms the mind, drawing attention to the inner essence.   My mind, body and spirit unite, enabling me to sense the energy that permeates all life.  This brings me peace and a feeling of belongingness.   

For more information on Tai Chi visit www.abideinchi.com.

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