I have been studying the ancient art of tai chi, more correctly called taijichuan, for over 50 years. In this 8-week self-paced class I will be distilling what I have learned in that time that can benefit our physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. You will leave the class with a short movement practice that will last the rest of your life.

Harvard Medical School has this to say about tai chi:

Although tai chi is slow and gentle and doesn’t leave you breathless, it addresses the key components of fitness — muscle strength, flexibility, balance, and, to a lesser degree, aerobic conditioning. Here’s some of the evidence:

Tai chi can improve both lower-body strength and upper-body strength. When practiced regularly, tai chi can be comparable to resistance training and brisk walking.

Although you aren’t working with weights or resistance bands, the unsupported arm exercise involved in tai chi strengthens both the lower and upper extremities and also the core muscles of the back and abdomen, and can boost upper and lower body flexibility as well as strength.

Tai chi improves balance and, according to some studies, reduces falls. Proprioception — the ability to sense the position of one’s body in space — declines with age. Tai chi helps train this sense. Fear of falling can make you more likely to fall; some studies have found that tai chi training helps reduce that fear.

Of all tai-chi’s big benefits, having better balance is the best-documented in medical literature. Studies show that older adults who do hour-long tai chi sessions one to three times a week are 43% less likely to fall, and they cut their risk of injury in half.

Tai chi can help reduce age-related cognitive decline, and even slow dementia. In 82% of studies, tai chi greatly improved mood and lowered anxiety. Plus, it was shown to be an effective treatment for depression.

Tai chi may offer advantages over other types of aerobic exercise, especially for people who are sedentary or very out of shape. And that’s not all. It also lowers blood pressure and total cholesterol, reduces chronic inflammation, and tones the sympathetic nervous system.

Tuition: $200
Format: 8 Weeks.
Dates and Times: Mondays 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm PT, starting April 25th through June 20th (No class on May 30th).
Translation: Spanish (Simultaneous)
Registration Contact: Stella Estevez/Stellaestevez@msia.org

Register Here

Course Curriculum: 

• • Chapter One: Relax
  • Chapter Two: Release
  • Chapter Three: Connect
  • Chapter Four: Allow
  • Chapter Five: Follow
  • Chapter Six: Listen
  • Chapter Seven: Soften
  • Chapter Eight: Open

We can assist a person out of their grief by curing them with joy.
Joy isn’t something where you say, “Okay, let’s have joy,” although that can work.
It’s more about accessing enough joy inside so that it starts trickling out.
Joy bubbles up and can make the body move and transform, and that’s extremely important.

John-Roger, DSS

Happiness cannot be traveled to,
owned, earned, worn or consumed.
Happiness is the spiritual experience
of living every minute with love,
grace, and gratitude.

Denis Waitley