TAI CHI
Breathing with Flowing Movement

Tai Chi is the practice of slow, whole body movements coordinated with
deep breathing to enhance physical and emotional well being.

Improve your health.  Unravel stress and tension before they become pain.
Improve your balance, poise, coordination, and mental focus.

Tai Chi practice offers a gentle exercise that relaxes the body and quiets the mind. 
 

Where:

Elevate Arkansas
Wellness Center
      4th and Cross St. 
Little Rock, AR
Map 

Enter the door on the 4th street side
 of the building around the corner
from the Dempsey Bakery.
Come on up the stairs. 

www.elevatearkansas.com

When:

Advanced practice-
The entire form
Monday evenings 
5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Prior experience is required

-----------------
Beginner practice-
The first part of the form
Wednesday evenings 
 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
All are welcome
 

Cost: 

$8 / class 
The first class is free.
Come check it out. 

 What to Wear :
Come to class wearing ordinary flexible layered clothing you can move in and breathing is comfortable. 
Shoes are optional for the practice, but should give you stability. 

What to expect: 
Anyone can begin to learn Tai Chi at any time.  No experience or talent is necessary.  Pretty much, if you can get to class under your own power, you can do Tai Chi.  As you practice and learn the form, self-adjustments are natural and it gets easier to do without thought. 
The hour is a slow and easy practice of a set of movements coordinated with the breath.   
The Form is done slowly, deliberately, and smoothly with intention, attention, and relaxation. 

You can view the beginning sequence of the form at YouTube:
          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WytPzHwm5cs
 

 
Although Tai Chi is in fact a martial art, I practice the form for its health and well-being benefits.  The more I learn about it, the more I imagine how many people could improve their well being and quality of life through occasional practice.  

Here are links to see some of the benefits of practicing Tai Chi.  

 About Tai Chi  

US National Center on Complementary and Alternative Medicine- NCAM:
    http://nccam.nih.gov/health/taichi/

PREVENTION MAGAZINE:
   go to www.prevention.com  and search:  Tai Chi.   I saw 8 pages of results.

Stress and tensions build and accumulate within us over time.  It gets us knotted up here and there and leads to dis-ease, pain, and many kinds of health problems.  It's been established that doing some kind of regular breath-movement practice makes a person healthier, as a foundation for general health and well-being.  Breathing and circulation are improved and stresses are released.  Tai Chi practice is a great way of building health, strength, focus, and balance.    
 

 
About me:

In 2005, while volunteer teaching at the Hays Center in North Little Rock, I met Master Jeremy Fox and soon began learning this  variation of the Yang style of Tai Chi called the Han method.  I really enjoy the practice itself and always come away feeling healthier. 
I like practicing Tai Chi  outside and in nature.  It's a great experience.   Combining the form with breath awareness significantly improved the experience for me.  Sometimes practicing the form can be a moving meditation too, being in the flow of the form. 
I enjoy the benefits to health, balance, agility, and well-being the practice brings and I enjoy sharing it with others.