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The Goderich Signal-Star, 1986-09-03, Page 17St Com uni *Entertainment *Features *Religion *Family .More Tai C i te ch ving me itation Slow movements of Tai Chi improve health and reduce stress BY SUSAN HUNHERTMARK If you found yourself on a Sunday morn- ing in the basement of the Blyth Festival Theatre, you'd discover bodies moving slowly, simply and silently in almost perfect symmetry, doing a beautiful soundless dance to the rhythm of their own breathing. Faces would be calm but eyes would be glazed over in concentration. Movements would be so easy that you'd think they were done unconsciously...until the end of a learned sequence when students would drop out and teachers would help•them to improve known movements and learn new ones, Since the beginning of July this summer, Tai Chi, an ancient Chinese art that is believed to improve health, reduce stress, and aid concentration and self-defence, has been taught in Blyth to as many as 12 students a class by instructors from a Stratford chapter of the Taoist Tai -Chi Society of Canada. "The class is for people looking for something more than a straight exercise 'system," says instructor Marsha Eberhardt. Tai Chi is a sequence of slow, natural movements specifically designed to im- prove one's health by reducing bodily ten- sion, improving circulation and breathing and calming the heart and mind. In each movement, the entire body is ex- ercised in a balanced, harmonious way so that there is no undue strain or over- emphasis on any particular part of the body and no part that doesn't eventually benefit. It's an exercise that's gentle enough for the aged yet challenging enough for those in good physical shape. As a martial art, it teaches self-defence postures to improve reflexes, coordination and the ability to. use the whole body to turn aside an attack. And, because it relieves stress, it's been called "moving meditation." -You have to concentrate to do it so you can't think about anything else but the Tai Chi. That way you can unwind while you're doing it," says Eberhardt. "You start physically and it eventually becomes more internal' until something happens on an emotional level, I've watch- ed some students start 'out tense and jerky and seen them relaxing by the .end of the class," she says. Eberhardt says that after taking Tai Chi herself for two and a half years, she has - stopped a 30 year habit of biting her nails. sties also felt a quiet change of developing self-confidence and the control of choosing an action rather than immediately, reac- ting to a situation. • "Having to physically take control of your body during the movements helps you take control of yourself in all areas," she says. Tai Chi was developed by the Taoist monk Cheung Sam Fung in the 14th cen- tury and is now practised by millions of people across China . as well as across North America. , The instructors from Stratford have learned from the Taoist Tai Chi Associa- tion in Toronto which was founded in 1970 by Moy Lin -Shin, a Taoist monk from Hong Kong. The association is non-profit and in- structors are not paid for teaching the classes. Fees of $5 a class cover rent for the facilities where the class is taught and mileage for the instructors. • 'Mr. Moy felt it was something you give to others,' not something to sell: The association is made up'of people helping p g others to learn Tai Chi," says Eberhardt. Though she'd been taking aerobics classes which was hard work, sometimes painfully so, Eberhardt says she tried Tai Chi when she had the chance in Stratford and enjoyed every minute of it. "After 10 minutes of Tai Chi, you feel sweat on your face. It's a workout all right but it's not painful. Doing Tai Chi, you try to open up your whole body so that all your energy and blood is flowing and you move all your joints. It's really good for seniors who can't take aerobics," she says. And, unlike many exercises, Tai Chi is non-competitive and something that every individual does at his or her own speed. "The more you do the better you get and I haven't found one pupil that wasn't good at one aspect of it. But, being better than someone else is meaningless with Tai Chi. I'm doing it everyday because I want to, because it makes me feel changes in myself that I like," she says. Tai Chi is based on holistic health which recognizes a link between the health of mind and body. According to ancient Chinese wisdom, tension blocks the natural flow of energy (chi) through the body. Tai Chi movements work specifical- ly to remove those blocks and restore a proper balanced circulation of chi allowing the body to regain a healthy state. "It's so simple but so complex. It's multi -leveled and you could go on learning about it forever," says Eberhardt. ' Learning the 108 moves in the first se- quence of Tai Chi takes approximately a year after a student has learned both where to place his body and how to flow with the movements. After a year and a half, most Tai Chi stents, have reached an intermediate stageand are ready to start teaching beginners. "We started as beginners in Stratford with an instructor from Toronto and we're trying to build up our own club. We hope that by teachingTai Chi to people in Blyth, they can start up their own club and teach other interested people. Teaching is one of . the best ways of learning even more about Tai Chi," she says. Another teacher Sharon Devenish says she's become stronger both physically and emotionally after doing Tai Chi for two and a half years. w"It's great stuff and you get to know the moves so well you're on automatic pilot with your mind and spirit resting," "Since I've been doing it, the flow of my life is easier. I'm more honest with myself, I. think I like myself better and I have more peace of . mind. And, because it's.,.done in silence; you learn a lot, about yourself," she says. She also says she feels and , looks healthier with softer skin. In Stratford, there are four instructors and approximately 30 people taking Tai Chi lessons. But the instructors often go to the association's centre in Orangeville where they learn more about Tai Chi. "When you're doing a set with 50 people, it feels wonderful. There's no sound but you're very aware of what everyone is do- ing around you -and everyone does the whole sequence at the same time," she says. Claire Powers, of Brussels, who's been taking the classes since they began in Blyth, says she became interested in Tai • because had friends who studied it. Actor David Craig works through a Tai Chi sequence during a Sunday morning lesson in the • Chi found it she had iehow simple the 'Blyth Festival Theatre basement. Craig, who has been practising Tai Chi for more than four movements are and I like that it's quiet months, is one of 12 students who have been taking the lessons offered since the beginning of and elow-moaing. It's not a bunch of t July in Blyth. (photo by Susan Hundertmark) jump- ing around — I've always had trouble with Jane Fonda," she says. Turn toPag e 2 • POSTSCRIPT By Susan Hundertmark Local couple'g horse brings home WorldChampionship BY PAUL HARTMAN When Dianne and Phil Foster videotaped the performance of their Golden American Saddlebred, the Flying Doctor, at the World Championships in Ohio, in 1985, they weren't looking to cap- ture the moment. They were hoping to pick up some of the flaws in the routine and cor- rect them. "We finished third last year and hoped that by videotaping the performance we could move up this year," says Dianne. The technique worked and after a fur- ther year of training, The Flying Doctor returned to the World Championships and captured first place in the parade class -of the performance division —the first time a ,Canadian -owned Golden American Sad- dlebred has ever won a performance class at the World Championships. The victory earned The Flying Doctor a coveted cham- pionship blue ribbon and a sterling silver chaffing bowl. . The Championships were held in Colum- bus Ohio in conjunction with the Ohio State Fair. The Doctor won his championship on Tuesday, August 12 and by Friday was in Toronto at the C.N.E, competing at a similar show. He won a performance class therms well. On Saturday, Miss C.N.E. presented the Fosters with a dozen roses in recognition of their victory and that night a party was thrown in their —and the Doctor's— honour, With the victory, the Doctor remains undefeated in competition this season. Dianne bought the horse at a show in Kentucky three years ago when he was four. "I'd always wanted a, really good parade horse," she explains, '`ever since I was a youngster and saw a woman leading the Dungannon Parade on a beautifuly •parade horse. The Doctor is originally from the Dianne Foster poses with her horse the plying D' etor. The Doctor to wiul n a arpmanrmance division of the championships. (photos by McLure Stables in Iowa, an establishment recently competed in the Golden American Saddlebred World Turn to page 3 • • Championships in Ohio and became the first Canadian -owned horse • I'm mourning for summer The end of August at the beach has a feeling of quiet melancholy for me this year. I spent a few hours in the beautiful weather on Labor Day walking on the pier and like everyone else, I was slowly sipping in the last delicious drops of an all -too -short summer season. Like me, it seemed the die-hard sun- bathers that sprinkled the beach were soaking in the final rays of summer sun, the windsurfers were racing across the water on the final summer breeze, the boaters were burning up their final gallon of holiday gas, the fishermen were reeling in their final fish dinner for the summer and even the seagulls were scrounging their final french fries from the few remaining straggler tourists. For some reason (I must be getting old), time seems to go faster every year and summer seems shorter and shorter all the time. The arrival of Labor Day reminds me of all the things I failed to ac- complish again this summer. The shallow tan I nurtured in July has already faded, the list of books I'd hoped to devour sit in a pile mostly unread, my exercise program was abandoned mid- July, my freezer continues to resemble a polar ice cap, my apartment remains un- painted and the calm, relaxed demeanor I'd hoped to develop is still harried and frazzled. (Of course, a rational observer will note that list -making does not usual- ly contribute to.such aspired -for relaxation.) Once again, work threw a shadow over my attempts for fun in the sun and here it is Labor Day and I'm still laboring away! And, to think I used to complain about being bored with nothing to do in the summer! A new year What makes me grumpiest of all is that summer's warmth will soon be replaced with wind, rain, snow and ice. Every year I'm understanding more and more why seniors, who can afford to, migrate to the south every whiter. Of course, it doesn't help when August refuses•:to, coopgrate with you with its usual warmth and benevolent summery disposition and . ,instead sends cold temperatures, rain, hall and even traces of snow as it has during the past two weeks. I've even found, myself knitting and watching pre -season football games on TV, activities which I've always reserved for fall and never before indulg- . ed in during (gasp) August. August, it appears, was confused this year. And so, the rest of us are feeling a little cheated and sadder than usual to see the summer go. But, the eve of September is not com- pletely without promise. After 17 years of formal education, it's hard not to feel a mixture of anxiety and anticipation on Labor Day. The anxiety comes because your hours of summer freedom are tick- ing to a. close. But, the anticipation comes with the promise of new ac- complishments floating on the crisp, revitalizing autumn air. As a kid, I always felt that summers were nothing but endless hours of leisure end of "nothingdo." By the with to August I was eager to set out on the adventure of buying brand new school supplies — pencils not yet sharpened, rub- bers not yet rubbed and scribblers with white, clean pages not yet scribbled upon. And, even now that school is not a part of my yearly routine, September can be just as inviting as a crisp, new notebook with miles of empty white pages just waiting to be written upon.'Wifh an emp- ty notebook before you; the possibilities of the stories you can write into your life are infinite. Migrate south In fact, after spending so much time in school, September will always be the start of a new year for me. It's the time I' assess my progress, make my resolu- tionsand look forward to positive changes and new beginnings. But, after spending the first two weeks of September in southern United States last year, I wonder how much the change in the weather has to do with my feelings of newness and change in September. September in Oklahoma last year was hotter than the hottest day of summer in Canada. Anyone with air conditioning stayed indoors while anyone without searched out the nearest beach or swim- ming pool for relief from.the exhausting, draining' heat. It was not a time of fresh, new beginnings; it was a time of day-to- day survival. And, because Oklahoma uses the same calendar as we do, everything relating to summer closed down on Labor Day despite the fact that the summer sun con- tinued to burn in the sky long into the autumn season. Swimming pools were drained as we Canadians watched and sweated in disbelief. So, as much as I mourn the passing of summer this year, I realize I would not like to return to last year's summer - without -relief in the • States. Once I get used to the idea of fall, I kind of like it.