Kaleidoscope
Dance Space
Gentle Tai Chi - Qigong
Class Times
Friday 1:00 - 1:55 pm
Class Length
55 minutes
Class Price
$14 Drop-In, $48 for 4 classes
Available live on Zoom
Trudy Sherman
Instructor
Gentle Tai Chi
In 1998 Trudy took her first class in tai chi with her mom. Her interest in the whole body benefits of tai chi grew as she watched the positive effects it had on reducing her mother's symptoms from post-polio syndrome which included breathing, balance, and stamina.
In 2013 Trudy was certified as an Easy (Gentle) Tai Chi instructor. Easy Tai chi was developed specifically for Parkinson's patients. In addition to teaching the Original Easy Tai Chi/Qigong she has developed 2 other tai chi classes: Gentle Tai Chi Sequences and Crane Dance Gentle Tai Chi. All three classes focus on improving balance and posture, strengthening the breath, and increasing stamina. As with all tai chi, it is a great way to reduce stress.
Contact
602-345-0496
About the course
Gentle Tai Chi-Qigong consists of gentle Qigong (Chee gung) stretches and Tai Chi (Tie chee) movements that help improve circulation and release stress. Gentle Tai Chi (originally called Easy Tai Chi) was developed over 15 years ago for Parkinson's patients. This form of tai chi is done standing with both feet on the floor. The moves are stationary, so it can also be done sitting. Balance aids such as the back of a chair or a walker can be used, if needed.
This class starts with 30 minutes of warm-up activities from the 4000-year-old practice of Qigong: Stretches, Breathwork, and Movements to stimulate/improve joint flexibility, circulation, posture, and relaxation.
The second half of class is the practice of stationary movements taken from the 2000-year-old practice of Tai Chi. Each movement is repeated 3-5 times to each side using either gentle forward-back or side-to-side rocking motions. These moves help improve:
- Balance
- Brain health (stimulate neural pathways)
- Stamina
- Inner Core Strength