Monday, August 07, 2006

Story - Benefits of Tai Chi

"On Sunday, the 62-year-old Norwalk man was standing on the floor at the O'Neill Center at Western Connecticut State University, twisting his body gracefully as he performed the slow, fluid movements that comprise the Chinese exercise system known as tai chi."I get in a zone," said Cronk, who took up tai chi after seeing a class advertised in a senior center bulletin four years ago. Although he walks with the aid of a pair of canes when not exercising and occasionally depends on his fold-up wheelchair to get around, tai chi has helped him avoid the $8,500 motorized wheelchair the Veterans Administration provided him after his operation, Cronk said."The people who do this and stay with it find they can do things they never thought they could do," said Mari Lewis, an instructor whose taught tai chi at senior centers throughout Fairfield County over the past 10 years."

"Born in China more than 500 years ago, tai chi is a series of 103 movements based on the martial arts and done in slow motion. It promotes balance, strength and flexibility, as well as reduces stress and promotes a feeling of relaxation and mental well-being."

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