Tai Chi can contribute to a healthy lifestyle
When the average person thinks hears the term “martial arts” they often summon an image of kick boxing or karate chops, but on Pine Island, one group practices a form of martial arts that is truly an art form. Each week, several residents meet for Tai Chi classes under the direction of professional instructor, Frank Tuma.
According to Tuma, this art form is performed very slowly, with emphasis on relaxation, precision and energy movement through various parts of the body.
“The very slow, graceful, dance-like, standing movements of Tai Chi go in all directions of the compass, moving all parts of the body as we do in real life,” said Tuma. “We are living an imaginary battle with continuously attacking opponents coming from all directions for 15 to 20 minutes. This is the time it takes to do the entire form. If you lose your concentration, just as in real battle, you are lost and cannot remember where you are in the form. This challenges your entire body’s system.”
According to Tuma, Tai Chi also is an affective means of self-defence as other forms of martial arts.
In many activities, it is well known that it is easier to maintain balance with more speed than it is at a standstill. The key to becoming successful when performing Tai Chi is learning balance and precession while moving very slowly. It is for this reason that Tai Chi has become a popular form of physical as well as mental exercise.
“In general, the younger you are, the faster and easier it is to learn Tai Chi and maintain or recoup your health. In the best of health condition it may take only six to 10 months. Of course, if you don’t continue the Tai Chi, deterioration begins again,” Tuma said. “You can continue on your own and do the form and learned techniques on a regular basis which takes 15 to 25 minutes, however, most people, for various reasons, forget or are too busy to do this. The best way is to take a class for maintenance and maybe learn weapons Tai Chi or other advanced techniques.”
Tuma said he teaches Tai Chi to maintain his skills in the art.
“The reason I teach Tai Chi is to maintain my techniques enough to stave off deterioration,”Tuma said. “If you are impaired by age, misuse or disease, the time it takes to learn the form and appropriate drills and exercises increases up to a few years. However, it is the journey that provides the health benefits, not receiving the certificate for your Tai Chi form completion.”
As for the heath benefits associated with Tai Chi, Tuma said that he felt the most important gains came in the way of balance, understanding ones body structure and providing confidence.
“I love it when I see someone who has taken my class going from walking stooped over and taking small cautious steps to walking upright with confidence and feeling good about themselves,” Tuma said. “A lot of it has to do with the energy we produce. As an example, when a person walks into the room surrounded by negative energy you can feel the air in the room become downtrodden and almost angry or depressed, while on the other hand, when a person who is upbeat enters a room, the aura becomes a positive one. Tai Chi can help improve ones self esteem which can be felt in their personal energy.”
Tuma has been a Tai Chi instructor for 35 years and has held classes on Pine Island for nearly 10 years. Having many dedicated students, Tuma’s weekly classes attract eight students per session during the summer months and that number doubles in the winter time.
Tai Chi classes are held each Tuesday and Thursday with sessions from 3 to 5 p.m. and again from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Fishers of Men Lutheran Church on Stringfellow Road just south of the island center. For more information about classes or the art of Tai Chi, call Frank Tuma at 283-9155.