Relax and recharge with tai chi

TEESDALE and Bannockburn locals are invited to get into the flow of tai chi.

Tai chi tutor Desma Blow leads weekly sessions at both Teesdale’s Turtle Bend Reserve and Bannockburn Recreation Reserve, which she said work the body from head to toe.

“We do both qigong, and tai chi, which are similar,” she said. “Qigong is standing still and doing exercises for the whole body, whereas tai chi is a moving form, a little bit like a sequence of movements, or a dance.

“It’s all very much in slow motion. The slower you do it, the harder you actually work in your body, and your brain, because they’re not used to doing things so slowly.

“Where karate is an external martial art, tai chi is an internal martial art, exercising organs in the body like the heart, kidneys, liver, spleen and stomach and digestive system, the spine, and the sympathetic and parasympathetic systems.”

Ms Blow first got involved with tai chi at the Meredith Community Centre and said her practice has been a wonderful journey of constant learning ever since.

“Really, I’d need 50 lifetimes to learn it all,” she said. “I’ve been running the sessions in Teesdale for almost 10 years now.

“I love the peace and tranquillity of it, the smooth movements, the flow, the energy you get from it, and I really enjoy the teaching.”

People of all ages and abilities can take part, even while sitting or lying down. The practice affects and benefits participants’ bodies and minds in different ways, but Ms Blow said they all have one thing in common.

“At the end of the session there’s a lovely relaxed, calm, and peaceful feeling, and a weight off their shoulders,” she said.

“Being outside with nature is part of that. We like being there, under the turtle at Teesdale, or on the oval at Bannockburn, enjoying the serenity around us.

“It’s good for the mind, the body, and the soul. Tai chi does so much with so little; it’s very powerful stuff.”

The Bannockburn sessions are held each Wednesday morning from 9.30am to 10.30am, while the Teesdale sessions run on Thursdays at the same time.

If the weather is poor, Ms Blow leads the sessions indoors at Teesdale Community Hall, or at the Bannockburn Men’s Shed. Contact 0414 944 926 for more information.