Making the moves

 

Tylenol for arthritis – check

CBD cream on my knee – check

A few limbering exercises before I leave – check

 

And I was off to try Tai Chi.

I’m ready to try anything since the Big A has muscled its way into my world this year, bringing all its luggage and showing no inclination to leave.

 

At my Wednesday yoga class at the Y, our instructor had mentioned his Tai Chi class and I thought why not. Its focus is arthritis and I like Dan’s low-key style.

 

He’s a story in itself – a young guy (late 20s?) who looks more like he spends his free time in the basement with video games than leading a bunch of senior citizens through soothing, stylized moves. At the opposite spectrum of the spindly yogi master, he looks more like the high school linebacker gone to seed. And when his tee rides up during Warrior II, it can make us all feel a little bit better about our own extra poundage.

 

The Tai Chi class had the usual assortment of seniors, all women except for one man who seemed to have been brought by a significant other. One woman did stand out, a tiny muscled gnome of a person with a leathery Florida tan, what appeared to men’s boxer shorts three sizes too big, and a can-do attitude.

She was as new as I was to the whole thing and allowed herself to be pushed to the middle where she’d be able to see Dan better. I positioned myself to the side in the back.

 

Just as in yoga, Dan’s instructions were clear and measured, taking us through the rudiments of each move and then bringing them all together at the end of the session.

Not sure this is for me. With yoga, I feel as though my muscles are getting more of a workout and I miss the meditative aspect that comes with it, while with Tai Chi my brain is too busy trying to sort the moves.