Liliane O? Leary says she admires the Chinese people who devised tai Chi and even though it?s early days she is committed to the course.
By Chrys Ayley
As New Zealand Tai Chi practitioners stepped out to celebrate World Tai Chi Day recently the ACC announced that over 30,000 people nationwide have completed its modified Tai Chi courses, including a fair share of people in the Wellington region. Since 1998 ACC has funded Tai Chi classes that have been modified to suit older people who are vulnerable to injuring themselves in a slip, trip or fall. Tai Chi is an art form, a method of self defence, and an exercise and relaxation technique that involves a series of gentle movements performed in what appears to be slow motion. The Northern Suburbs has about 15 people attending courses and in the Lower Hutt area 21 participants. People have fun, relax and enjoy themselves and learn tai Chi at their own pace. Chris Mori teaches Tai Chi at the Newlands Community Centre twice a week and altogether runs 10 classes a week throughout wellington. He says the modified version was developed by a Chinese doctor based in Sydney. The exercise has been changed so people do not have to get down so low, and was designed for people with arthritis and osteoporosis, he said. Each person works at their own pace and all exercise is done within individual comfort zones. Mr Mori gave the example of an 80-year-old tai Chi student who used to lose her balance easily but now she is less prone to falls and more aware of what she is doing. Liliane O?Leary was only on her second week at the Newlands course and said she found it a little more difficult coordinating than she had anticipated but was committed to continuing and realised it would take three months to get used to Tai Chi. ?Even though I find it difficult I am not going to give it up.? To qualify for ACC course funding, participants must be aged 65 years and over (55 years and over if Maori or Pacific people), live in the community and have had a fall in the previous year, or be deemed at risk of falling by a registered health professional. Courses in the Northern Suburbs: Wadestown Community Centre on Wednesday and Friday from 3.30-4.30pm. Newlands Community Centre Monday and Wednesday 11am-12pm. Contact Anthony Busch on .
