Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

LIIDLII KUE/FORT SIMPSON - Tai Chi is a great way to lower your stress levels and find a good balance in your life, according to Yaling Xin.

Xin has lived in Canada for two-and-a-half years, but only recently started teaching the century-old form of exercise.

Yaling Xin, front, teaches students the Chinese art of Tai Chi at the Fort Simpson recreation centre. - photo courtesy of Ken Stewart

"When I was young, in the morning we would all go to the park," she said. "It's very popular to do exercise in the park. I would do it with my father and have been doing it since I was really young."

"I just told some friends I was able to teach Tai Chi and people seemed interested so I just started offering classes," she said.

Xin said Tai Chi is an excellent form of exercise to find balance in your life and to maintain a good flow of chi throughout the body.

"Tai chi is an exercise that is very good for children, everybody," she said.

"Because it's not about strength, it's very gentle and slow. It can balance your body. It's not a hard, physical activity. It's very slow body movements and makes you focus and help the body relax."

There are two things Tai Chi is based on. Energy, called qi or chi, is said to flow through the body along energy pathways called meridians. If the flow of chi is blocked on a pathway, it is thought you may become ill.

Tai Chi is practised to increase chi and improve overall health through gentle, graceful repeated movements. Many people believe nature, including the body, consists of opposing forces called yin and yang. Good health results when these forces are in balance. You do Tai Chi and qi gong movements in an attempt to help restore the body's balance of yin and yang.

Xin said Tai Chi isn't a hard thing to learn and is a great thing for people of all ages to practise.

"I don't think it's hard to learn," she said. "It depends on your want to improve your body and mind. If you really want to do it, you will put the time in to learn it. When you are getting older you start to lose your strength, Tai Chi can help rebuild your strength."

Classes will be offered every Saturday from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. until Dec. 13 at the recreation center.