Balance, fitness and peace

CORNWALL — In a soft, soothing voice, David Colbert recites a series of positions. A group of students wearing socks or slippers and comfortable clothing follows his lead as he slowly moves through the steps. The results are lyrical. In tai chi, they are called movements, and they flow together to become a sort of dance.

Colbert has offered classes at Cornwall Consolidated School for several years now. His students are typically middle aged and older. They say they are attracted to the practice for many reasons. Foremost, they say it is a form of exercise that is subdued — and easy on aging joints.

They begin slowly. And soon find out that tai chi is a serious workout.

This Asian practice is aimed at developing balance and flexibility — and the muscle strength needed to maintain both. The connection between the movements — the flow and shift of body weight — is an important part. That gives it a stress-reducing, meditative quality and leads to an overall increase in health for most devotees.

“It’s full of subtleties,†Marie Prentice offered, upon pondering what she likes about this gentle Chinese martial art. “I’ve practiced various dance movements all my life, and this suits me now. It’s slower, and I like the flow. You never strike a pose.â€

Retiree Hendon Chubb jokes that he comes to “pick up chicks,†but adds that, seriously, in the short time he has been practicing tai chi, he has found he is much less clumsy.

“I’ve found here in Cornwall, most people start when they are in their 50s,†Colbert said of his students. “It usually has a lot to do with children being grown and their having the time. But this is also less grueling than running or going to the gym.â€

His favorite analogy is that taking tai chi is like learning a new musical instrument.

“With practice, it can help with balance, relaxation, focus, body awareness, strength, circulation and more.â€

“Even when life gets in the way,†said Mary Thompson, who has been taking classes with Colbert almost since he began more than  four years ago, “ I try to do it every day. It becomes a part of your life.â€

His first class attracted two students. Mostly through word-of-mouth, his latest class is at 23. He likes the “sense of group†a large class offers. Rather than being a distraction, the synchronized movements help with concentration.

“The moves are counter-intuitive. They are not something you would do in normal activities.â€

That means the students are working mostly unused muscles, and stimulating their brains in the process. Tai chi requires using both sides of the brain at once, something only young children and highly creative people usually do, he noted.

Colbert prefers to teach slowly, introducing new movements only when the entire class has mastered what they’ve already been shown.

“It’s important to keep the group together.â€

Like many ancient Chinese forms of healing, one of the goals is to open up the body’s qi (pronounced chi), or energy flow. Colbert can attest to that working.

“When I first started, my hands and feet were always cold. Not anymore.â€

Now there’s a perfectly good reason to try it, in a notably cold winter.

Classes meet from 6 to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays. The fee is $8 per class.

For more information contact Colbert at 860-672-0064, or ourmaridog@yahoo.com.