The Surprising Health Benefits of Tai Chi
Fabiola Melgoza
Demonstrating the movements of Tai Chi for her students.
Written by Friend of CORE, Terry Dorr
CORE El Centro offers a Tai Chi class every Wednesday, 10:00am-11:30am, with the wonderful Fabiola Melgoza as instructor. Tai Chi is often referred to as a moving meditation, with exercises performed slowly and continuously to relax, lower stress, build muscle tone, reduce pain and improve balance. It is an ancient practice of traditional Chinese exercise, a gentle, low-impact form of movement that is suitable for people of all ages and abilities. Tai Chi promotes calm, increases flexibility and mobility and can even lower anxiety and improve coordination.
Bi-lingual, Spanish and English, Tai Chi classes have been available at CORE for about a year now. Class participants at CORE have found numerous benefits, some more surprising than others.
Tina, diagnosed with emphysema and COPD three months ago, knew she needed to attend pulmonary rehab due to lung damage. “I wanted to live a better life,” she said, tears welling up in her eyes. “Tai Chi gave me the confidence I needed to begin rehab and I went for the first time last week,” the tears streaming down her face.
Participants in the CORE class take a break midway through the class for tea time, a chance to share and gain support from one another.
Participants in Tai Chi at CORE benefit from the meditative practice.
The hour and a half class allows clients to sink fully into the flow of the session.
Elaine shared that “I keep coming back to Tai Chi because I learn something new every week. Last week our instructor, Fabiola, taught us the Hawaiian principle ‘ho'oponopono’ which means ‘to set things right’ and is a method of reconciliation and forgiveness, emphasizing harmony and balance. Fabiola taught us to say to others we love: ‘Forgive me. I’m sorry. Thank you. I love you.’ The next day I went to visit my father in a care facility and I said those words to him. I was able to let go and feel relief. I knew he was very ill, but I certainly didn’t realize that he would die the very next day.”
One of the Tai Chi movements is rubbing your hands together to generate heat and then placing your warmed hands on areas of your body experiencing pain. Participants send pain out of their bodies through the heat of their hands. Fabiola also has class participants focus on deep breathing. “I encourage participants to open their arms and breathe deeply. They’re nourishing their cells when they do this. Deep breathing and movement calm your nervous system,” said Fabiola.
Through the ‘Baldwin Wisconsin Ideas Grant’ Core El Centro collaborated with UW-Madison faculty to train 25 Black and Latino Tai Chi instructors to increase access to healing services in underserved communities.
Tai Chi classes at CORE are held in a mix of Spanish and English. To register for Tai Chi, sign up through MindBody here, or contact the front desk of CORE El Centro at 414-384-2673.