WNC Tai Chi for Arthritis

18/05/2025

What is Tai Chi? Some people see Tai Chi as a meditation or spiritual practice, some as an exercise you do in the park, others as a form of relaxation. Some see it as a personal journey toward self-awareness.

Tai chi is one of the most famous Chinese martial arts of the internal style and comes from a tradition over 1000 years old. The Tai Chi for Health program we offer incorporates the learning of both Eastern and Western medicine. It places emphasis on breathing and mindfulness. Movements are soft, fluid, gentle, and graceful. They can be performed seated or standing and even lying down. Visualization and imagination are employed. Breathing is deepened and slowed, aiding visual and mental concentration, and relaxing the body. Tai chi can be practiced by people of any age with any level of fitness. It is low-impact and safe if practiced correctly.

Tai Chi for Health is a program established in 1999 by medical and Tai Chi practitioners to make the practice safe and accessible for all people. It is a gentle mind-body exercise that has been proven through over 30 peer-reviewed medical studies and endorsed by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention to minimize the risk of falls in older adults, decrease pain, improve sleep, increase joint flexibility, increase cardiovascular fitness, improve mindfulness, and decrease stress. It also improves the functioning of the immune system.

The largest study of this program was conducted by Dr. Leigh Callahan at UNC-CH's Arthritis Research Center and involved folks from Givens Estate. (Leigh F. Callahan, Rebecca J. Cleveland, Mary Altpeter, and Betsy Hackney. Evaluation of Tai Chi Program Effectiveness for People with Arthritis in the Community: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 2016, 24, 101 -110.)

We encourage our participants to follow Poet Mary Oliver's mantra
as we explore our Tai Chi practice:
"Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it."

The 8-week Summer Series of Tai Chi for Health Starts:
June 25th - August 13th, every Wednesday
Grace Episcopal Church 871 Merrimon Avenue in the Parish Hall
Beginners’ classes are from 1:00-2:00
Intermediate Classes are from 2:15-3:00
Advanced Classes are from 3:15-4:00

The cost of each 8-week program for NEW participants is $160
New participants with MD or PT prescriptions/referrals $150.
Returning students who have completed one series of classes $130
See you there.

WNC Tai Chi for Arthritis & Tai Chi for Health WNC Tai Chi for Arthritis & Tai Chi for Health Provides competent, committed, certified Tai Chi for Health instructors to enhance your learning experience. Our programs engage participants in evidence based Tai Chi practices to promote and improve healt...

17/11/2024

Tai Chi is a dance, a "moving meditation", "a moving medication", "swimming on land", and a practice to ground your being and expand your soul. Come join us for a 16-week series of Tai Chi for Health Classes for Beginners, Intermediate, and Advanced Practitioners at Grace Episcopal Church, 871 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC, on Wednesday afternoons from January 15 to April 30, 2025.
Get details and register now for classes at:
http://wnctaichiarthritis.com

09/09/2024

04/08/2024

"In a world of noise, confusion, and conflict, it is necessary to find a place of inner silence and peace; not the peace of mere relaxation but the peace of inner clarity and love."
THOMAS MERTON
Tai Chi for Health offers one path into that place of inner silence and peace. We invite you to journey with us.
Register online for our next 16-week series of classes and join us on Wednesday, August 7, 2024, at Grace Episcopal Church, 871 Merrimon Avenue. Classes continue through December 4. We will not meet during the weeks of Halloween and Thanksgiving.
Beginners Classes
1:00-2:00 focuses on Sun-style Tai Chi for Arthritis and basic Tai Chi principles.
Intermediate Classes
2:15-3:00 Go deeper into the Sun-style forms of TCA 1&2 and basic principles.
Advanced Classes
3:15-4:00 Explore the Yang 24 form and 24 Postures Qigong, with occasional reviews of TCA 1&2.
Get details and register at

WNC Tai Chi for Arthritis & Tai Chi for Health WNC Tai Chi for Arthritis & Tai Chi for Health Provides competent, committed, certified Tai Chi for Health instructors to enhance your learning experience. Our programs engage participants in evidence based Tai Chi practices to promote and improve healt...

27/07/2024

Registration is open for our Fall 16-week series of Tai Chi for Health Classes (August 7 - December 4, 2024) at Grace Episcopal Church, 871 Merrimon Avenue, Asheville, NC.
We will not meet during Halloween and Thanksgiving. Go to http://wnctaichiarthritis.com for details and to register.
Classes are on Wednesday afternoons as follows:
Beginners 1:00-2:00
Intermediate 2:15-3:00
Advanced 3:15-4:00

11/05/2024

Tai Chi for Health by Dr. Paul Lam's certified instructors, an 8-weeks series begins June 5-July 24 at Grace Episcopal Church, Merrimon Avenue, Asheville. Come join us. Classes for Beginners, Intermediate and Advanced practitioners. Register online and get details at http://wnctaichiarthritis.com https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/should-you-take-up-tai-chi-experts-explain-the-benefits-and-how-to-get-started-080017397.html

Despite the practice often being considered a low-impact exercise ideal for older adults, experts say it's beneficial for all ages.

21/03/2024

"The best reason to practice tai chi is so that by the time you're old enough to understand what life is about, you'll have some health to enjoy it."

- Cheng Man Ching

Registration is open now for our new 8-week summer tai chi class series, which begins June 5 and ends July 24, 2024. We hope you will join us in the parish hall at Grace Episcopal Church, 871 Merrimon Ave, Asheville, NC. Here's the link to register:
https://wnctaichiarthritis.com/register-for-classes/

I hope you'll join us.