Shires Housing and SASH offer tai chi classes to residents

WILMINGTON - Shires Housing/SASH and the board of OSEC announce the start of fall prevention tai chi classes and a weekly walking group. Each class is open to SASH participants and all Deerfield Valley residents.
The first tai chi class was held on Tuesday, February 15, and future classes will be held weekly Tuesdays. The class will be from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. The walking group will be held immediately after from 12:30 to 1:30 pm.
The instructors for this class will be Tina Wilber and Edna Bartlett, who both trained under Anne Bower under the SASH program through Tai Chi Vermont, an independent organization offering training and mentoring of tai chi instructors in Vermont.
Derived from Sun-style tai chi, which includes many qigong principles, this form emphasizes weight transfer from foot to foot, opening of the joints, the power of the core, posture, and deep breathing. As the Center for Disease Control states, tai chi is one of the best things one can do for fall prevention.
Fall prevention tai chi is easy to learn and a great place to start tai chi practice. It can be done standing or seated. Fall prevention tai chi has three levels. Each level adds a new level of complexity.
 Students find all the parts of the form intriguing, beautiful, and satisfying.
When done together, the three segments total 40 named movements, which include many repeats of certain movements. Once learned, the full set takes only about four to five minutes to complete.
Wear indoor-athletic shoes to preserve the gym floor. For more information on classes contact Tina Wilber at tina.wilber@shireshousing.org or Edna Bartlett at edna.bartlett@shireshousing.org.