Walking with Tai Chi

I recently returned from my annual week-long tai chi workshop. This article is a continuation of last week's article where I discussed my experiences at the workshop.

During the week, I walked everywhere. I was staying on the 5th floor of the student dormitory. That's 4 flights of stairs (68 steps) multiple times every day. The class room was in a nearby building on the 3rd floor. I didn't count the steps there, but it was at least 30 steps. Again, multiple times each day. There was an elevator available in each building, but I decided that I was not going to use it. I may be getting older, but I'm not that old.

One benefit of walking so much was that I could use the opportunity for some meditative walking. It was a peaceful, calming activity. I took 2 separate walks to the lake in the arboretum and another to a small garden in the area. I learned something new, too. Have you ever noticed that tai chi people usually walk much quieter than other people?

I also took advantage of the workshop to focus on other healthy activities. I ate vegetarian all week and limited my caffeine. I didn't eat any meat at all and I didn't have any sugary drinks or desserts. However, the workshop was done by about 4:00 on Saturday. After 6 days of intense effort, I decided to treat myself. I had an ice cream bar for dessert and took the elevator up to the 5th floor. I think I deserved it.

The Tuesday night talent show was a great experience, too. Attendees and teachers put their talents on display. There were musicians, singers, poets, and comedians on display. There were inspiring talks and demonstrations. Well worth time to see that show.

One other really fun thing happened during the week. We had a tai chi flash mob in the student cafeteria. We always ate in the cafeteria with the students that were attending summer school. The tai chi people greatly outnumbered the students. One morning, all the tai chi people stood up from their tables and started doing tai chi. It was hilarious to see the student's faces as they looked around and tried to figure out what the "old folks" were doing around them. Great fun.

Peace to all my readers. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

By the way, I lost about 5 lbs (2 kg) during the week.

© 2013 Eric Borreson