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Tai Chi in Taos Plaza: Complex and simple
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| Megan Avina |
By Patricia Chambers
Richard Leirer chose Taos Plaza as the place for Tai Chi classes for reasons both as simple and complex as the ancient Chinese discipline he teaches daily.
In Taos Plaza, visitors and locals can simply join the class without the pressure to follow the exercises exactly.
“You can give it a try without the restrictions of a formal class,” he explained. “Even the people who stop and watch feel more relaxed.”
I recently decided to join the class. The history and the mysterious energy of Taos are palpable as you slip into the group of Tai Chi devotees at 9 a.m. on any given morning. If you can take that first step without worrying about following exercises with names such as “Swallow skimming over the pond” or “Holding up the sky,” you soon forget about the visitors stopping to stare respectfully — and maybe to take pictures of the very Taos-like scene.
Inspired by Papillon
The Taos class wasn’t my first experience with Tai Chi. The combination of meditation, martial art and health practice first captured my imagination when I saw Steve McQueen’s portrayal of “Papillon.” The story about a man who told the world he escaped the French prison known as Devil’s Island describes Henri Charriere’s struggle to survive the death camp.
One of the ways he kept his health during long periods of solitary confinement was by practicing Tai Chi in the small cell. I studied a different form — or set of movements — when I lived in Philadelphia. I was intrigued with the balance and good health Tai Chi created in my life, as well as the harmony of its ballet-like movements.
When I stepped into the class at Taos Plaza, all of those feelings returned, even when I turned in the wrong direction or realized I missed a step completely. It didn’t surprise me at all that my companions were unconcerned whether I kept up. They were just happy with the company. In the winter, Leirer hopes to bring the class indoors to the Old Taos County Courthouse building if he can obtain the approval of the county commissioners.
Exercises that improve health
Some people are joining the group for the first time. Others come every day. Hannah Rappaport often fills in for Leirer when he is out of town.
“It just makes me feel good and it makes me feel healthy,” she said. Nadine Gentile studied yoga for many years and explored the mysteries of India. She discovered Richard Leirer at a local meeting of the Noetic Society. “I couldn’t believe this guy was here in Taos,” said Gentile, who has joined Leirer’s classes regularly for the year and a half he has given classes at Taos Plaza.
Leirer, who ran for town council last March, is one of the many surprises that Taos offers. A Tai Chi Master — who founded the Qigong Academy in Parma, Ohio, and teaches at the Qigong Academy in Cleveland, Ohio — decided to offer the 9 a.m. classes in the plaza as a freewill offering because he believes the health benefits of Tai Chi benefit the community.
“I’ve been a student of Tai Chi since 1972,” Leirer said. “The program I have in Ohio offers classes in more than 30 locations.”
When he came to Taos, he found a few people practicing Tai Chi, “but there was nothing active.” As a service to the community, he led Tai Chi classes at senior centers in Taos and Chama.
“The philosophy of Tai Chi is explained in the Chinese characters that make up the word ‘Tai Chi’,” Leirer said. “Chi is the symbol for a tree combined with the hand and mouth balanced side to side. You need to be as centered as a tree but also as relaxed as a tree. The hands and mouth need to stay balanced, like the branches bending with the wind or snow without breaking. “Tai Chi is a slow moving, easy, comfortable exercise. It’s both deceptively easy and it’s not overwhelmingly hard.”
The health benefits include improvement in balance, circulation and range of motion. The Academy of Sports Medicine has said Tai Chi meets all the requirements of aerobic exercise, Leirer said. The benefits of Tai Chi are especially helpful to the elderly, Leirer said. Studies at Emery University have found that Tai Chi improves balance in the elderly, and reduces falls by half of the usual number experienced in a year. When seniors over age 70 practice Tai Chi they are 50 percent less likely to suffer serious injury if they do fall. The exercises practiced by Chinese monks since perhaps 950 A.D. have more positive affects on the body that more strenuous aerobic exercise.
“You don’t have a build up of lactic acid that you get from hard exercise. It activates the major muscle groups, but you are taking deeper breaths,” Leirer said.
The health benefits alone may get you to one of Leirer’s Tai Chi classes and if you step into the group, you may find it challenging to follow the movements of the “form.” But don’t let that stop you.
In Taos Plaza, visitors and locals can simply join the class without the pressure to follow the exercises exactly.
“You can give it a try without the restrictions of a formal class,” he explained. “Even the people who stop and watch feel more relaxed.”
I recently decided to join the class. The history and the mysterious energy of Taos are palpable as you slip into the group of Tai Chi devotees at 9 a.m. on any given morning. If you can take that first step without worrying about following exercises with names such as “Swallow skimming over the pond” or “Holding up the sky,” you soon forget about the visitors stopping to stare respectfully — and maybe to take pictures of the very Taos-like scene.
Inspired by Papillon
The Taos class wasn’t my first experience with Tai Chi. The combination of meditation, martial art and health practice first captured my imagination when I saw Steve McQueen’s portrayal of “Papillon.” The story about a man who told the world he escaped the French prison known as Devil’s Island describes Henri Charriere’s struggle to survive the death camp.
One of the ways he kept his health during long periods of solitary confinement was by practicing Tai Chi in the small cell. I studied a different form — or set of movements — when I lived in Philadelphia. I was intrigued with the balance and good health Tai Chi created in my life, as well as the harmony of its ballet-like movements.
When I stepped into the class at Taos Plaza, all of those feelings returned, even when I turned in the wrong direction or realized I missed a step completely. It didn’t surprise me at all that my companions were unconcerned whether I kept up. They were just happy with the company. In the winter, Leirer hopes to bring the class indoors to the Old Taos County Courthouse building if he can obtain the approval of the county commissioners.
Exercises that improve health
Some people are joining the group for the first time. Others come every day. Hannah Rappaport often fills in for Leirer when he is out of town.
“It just makes me feel good and it makes me feel healthy,” she said. Nadine Gentile studied yoga for many years and explored the mysteries of India. She discovered Richard Leirer at a local meeting of the Noetic Society. “I couldn’t believe this guy was here in Taos,” said Gentile, who has joined Leirer’s classes regularly for the year and a half he has given classes at Taos Plaza.
Leirer, who ran for town council last March, is one of the many surprises that Taos offers. A Tai Chi Master — who founded the Qigong Academy in Parma, Ohio, and teaches at the Qigong Academy in Cleveland, Ohio — decided to offer the 9 a.m. classes in the plaza as a freewill offering because he believes the health benefits of Tai Chi benefit the community.
“I’ve been a student of Tai Chi since 1972,” Leirer said. “The program I have in Ohio offers classes in more than 30 locations.”
When he came to Taos, he found a few people practicing Tai Chi, “but there was nothing active.” As a service to the community, he led Tai Chi classes at senior centers in Taos and Chama.
“The philosophy of Tai Chi is explained in the Chinese characters that make up the word ‘Tai Chi’,” Leirer said. “Chi is the symbol for a tree combined with the hand and mouth balanced side to side. You need to be as centered as a tree but also as relaxed as a tree. The hands and mouth need to stay balanced, like the branches bending with the wind or snow without breaking. “Tai Chi is a slow moving, easy, comfortable exercise. It’s both deceptively easy and it’s not overwhelmingly hard.”
The health benefits include improvement in balance, circulation and range of motion. The Academy of Sports Medicine has said Tai Chi meets all the requirements of aerobic exercise, Leirer said. The benefits of Tai Chi are especially helpful to the elderly, Leirer said. Studies at Emery University have found that Tai Chi improves balance in the elderly, and reduces falls by half of the usual number experienced in a year. When seniors over age 70 practice Tai Chi they are 50 percent less likely to suffer serious injury if they do fall. The exercises practiced by Chinese monks since perhaps 950 A.D. have more positive affects on the body that more strenuous aerobic exercise.
“You don’t have a build up of lactic acid that you get from hard exercise. It activates the major muscle groups, but you are taking deeper breaths,” Leirer said.
The health benefits alone may get you to one of Leirer’s Tai Chi classes and if you step into the group, you may find it challenging to follow the movements of the “form.” But don’t let that stop you.
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