SPRINGFIELD, Vt. – Are you worried about falling? Here’s a solution: Tai Chi for Falls Prevention is a class sponsored by Senior Solutions, taught by certified Tai Chi instructor Susan Rubel, and free to adults 60 or older.
Classes are every Tuesday morning at the Great Hall, 100 River Street. Beginner classes are 9:30-10:30 a.m., and intermediate and advanced classes are 10:45-11:45 a.m. There is no charge, but there is a little bit of paperwork to fill out at class.
With regular practice, Tai Chi improves balance by strengthening muscles and coordination; simultaneously, it strengthens the mind, enhancing calmness and confidence in not falling. Thus, both physically and mentally, Tai Chi is a highly effective exercise for fall prevention.
There remain skeptics who see Tai Chi as too gentle an exercise to have such significant effects. True, Tai Chi movements appear to be gentle and graceful, but like the force beneath a seemingly calmly flowing river, Tai Chi movements contain much power and internal strength.
What is fascinating is that the fear of falling often results in more falls; hence, confidence in “not falling” will help to reduce falls.
For more information on Tai Chi for Falls Prevention throughout Windsor and Windham counties, please call or text Wendi Germain at 802-755-7295 or wgermain@seniorsolutionsvt.org.