We will get to Tai Chi. But first, I just have to listen to one song…

OK. So – Tai Chi.

I was warned about Tai Chi – it’s the old-folks class that doesn’t make you sore or get your heart rate up. This is true. But I walked out of class Friday feeling more at peace and in-tune with my body than I have in a very long time.

Of course I would be late to the calmest, no-rush, most zen class in the world. As I opened the door four minutes after class began, I cringed and looked up guiltily at the instructor, Gray.

“Welcoooooome to Taaaaaaaaaaaaai Chiiiiiiiiii…” he said, his arms curved like a human water mill.

Well OK then.

Gary looks exactly as you would imagine an American Tai Chi instructor would look. He is in his mid-fifties, a tad heavy-set, and wears large, rectangular glasses. He speaks very gently, and cracks corny jokes throughout class, and people actually laugh. Oh and (sorry, Gary), his thin hair is tied at the base of his neck in a long, black ponytail the girth of a strand of yarn.

Much like in Pilates, I did not blend in with the Tai Chi class. Most students are members of the AARP, and wear solid-color sweaters, grey sweatpants and white tennis shoes. I came to class in my red “Drink coffee, Read books, Fight evil” tee, black yoga pants and — oh yes — fashionable “hiking” boots. (I thought this was a socks only class. It wasn’t.) My wooden heels clacked on the wooden floor with every step, interrupting the sounds of “Introspective Mountain” music and deep breathing.

Tai Chi is like an hour of vertical yoga, submerged in an ocean of Jell-O. Tai Chi is slow, meditative movements working against invisible resistance. I didn’t break a sweat, but my muscles occasionally trembled.

If you think Tai Chi is dumb, please, please do not go. You will bust a gut by laughing, or you’ll roll your eyes so far into your head that Gary will have to call an ambulance. I went with an open mind, and I am glad I did. (The old people kicked my ass, by the way.) Tai Chi is about isolating muscles, coordinating movement, and developing consciousness with movement. Through my five minutes of research via beginnerstaichi.com, I learned that Tai Chi was either developed in China by a:

• Guy who saw a crane and snake fight, then interpreted their movements into human exercises
• Mysterious stranger who came to the Chen village and insulted their martial arts. They tried to fight him, but of course he knew Tai Chi so it didn’t work well.
• Chen warrior who combined his knowledge of combat, Chinese medicine and acupuncture into Tai Chi. He wanted his village to be able to protect itself.

So yeah, no one really knows where it comes from. Before you knock Tai Chi as something for the elderly folk, understand that there are many variations for many ability levels. It is used to train athletes, and its difficulty can be adjusted for the audience. When Tai Chi is practiced by older folks, it is geared toward them. But as a 22-year-old, I felt my body wake up, balance and stregthen over the hour-long session.

By the end of class, I felt calmer than I have in months. I felt more connected with my body. As I drove home, I could see my left leg was tense because it was bent too much, and I straightened it and felt it relax. All week, I’ve been checking my posture, because when I slouch my shoulders tense up. So no, Tai Chi wasn’t difficult for me, but it is highly beneficial.

I might even come back.