The first thing I noticed when I walked into the Tai Chi for Beginners class was that I was by far the youngest student there…by far. I was an adventurous early thirty-something smiling from handshake to handshake with each pleasant senior. When I asked if the class was for seniors only the instructor, Sheila claimed "technically, yes" but that tai chi was for everyone. Hooray, I was in.

Once upon a time three weeks prior to this class I was able to walk forty feet past a motion sensitive flood light without setting it off. For the record I was not stealing anything I was merely the construction worker who installed it…and consequently possessed hands with too much time on them. The light was good - I was better. This feat o' mine piqued my interest. Was I a natural for a slow moving martial art?

Sheila briefly explained the opening sequence to us-how the clouds move and the sun does her thing and so on. It was like listening to a fairy tale while doing very slow movements. The first thing I noticed was that this art required serious balance. I always had good balance as a kid. Turns out years of just walking, standing, sitting and occasionally running only helped a little bit. It was not as though I was going to fall over but grace was going to take some time. Even though I was not literally moving the mountain I was told I was moving, or parting a horse's mane, or grasping a bird's tail I couldn't help but feel connected to something very old. Please no jokes about my senior classmates.

At the time I took this six-week course I began to wonder: is this really a martial art or just a Chinese meditative art form? As it turned out, Tai Chi is absolutely derived from martial arts-and perhaps before this based on the movements of animals. (This is also true with many other martial arts). Another aspect of Tai Chi that I was previously unaware, was that the secondary forms of the more popular styles; Yang, Wu and Chen have fast forms. There is a practice done by two people which is called 'push hands' in which the participants move back and forth across a great area. As one pushes the other pulls or relaxes. This seesaw battle actually looks like a beautiful dance when done by the experienced. When one is a master or long time practitioner she is able to use tai chi to change in response to an outside force. The master can bend or yield rather than oppose a force. For example many martial arts would have the individual block an incoming punch to the face and then counter with a strike of some kind. In tai chi one would first move her face and then use her hand to continue guiding the punch on its merry way. The result would usually be that the puncher's momentum would carry him sailing on. This would take very little physical effort on the part of the tai chi fighter. Today in the West the primary goal of the practitioner is to boost physical health i.e.; improve circulation and attain peaceful meditation.

During that six week course we were taught the short twenty-four form Yang style of Tai Chi. I came to respect this art form. It was great for the legs and for balance and it gave me that calming feeling that some people achieve through yoga or meditation.

I moved to Los Angeles from Vancouver a few months later and have loved life in L.A. ever since. That was twelve years ago. And like many of the circular movements in Tai Chi I traveled full circle and returned to the art. I found a community center in El Segundo California where the art is offered. When I spoke to the receptionist over the phone I was told that the class was for seniors only. As I was about to thank the kind lady for her time she told me that the instructor, Richard Gordon was a very kind gentleman and that he would definitely permit me to join the class - déjà vu all over again. The class, which was held at the Joslyn Center, is nestled in lots of green. Directly outside the front door is a perfectly manicured lawn bowling pitch bordered by rose bushes. Two huge baseball diamonds surround the facility as well as a playground for the kids. When I met Gordon he was everything the receptionist said he was. He smiled and shook my hand as if he'd been reunited with a long lost friend. He introduced me around to the other students all of which belonged to the same age bracket as the class from Canada all those years ago. After listening to a variety of youngster jokes class got under way. Richard was very calm and very patient, which I was thankful for. I'd hoped it would be like riding a bike, but no such luck. I was all thumbs with two left feet. Often times, being the 'newbie' in a class is no picnic but everyone, not just Richard, was very helpful and generous with their time. I loved every minute of it. I'd left the country I was born and raised in, but as I parted clouds, and brushed knee and grasped the bird's tail I felt as though I was heading home.

Richard came up to me after we were done and asked if I'd enjoyed his class. "Absolutely", I respond. He then threw me for a loop when he asked how long I practiced tai chi before taking a break. When I told him of my brief and distant history of tai chi practice he told me I'd obviously been practicing in my mind's eye. Just then my wife bounded up to us grinning ear to ear. It was her first class and she loved it. As Richard, my wife, and I took in the picturesque view in silence I knew I was home. However, I felt a smidgen of sadness as my wife-nineteen months my junior - usurped my crown. I was no longer the 'youngster' in a tai chi class.

Some places to learn Tai Chi around Los Angeles include:

El Segundo Community Center (Joslyn Center)
339 Sheldon Street
El Segundo California
310-524-2705
www.cityofelsegundo.com

Tai Chi-Michael Biernetsky
3500 Lomita Boulevard, Suite 202
Torrance, California
310-325-2280

South Bay Taiji Academy
3950 West 226th Street, #61
Torrance, California
310-507-5428

Tai Chi Redondo
Redondo Beach, California
310-542-1199
www.taichiredondo.com