A Zen Martha

For a little over a year, before knee surgery, Martha had been doing Tai Chi at the Tai Chi Society of Tallahassee. It helps her with her balance, energy level, as well as strengthening her muscles. She sometimes had trouble keeping up and would at times have to sit down but she felt it was good for her. Perry and I had gone to one of her classes with her when we were here last Memorial Day.

Today, she went to a Tai Chi health recovery class. She did more of the standing exercises than she is used to and her legs were tired by the end, but then did switch to sitting exercises periodically. They were particularly kind to her and gave her individual instruction. It seems most of the people there had been coming for some time and Martha was new to this particular class. Some of the slow stretching movements reminded me of my pilates movements when I joined in towards the end of the class.

During much of the class I ran errands to the post office. I did come back in time to enjoy the Zen garden, the sound of running water, the beauty of the flowers, and the gracefulness of the fish gliding beneath the water lilies. See Tai Chi flowers blog entry for close ups of the beautiful flowers.

It is amazing how the Tai Chi Society has been able to tuck all this beauty into such a small area. It is off Thomasville road in a busy area, but from the garden you would never know.

When I got to the class to pick Martha up they were almost finished. I was able to sit in and do a few stretches with the class. One particular exercise was difficult for Martha and she wasn't able to do it, but the instructor was very encouraging. At the end of class Martha introduced me to her instructors. She had known one of the women for years through AAUW. It was nice to see Martha surrounded by helpful ladies that she feels comfortable with in a beautiful setting.
-- Stephanie