“I’m so excited to tell you how much tai chi helped me this week!”, one of my 60ish students said last week, coming into the classroom.

“Great. I can’t wait to hear. Why don’t you tell the whole class, so we all can benefit,” I said, as we were just about ready to start.

“I got on a crowded 151 Chicago bus and the driver stopped suddenly. Some people lurched forward but not me. When I got on the bus I immediately held on to the sturdy pole, planted my feet, hip-width into the floor and was a solid as a tree. It worked!”

The entire class clapped.

It’s common knowledge now that tai chi can help improve balance. Research continues to show the various ways in which tai chi can help enhance good alignment, leg strength,  standing and walking.

There is nothing better as a teacher than to hear the excitement of a student who has an ‘a-ha’ moment that tai chi is paying off in the everyday movements of life. Plus, an entire class clapped and reinforced this significant recognition of an event that could just have been ordinary.