GATHERING CHI: Instructor finds peace, health in ancient Chinese exercise

By Jean Cole | Living 50 Plus

Never underestimate an old man who knows tai chi.

That was the message printed on Sid Braunstien’s optic orange T-shirt one recent Tuesday as he was teaching a class on tai chi at the Decatur Public Library. The slogan nails down Braunstien pretty well.

He’s a big guy with a big voice. He likes to dispense words of wisdom, but he’s not preachy. He wants you to take or leave what he says — whatever works for you. He’s a positive person but not so high on life it makes you suspicious.

He is an expert at tai chi, a Chinese mind and body exercise that combines meditation with slow, graceful movements and controlled breathing. He has been a certified instructor for nine years.

This man of nearly 80 could easily pass for 65, and much of that is down to his energy level. He is the kind of man who thinks of others. His message to his students at the end of one hour-long class was this: “Do something for someone else; it will make you feel really good.”

Braunstien believes in the power of tai chi to transform.

“If you do this workout three times a week, your balance will increase dramatically,” Braunstien said. “Your posture will improve dramatically and you will learn how to breathe again. Breathing and posture are what get you through it.”

He got into tai chi the hard way.

From his wallet he pulls out a medical card that lists a litany of ailments. Chiefly, he has a 6-inch plate in his neck, which is what got him into tai chi in the first place.

“At one point the bottom two screws were coming out and the doctor said if they come out, you are in trouble,” he said.

He went to a senior center in Florida and tried tai chi. He could barely move his neck at the time.

“After that I started doing tai chi, and the screws stopped moving,” he said.

Aggressive living was what got him in the state he was in.

“I was young. I could do anything I wanted to do, and I did,” he said. “Now, Mother Nature has made it very clear she has control, and I’m paying attention. I follow all the rules the doc says I have to. I’m alive, I’m walking, I’m talking and I can see. The rest of the day is up to me.”

During one Tuesday class he repeatedly reminds his students they should be trying to breathe from their dantien (don-tee-en), which is the midsection about 2 inches below the navel. In Chinese it means “field of elixir.” It is said to be the seat of life force energy in the body.

Breathing should not be a rush, Braunstien reminds his students.

“Nice and slow, nice and even,” he says over and over again during the class.

This is not your typical exercise class. In the background plays a steady stream of bamboo flute. The combination of the music and Braunstien’s voice guiding you through the motions of the class makes the day’s worries fall away.

His students that day — there were only six — gathered in a circle and did a little thing called “gathering chi.” There are 22 signed up for the class but some people don’t attend every session.

“Lead with your wrists not with your hands,” Braunstien tells the class.

Tai chi is isometric exercise, a form of resistance exercise in which one’s muscles are used in opposition with other muscle groups, to increase strength.

“Try to stretch each joint of your body starting with your hands,” Braunstien said. “Stretch each joint. Toes, knees, hips, breathe in — stretch — breathe out, relax.”

They come to the tai chi class for different reasons.

“I have arthritis and I’m at the age where I worry about falls,” said Marcia Bridgford of Decatur. “So, I’m looking to improve my balance and, in the process, improve my arthritis.”

She recommends the class to anyone wanting to improve balance, ease arthritis or soak up any of the other health benefits, like stress relief.

“This is really good for you, and I enjoy doing it,” said Bridgford, who began in January.

Giant cardboard lists, which stand at the front of the classroom, remind participants there is both a warmup and lists of different tai chi moves to practice each day. But all of the moves are about stretching and movement. No one is exhausted at the end of the class period but they all seem revitalized and cheerful.

Not everyone comes to every class, which runs from 10 to 11 a.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays at the Decatur Public Library at 504 Cherry St. NE, said Rhonda Bolan, of the library’s marketing and outreach department. Some come to every class. Some come only one day a week. Some haven’t been for a while.

One of the best parts about the class is that it is free, she said. That and the many physical benefits.

“Tai chi is great for anyone but especially for the aging because it helps improve energy, balance, posture, breathing and overall well-being,” Bolan said.

When the class comes to an end, they once again gather in a circle and breathe in and stretch and “gather chi.”

How to register

Although there are 22 signed up, they sometimes drop out, which makes their space available, Bolan said. Signing up is easy if there is a vacancy. To check, go online to mydpl.org and click on the tab that says my library events. On the calendar, go to Tuesday or Thursday and hover or click on the words “Free Tai Chi Class” to see if the class is currently full. If there are openings, there will be a QR code that can be scanned with your phone to register. Or, just come to the library and sign up by giving your name, email, zip and age. Then, all you have to do is show up for the class and sign a release form and you are in.

In the future, they hope to take the classes outside.

“We’ve talked about going outside with the class but the lawn slopes a bit,” Bolan said.

Before they can have class outside, they need someone to build a rail so participants can steady themselves, if needed. Unfortunately, there is no money for it, she said.

“We don’t charge for programming at the library,” Bolan said. “I have to find a way and find the money to build a bar. I would love for us to move it outside so many more people could enjoy the class.”