Tai Chi helped "wobbly problem" -- Letter to Si Jie Lynne Byrne

by Janice Austin Hart
(Moe Tai Chi)

Good morning Lynne,

Thought I’d like to share with you how Tai Chi has helped me accommodate an inconvenient ‘wobbly problem’ I’ve encountered in recent years. As you know I’m in my early seventies and naturally one expects to experience changes as the age number increases - loss of balance is one of them. But we oldies learn to cope by adjusting our approach to all sorts of movements.

Drying between the toes after a shower has been a challenging issue for me for some time now. I’ve had to grab the towel rail with one hand to steady myself whilst lifting the foot to a manageable height so I can manipulate the towel sufficiently to dry the feet, especially between the toes if I want to avoid any moisture problems. An awkward stance and somewhat
threatening to the long-term stability of the towel rail.

On many occasions I’ve found it relaxing and beneficial when needing to stand in one position for an extended period of time (waiting for the kettle to boil, chatting on the telephone, and even standing in the shower with the lovely warm water massaging my back) to do so using the Chi Cultivation leg stance. Over time I’ve noticed my legs steadying and strengthening each time I use this position.

One morning, recently, as I wobbled around trying to dry my feet I took notice of what I was doing: knee of balancing leg on lock, hand on towel rail, wet foot raised, free hand inefficiently using the towel. Thinking that there has to be a better way I realized I may get a better balance by replicating the Tai Chi bent knee stance. So bending my knees, and then
transferring the weight to one leg, I gently lifted my other leg to a comfortable height, gained a good balance and dried my toes very successfully using both hands to manipulate the towel. I was steady throughout the process.

It worked: dry feet; no wobbling; and a safe towel-rail! Long live Tai Chi.