My Winter Tai Chi Class

 

This photo reminds me of the Days when I taught my tai chi group (Dennis, Andrew, Tommy, Doc and John) on my driveway Sunday mornings on my driveway all winter long.

 

When Doc joined the class, a very cold Sunday morning, as he got out of his car, with a worried tone he told me he was a surgeon and he had to protect our hands (I think he thought is was a karate class). I told he we had an answer for that, it was called gloves.

 

Skiers ski in all weather. Properly dressed tai chi is no different, just not what was expected.

 

Then one Sunday morning it was -20f outside, I began the class using some bagua circle walking to let everyone warm up. So a very frosty morning, as we were going a Derry Police car drove slowly by. A little later he drove back again, very slowly observing us. He drove by once again, watching us. Then stopped his car to walk back and observe. I imagine he called it in, and when it got to Chief Garone, knowing who I was…well. We just continued working out.

 

Several years later one Saturday night we had a heavy snow. Class was at 8am, so at 6am I went outside to shovel. And for two hours that is what I did. Yes, it was extremely frigid, but I was working up a real sweat. When I finished just before class was to begin I went inside to change my wet clothes. Taking off my soaked jacket and my wet shirt, I was inside and bare chested when I saw the group begin to arrive.  Then it stuck me as I was so hot, myself from all that shoveling, I would play a prank on all of them.

 

I strode into the frigid air, bare chested, into the shoveled but still snow covered driveway. I thing Doc almost had a heart attack, and everyone swarmed me and forced me inside. I did not suffer that exposure, being so hot. I just continued to dress. As I explained to them what happened, then laughing resumed class.

 

I did that because in Bejing they study group tai chi outside all year long. Colder winters, warmer summers from what I understood. I just saw no reason to let the temperature stop me.

 

Of course rain was another story. I did not teach tai chi in rain.

 

But from -20f to +115f I was always game to teach my tai chi.