In her fortnightly review of fitness and wellbeing activities, comedian Jennifer Wong finds that mastering the Chinese martial art is a matter of mind over navel
Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email
For the first 15 minutes of my tai chi class, we remain entirely in one spot to warm up. From afar, it probably looks as though we’re standing with our arms by our side and then – in slow motion – lifting them in front of us to 90 degrees. But if you were to look inside my brain, you would see my synapses firing trying to keep up with the instructor’s directions to do things that can’t be seen.
“Form the arches under your feet. Soften your knees, not bending,” says Angela, a tai chi instructor of 28 years. “Visualise the back of your knees. Relax there to relax your knee bones in front.”
About Author
More Stories
Switch on those glutes! Suddenly it’s all about the bass, and for good reason
What about fitness tips for those of us aged 90 and above? | Letters
My sister is unhappy with her life but does nothing to change it. What can I do? | Leading questions