Free Tai Chi Chih Class for Veterans

These are times for developing skills and habits that make us resilient to stress. I'm a Vietnam War combat veteran who has benefited from two forms of meditation, one practiced while seated, that’s SKY breathing, taught to veterans for free by the Welcome Home Troops Project; and the other involving gentle movements, that’s Tai Chi Chih for Veterans, taught by a Wilmington based certified instructor, Jessica Lewis. During the Covid pandemic Jessica began teaching online. Her practice has grown. These days she conducts hybrid classes that include students from several states, and even one from the U.K.

Jessica just launched a new free Tai Chi Chih for Veterans class at Hanover Street Presbyterian Church in Wilmington, Delaware. The video above shows several of the 20 movements involved in this derivative form of ancient Tai Chi. They can be done sitting down or standing up and can be performed in any order. When you stop worrying about whether you're moving correctly, your body relaxes, and that helps to calm your mind.

While demonstrating several of the movements Jessica "mirrors" for the students in front of her or on her computer screen. For instance, telling students to extend their left leg, she extends her right one. Mirroring makes it much easier to follow her directions. The unobtrusive birdsong you hear in the video is a background for calming body, mind, and spirit.