By Lynne Rappaport

At my Tuesday afternoon T’ai Chi Chih class at the South Sunset Community Center, eight blocks from the Pacific Ocean, the usual summer fog keeps things cool. Elsewhere, folks are wilting in triple digit heat.  

San Francisco’s natural air conditioning – something I usually complain about – feels most welcome right now, in “Fogust.”

Our dedicated group of a dozen or more students is down to about nine today. People travel in summer. The free, noncredit class meets in a small outdoor space, next to basketball courts and soccer fields. Ulloa Elementary School is close by, and during the school year we can hear the sounds of children shouting and playing in the schoolyard during recess.

The sky is gray, the air chilly. Seagulls soar above. Our teacher, Judy, starts off with a short warmup of ancient, gentle Qi Gong stretches with intriguing names like Buddha Picks Up the Earth, and Picking Up a Feather. Then we progress for the next 45 minutes to the series of 19 continuous movements and one pose, the complete T’ai Chi Chih (pronounced tie-chee-chuh) practice. The movements are soft, flowing and easy to learn.

We move slowly, accompanied by a soundtrack from Judy’s iPhone of rhythmic chanting and drumming, in a sequence of comfortable peaceful moves: Rocking Motion, Bird Flaps Its Wings, Daughter on the Mountaintop, Pulling in the Energy from the Farthest Star in the Universe, Joyous Breath, Passing Clouds and others.  

Judy takes us through each move, patiently and clearly, as she does the practice with us and gives directions:

“Moving into bass drum, left side.  

Make sure your back foot is at a 45-degree angle. 

That helps you balance in back and balance in front. 

Bass drum is slowing us down.  

Feel the elbows move toward the back with the hips. 

That’s a key that the energy is coming around the whole body here.  

As you bring those palms down and you inhale here, and exhale back, feel the palms soften, the fingers want to open here. Nothing is tight. All the joints, including the elbows, are relaxed.” 

She reminds us to take note of the sky above, the clouds, the wind. Gradually, we are moving in unison with each other, slowing way down, entering a meditative state.

The practice concludes with its only stationary pose, “Cosmic Consciousness.” Judy tells us to interlace our fingers and bring the arms overhead. She always ends with a few words of thanks to the masters before her: “In gratitude for 3,000 years of Qi Gong; six centuries of Tai Chi Chuan; the work of Wen-Shan Huang, the teacher of Justin Stone, and Justin Stone’s 19 Movements and One Pose, originated in 1974.  Thank you for your practice.”  She bows to each of us, and we repeat the motion. We float back into the world, refreshed and smiling.

A spry 80-year-old, Judy treks out to the Sunset District on the bus from across town, pulling her rolling cart behind her. Its contents include a portable Bluetooth speaker, water bottle, an extra pair of shoes, layers for cold weather, hat, attendance forms and an enlarged laminated list of the moves.

Retired from a long career as a voice teacher at City College, Judy has turned her attention completely to T’ai Chi Chih. She’s been doing it since the 1980s. She’s also a certified Hatha Yoga instructor. She radiates calm and centeredness.

In June, Judy attended a three-day teacher retreat at a hilltop Benedictine Abbey near San Diego, where she deepened her own practice, refined the movements and connected with teachers from around the country. During the pandemic, when we couldn’t meet in person, she led classes from her living room on Zoom. I’m awed by her dedication.

A shortened, easy-to-learn form of the more well-known T’ai Chi Chuan martial arts form, T’ai Chi Chih is a moving meditation, a non-martial arts system developed by Justin Stone in the early ’70s.  Stone studied for many years in India, Japan and China, eventually settling in New Mexico and turning the teachings into a distilled, accessible practice suitable for any age.

I began learning this form nine years ago in Judy’s Mind Body Health class at the Stonestown YMCA Annex, through City College’s free Older Adult Program. I was working part-time and trying out different activities in my spare time. I had taken some yoga, but nothing else seemed to relax my chronically tense muscles and worrying disposition like T’ai Chi Chih.

I remember taking walks in my neighborhood park a long time ago, stopping to watch a group of elderly Chinese regulars gliding gracefully through the practice like ballet dancers. It was mesmerizing and hypnotic. It seemed so exotic. Now I myself am cultivating a practice.

Recently, my 30-year-old daughter and her dear friend from fourth grade, Alina, came to dinner.  Alina’s family had emigrated from Russia and enrolled Alina at the same elementary school as my daughter. They’ve maintained a lifelong friendship. Alina and her husband are now expecting a baby.  

During dinner, the conversation turned to different ways to relax. Alina expressed a lot of interest in my description of T’ai Chi Chih. I could tell she was seeking something. So, after dinner, we all spread out in the living room in front of the TV to follow one of Judy’s recorded YouTube videos. The room quickly grew quiet, as we concentrated on our teacher’s instructions.  After a while, a palpable energy filled the room – focus, connectedness, stillness. My husband, who practices yoga, remarked on how relaxed he felt.

Alina was entranced. I imagined the new life inside her already experiencing a powerful, easy relaxation method. I told her about Judy’s website and YouTube channel and gave her the Tibetan singing bowl I had bought for myself some time ago that was sitting on a shelf, unused.  Perhaps the motherhood journey ahead will be made a little easier with these ancient gifts I could pass along.  

The fall class (Aug. 22-Dec. 17) at the South Sunset Community Center on Tuesday afternoon at 1 p.m. will be through CCSF and sponsored by Self Help for the Elderly and SF Park and Rec. Free. We usually meet outside, and can move inside in case of rain.  Dress for the weather and bring a water bottle. We cross the Silk Road with practices from India to China over a span of time of roughly 10,000 years. Come and enjoy the qi!  Slow movement builds inner awareness, alignment, and breath control. Balance body and mind by joining us!