West Vancouver Seniors Tai Chi have been getting together since 2018 to stay fit and connected with the community by practicing Tai Chi every morning in an outdoor public place. The average age of our group is in the low 80’s. The oldest group member is 93 while the youngest is 68. There is no cost for joining our group and we have no paid instructors. What we do have is people with Tai Chi experience to lead us through the routines. Many of us often stay after the Tai Chi practice to sing and dance and to enjoy each other’s company.
With the help of a Neighbourhood Small Grant, the group celebrated their 5 year anniversary with an open house/block party at John Lawson Park.
We served fresh fruits and snacks. That morning, we had Tai Chi demonstrations, singing and dancing. We talked to passersby, letting them know about us, where and when we meet and inviting them to join us. We had two ladies from this encounter joining us.
The grant has allowed us to continue our activity of keeping seniors connected with each other, staying healthy and engaging mind and body. Some seniors have now started learning English with a new phrase every day.
The things that stand out are people’s curiosity about Tai Chi; seniors getting together to exercise in the fresh air seven days a week; the obvious enjoyment of the participants even though they are not perfect, either the Tai Chi itself, the singing or the dancing. One person commented that she thought Tai Chi was difficult and for young people and it was so nice to see so many older people being involved. One gentleman in particular watching us simply said “this is wonderful”.
The Neighbourhood Small Grants program has given us the opportunity to spread information about our group because Tai Chi is of great benefit to the health and well being of seniors. Thank you so much for making this program available. It is very encouraging to have the community support to help us stay relevant, engaging and connecting with others.
