Focusing on movement

“Drawing bow to shoot tiger,” “turn body to tame tiger” and “parting wild horse’s mane” may sound like titles of martial arts flicks. Close.

They are names of movements used in the ancient martial art of tai chi.

The movements come from what monks observed at Chinese villages.

“Repulse monkey” is the name of one such movement.

“A monk came up with the name as he watched people pushing away monkeys who were begging for food,” explained area tai chi instructor Bob Petet. He and his wife, Cindy, have been practicing the discipline for 11 years and teaching for six.

Tai chi is about 2,500 years old. It started as a way for monks to increase strength, but today it is practiced primarily for its health benefits, including reducing tension and stress.

The movements are continuous, slow, even, with agile steps, and while it has been called the lazy man’s exercise, it gets the blood pumping.

It incorporates movements that aid in flexibility by moving all the joints, muscles and tendons. It strengthens the body by the use of slow, controlled actions, increases stamina as it works the heart and lungs, and aligns the spine as it focuses on an upright position.

“It is like a slow-motion dance,” said Cindy Petet.

Arthritis sufferers also can use it as an alternative treatment. Based on Dr. Paul Lam’s “Tai Chi for Arthritis,” the Arthritis Foundation began its own program.

Cindy and Bob Petet’s “Tai Chi for Health” courses are based on Lam’s program and the sun style of tai chi, which is especially suitable for people with arthritis. It is easy and comfortable to learn with its higher stance, agile steps and exercises that improve mobility, breathing and relaxation.

The Petets are the only two instructors in Eastern Washington certified through the Tai Chi Arthritis Foundation.

According to Chinese medicine, arthritis is the result of the weak and sluggish flow of energy and oxygen through the meridians. The slow and gentle movements of tai chi open up energy channels, and the rhythmic movements of the muscles, joints and spine pump energy through the body.

The Petets teach weekly classes at the North Side and South Side Rockwood Retirement centers, at the Valley YMCA and at the Health and Education Center at Valley Hospital and Medical Center. The ages of students range from 10 to 97.

They begin each class with “leave your problems outside.”

The mental focus needed for each movement leaves little room for other thoughts, enabling stress to be released. Students walk around to warm up, breathe, open and close their hands, and imagine a string pulls them from the top of their head.

Then they drop their shoulders, envision everything as round and relaxed, and massage their internal organs as they turn at the waist.

Recently the Petets held an information meeting and tai chi demonstration at the Spokane Valley Senior Center at CenterPlace at Mirabeau Point Park. A dozen seniors attended.

They participated in the repetition of a single movement.

Many of the Petets’ students say their balance, memory and energy levels have improved while their stress levels have gone down, and they get to sleep better.

The definition of chi is “vital life energy,” and all it takes to aid in its healing is a pair of sensible shoes and a little space.

“Tai chi is like an internal pharmacy,” said Bob Petet. “Grab your ‘chi’ instead of a pill.”