We want to bring good energy to our town, comments enthusiastic Tai Chi organizer and Jefferson City resident Robin Snell.

She and a group of dedicated fans want to share health benefits they have experienced from Taoist Tai Chi or meditation in motion with Jefferson City residents.

Accredited instructor Jim Parker teaches a class at the Rose Center in Morristown. The small group of his followers, ranging in age from 30 to 80, are temporarily meeting in Jefferson City Centennial Park, Mondays at 10 a.m.

Snell learned the form of Tai Chi just one year ago when her father passed. The terrible depression and grief began to lift with the social interaction and movements.

Parker agrees that Snell has come a long way to a healthier mind, body, and spirit in a short time.

The experienced instructor, now age 72, has seen his own health benefits in 17 years of helping others. He was a construction worker for 35 years which led to arthritis and two knee replacements.

He is now looking to share his training with the Jefferson City and the surrounding communities.

I teach a style of Taoist Tai Chi that can be a complimentary therapy in speeding recovery for those who have experienced injuries or even stroke, explains Parker.

Melody Horvath started the class after she had an unexplained stroke at age 32.

It is great to feel a part of this supportive and positive community with people of all ages, she exclaims. It was hard to get my brain to do the movements at first, but now it is getting easier to follow along.

Describing herself as proud to be 80, retired Walters State teacher Anne Armstrong says the Taoist Tai Chi has helped with her balance and her memory too.

Parker leads his class through movements with descriptive names such as comb the wild horses mane and draw bow to shoot tiger. Although he volunteers to teach for the society, he is required to attend workshops for training and continuing education. The USA center is in Florida, while the international center is in Canada.

I have traveled to the international center for week-long workshops, he says. It is truly amazing that this type of Tai Chi is taught in 800 locations in 26 countries. The instructors who come to the Canadian center speak all different languages.

East Tennessee boasts 11 locations from Morristown to Oak Ridge. The goal of the society is to make the program available to all.

Jefferson City residents can go to the Centennial Park picnic pavilion on Monday morning for an introductory class. However, Parker needs to find a permanent home for his program so all can continue to enjoy the lift from Taoist Tai Chi year-round.

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