Orono Community Education

I became a Tai Chi for Arthritis instructor in the spring of 2010. Since 1994, I’ve studied many types of Tai Chi (TC). The first Tai Chi class I took was very difficult, and I realized it would take some time to truly learn. As I continued my journey taking classes, I became friends with so many wonderful people who shared the same interest. Each class I took helped me go deeper in understanding, but never would I believe I’d be an instructor. It is a wonderful journey.

I was convinced by a friend to join the YMCA because it was starting a Tai Chi class. When I started taking this class, I knew it would be a good class to teach. It was easier to learn, and because I had been diagnosed with arthritis, it was a greater mission.

As I teach, I’m delighted to see that each class session brings more people, and I enjoy sharing my knowledge with so many students. It is even better when I see friends return from a previous session and see them become more focused, balanced and relaxed in their healing journey.

As a teacher I am constantly learning new ways to help students understand the internal healing components that, at first, are not so obvious. Beginners work on getting the moves in sequence and slowing down, which teaches mind/body connection. With more practice, student focus becomes more relaxed, andthe depth of practice grows. I see the healing energy (Chi) begin to flow within each student. With my advanced groups, we share our energy together, cultivating energy with mind, body and spirit. This is an amazing experience.

I am grateful for Dr. Paul Lam’s Tai Chi programs and his worldwide commitment to train professional teachers. I renew my Tai Chi for Arthritis teaching certification every two years at Normandale Community College. I am also a member of the Tai Chi for Health Community organization.

My name is Tom Edmond. I’ve been practicing Tai Chi since 2006, and as a certified instructor of Dr. Paul Lam’s Tai Chi for Health Institute to the present day. 

The Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention course has a great appeal to me since my major goal is using Tai Chi to help others to move gently to improve their strength, balance and, most importantly, to reduce their likelihood of falling. A major by-product of this safe and enjoyable practice is a healthier body and mind for its practitioners. 

Prior to Tai Chi, I practiced the Japanese martial art of Aikido for 20 years before my arthritic knees had taken their toll. I then sought out a martial art that had similar ethics, philosophy and movements which my arthritic knees would tolerate. 

Tai Chi for Arthritis was being practiced at a local YMCA. I tried it and liked it a lot. From my prior Aikido experiences, I found that the best way to learn something really well was to learn how to teach it to others. Therefore, I took the training and became certified to teach Tai Chi. That was 11 years ago and I am currently teaching several classes during the week in the local branches of the YMCA of the North organization. Those are group exercise classes during the daytime hours and have appealed to mostly senior participants. Classes are drop-in, and the participants have mixed levels of Tai Chi experience. Therefore, I always have a lesson plan for each class however, I adapt my lesson plan accordingly. 

Over the years I have also been a substituting as needed for other Tai Chi instructors both in the YMCA system as well as those who teach session-type classes in community education programs. 

Pre-pandemic, I was part of a group of Tai Chi for Arthritis practitioners demonstrating the entire form during the annual Chinese New Years celebration event at the Mall of America. Annually, there’s a World Tai Chi and Qigong Day (celebrated on the last Saturday of April) where Tai Chi and Qigong practitioners gather in events around the world to celebrate, demonstrate, and practice those arts. I’ve enjoyed being a part of this global community as well as having the opportunity to share these arts with others.