Mental Gymnastics

Thanks to my Italian tutor, Lorella ( who you will meet soon) I was delighted to find a sensei for tai chi. Now, with a handful of other women of a certain age and one guy, Franco, I happily enjoy an hour of this very calming martial art (sounds like an oxymoron but its true!)  twice a week. Saturday mornings and Wednesday evenings you will find us in our calzini (socks) spread out across the floor of the palestra (gym) of the local grade school.

Riccardo, the sensei, will have just sped up the hill on a bike (it is a short but very steep hill!) impressing me with his stamina, or hopped off his motor scooter, minutes before the start of class.  He has a warm, gentle demeanor and always greets me with a, “Ciao, Jill.”  I return his greeting and that is the extent of our verbal communication. Riccardo speaks no English and my Italian is far too rudimentary for any extended discussion about anything, let alone tai chi!

My fellow students speak a smattering of English and translate critical information but, for the most part we use hand signals and vivid body language to share comments.

Fortunately, the front of the gym is a mirror wall  which definitely helps me follow Riccardo’s directions. Thanks to prior tai chi lessons (pre COVID), the mirror and the fact I can usually position myself behind Riccardo, things go pretty well. I have learned some key Italian words - Su (up), Giu’(down), Sinestra (left), Destra (right) and Abbraccio (hug) and can follow along.

But then there was last week. Riccardo had us do the class in a circle.  Ay yay yay! Have you tried following someone when you have to do the mirror opposite of what your eyes are seeing? My poor brain worked overtime! I was trying to translate the Italian instructions while telling my arms and legs to do the reverse of what Riccardo was doing.

After an hour I felt like I had run a mental marathon.  Tai chi is known to help balance, stability, flexibility, strength and overall wellbeing. I think it also helps mental acuity, as does any physical activity.After that class I was pretty sure I left with a little more grey matter than I had arrived with!

Sensei Riccardo and me after Tai Chi