DNA’s Discover Tai Chi - A Fun First for the Downtown Community!
Written by Sherry Hao
Image Courtesy of Zhenru Yan
Although it was a slightly chilly start to the weekend, this past Saturday was an exciting start to a new DNA event. On the morning of March 21, we hosted our first ever Discover Tai Chi event at UFC Gym. As part of our Living Well Initiative, which brings free to low cost wellness opportunities to the Downtown community, our Tai Chi event provided guests with an affordable fitness session and created an avenue for social interaction and connection among the participants.
For many guests, including our team members, this event was a first introduction to Tai Chi practice. The slow-paced, at-first-glance simple movements were surprisingly effective in working out the muscles, especially the legs. Similar to dancing, the movements had rhythm and detail to each step. The instructor, Master Bao, patiently demonstrated and explained the proper way of this mindful martial art.
Image Courtesy of Zhenru Yan
The event had a great turn out with a good mix of people ready to learn this style of martial arts. Among the participants, many expressed excitement to try out new things, a feeling shared by our team. A few inquired about having more Tai Chi in the future, to which Master Bao and our team were delighted to hear. There were also several guests who found that the event built more connection to their home culture.
Image Courtesy of Zhenru Yan
Our Discover Tai Chi event was made possible through our collaboration with Win-Win Kung Fu Culture Center, an organization committed to providing authentic Chinese martial arts to the Pittsburgh community. Our instructor, Master Bao, is the founder and director of Win-Win and we are grateful for the opportunity to work with him and his organization.
Given the popularity of this first event, there’s a strong possibility of a Tai Chi event returning to the Downtown community. Other than Tai Chi, there are many kinds of Chinese martial arts and other wellness practices that instructors and our team are excited to bring to Downtown.
