“Is this going to keep happening? I mean, is this class here to stay?”
Something like those words came from a class member about a year ago who is now a regular. I hesitated, and then said, “I will keep teaching.”
I hesitated because doubts entered my mind. Marina and I had moved from Georgia to South Boston, Virginia, less than a year before. My Qigong class was replacing a popular yoga class. A beloved teacher moved away be closer to family—the same reason we moved here. There were no other Yoga teachers who could teach three times a week in the morning. My doubting mind said, “How can something as little known as Qigong replace something as popular as Yoga?”
I had agreed to teach Qigong three times a week, fully expecting that perhaps it would become a weekly class at best. Being new the community, I wasn’t sure what people would think about this gentle, slow practice with a strong prompt to go internal. I especially wondered how this small town might accept my 10-minute guided meditations which close out each class. People are sometimes leery of meditation.
But…the class took off. We are still practicing three times a week. I have about 15–20 regulars and am fortunate that they usually don’t show up all at once, since the room capacity is 12. The closing meditations? Perhaps the most popular part of the class overall.
We are also expanding in other ways. This year, we’ve worked together to change the appearance of the Mind/Body Room greatly. The YMCA added some nice touches, including a lamp and a diffuser. I’m lucky in that our director is an advocate that mental health is just as important as physical health and felt this space should be dedicated to mind/body practices, rather than also being used as a workout room, party place, or other functions.
We undertook a project of adding artwork to enhance the room. Creative students donated paintings and photographs, and we also received contributions freely given by a local art group—The Parsons-Bruce Art Association. I was glad this was such a community effort.
Then it became an even wider community effort—our international community. A student brought a visitor from China who is a master calligrapher. I asked him if he could create some Chinese characters for us to place on the walls. He did not have any of his calligraphy tools with him, but kindly consented to creating characters on canvas using a paintbrush. So we now have the two characters for “Qigong” on one wall and the character for “Tranquility” (or Stillness or Peace) on another wall.
All of this made a tremendous difference in this space, and we still have more plans.
Now, I have a new logo with business cards shown above and the use of the logo on a shirt. The back of the business cards show a forthcoming announcement—new certification to teach evidenced-based Tai Chi programs for Arthritis, both standing and seated from a chair. I’m excited about these new programs and hope to announce dates, times and locations very soon.
So…what a year! Who knows what 2024 will bring? I’m just looking forward to teaching. Qigong and Tai Chi are indeed here to stay—for myself, for my local community, and perhaps beyond.