72. Tai Chi

Looking through some old papers the other day I came across some Tai Chi certificates which I had received almost 40 years ago. Unfortunately, the memories which these brought back were not happy ones as they were of some very difficult years which Sue and I had had back in the mid 1980s. We had suffered a series of personal misfortunes, including the deaths of some close family members. This had coincided with a number of major changes in my work environment, and all of these factors together had left us feeling stressed and me feeling depressed and anxious. This had prompted me to enrol in a Tai Chi class (sometimes referred to as “moving meditation”) in the hope that this would help to improve my emotional state.

The class which I joined was at the Australian Academy of Tai Chi in Hornsby, a northern suburb of Sydney. These classes were held in a church hall in the evenings and were attended by about twenty people, mainly women, almost all in their fifties and sixties. Our instructor was an Australian woman, who was very fit and capable, who gently introduced us to the basic Tai Chi movements, which focused on balance and relaxation. I stayed with her class for a few years, until work pressures and overseas travel made it impossible for me to attend the regular weekly sessions.  

Thinking back, I do believe that the Tai Chi lessons helped me to cope during this stressful period in my life and I remember that I enjoyed the associated meditation and traditional Chinese relaxationmusic. Another thing that I remember is that I practised the movements at home during the week, often to the amusement of my children. It must have been a sight to see Dad trying to balance and not always succeeding.

I would guess that some of my readers have practised Tai Chi for much longer and have reached a far more advanced level than I ever did, but for those readers who are not familiar with this gentle form of exercise and meditation I’ll briefly mention its origins and its perceived health benefits.   

Tai Chi is said to have originated in China. Its theory is believed to have come from Taoism and Confucianism and its practice is said, by some traditionalists, to have been formulated by a Taoist monk in the 12^th century. It appears to have gained followers in the USA in the mid-fifties and probably 20 years or so later in Australia as well. The Australian Academy of Tai Chi was established in 1976.

It became popular here because it was, and it still is, believed that practising Tai Chi leads to reducing stress, as well as providing important health benefits, such as lowering blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Tai Chi is also considered to be beneficial in improving balance and helping to prevent falls in older people. There are many different styles of Tai Chi and classes are available in hundreds of locations in Australia. I’ve read that there is even a weekly class close to the Shorncliffe Pier.

I’ve been aware of “Shadow Boxing” (one of the early descriptions of Tai Chi) since my early seafaring days. In later years, I’ve seen groups of people, gathered early in the mornings, in parks and squares in some Asian cities and have watched them perform together what, to me, almost looked like a ballet, the synchronised, graceful and slow movements of what we now call Tai Chi.

Much later again, I saw the same thing in Malaysia. I had been associated with a multinational manufacturing company in that country and with its founder (I will call him “Mr Lim”, which is not his real name). The company had an office in Kuala Lumpur (or KL, as it is referred to), the capital of Malaysia, and the main factory was based in Ipoh, further north on the Malayan peninsula.

I had known Mr Lim for many years when I was working in the steel industry in Australia and had visited his operations a number of times. Some years later, Mr Lim had invited me to join his company, and I had spent several busy years working from my base in Sydney, but also travelling to Newcastle and Perth, where his Australian factories were, as well as to Ipoh, Singapore, KL and elsewhere. We became good friends.

The reason for mentioning this association with Mr Lim is that he regularly practised Tai Chi, which took place on the lawns in the back garden of his house in Ipoh. His senior (Malaysian Chinese) managers, most of whom were also based in Ipoh, came to his house on Sunday mornings to join him. A Tai Chi Master (an old professional instructor) was brought in from the island of Penang, specifically for this purpose, and they all practised Tai Chi together.

During one of my visits to Ipoh Mr Lim invited me to take part as well. He knew that I had done some Tai Chi and thought it would be good for me to be there and to try to participate. Regretfully, I was not able to keep up with them, because they had been taught a more aggressive form of Tai Chi than I had been used to. I just stood in the back row and tried to do the best I could. Although I was somewhat embarrassed, I was also pleased that I’d been invited to be there with his key people.

The house in Ipoh has another happy memory for me. I once went there with Mr Luciano Occhilupo, a colleague and friend of mine. Luciano had joined one of our Australian companies, after a long and distinguished career (as a designer & draughtsman) with Transfield, a large company involved in building Australia’s power transmission towers.

Luciano and I had travelled to Ipoh together for discussions with Mr Lim and on that particular Sunday we were invited to join the Tai Chi session and the subsequent get-together with the senior staff. I remember that Luciano, being a very relaxed, confident person, entertained us by singing some Italian songs in his booming baritone voice. For him, Tai Chi had done its magic! It was a memorable singalong. Luciano loved it!

Interestingly, Luciano also happened to be the proud father of Mark Occhilupo, a famous surfer and former world-champion, well-known to Australians. Luciano talked about him often. Sadly, Luciano passed away suddenly a few years after this visit to Ipoh.

Finding my Tai Chi certificates brought back memories of some difficult years but also of some happy times, many years ago, when my old friends Mr Luciano Occhilupo and Mr Lim were still with us.

O.P.

P.S. On Sunday, 25 May Sue will remember William’s Memorial Institute in Connecticut.