---

On Monday and Thursday evenings inside the Swedish Village Mall in Center City you'll find a group of students pursuing an ancient form of exercise known as tai chi. The studio where Dr. Imaim Thao leads classes twice-weekly is carpeted, the walls are adorned with oriental calligraphy and a corner of the room is inhabited by a glossy gnarled wood table, set with what appears to be utensils for tea.

The disc in the portable player is providing background music of mostly Chinese string instruments; in a composition that brings to mind the oceanside. Tai chi isn't about frantic athletic activity and a racing heart rate--it's a contemplative exercise which affords a calming effect even to an observer. Aquatic-theme music might be a deliberate choice though; after class Dr. Thao said one of his students, a swimming coach, told him that tai chi done well is like swimming without the water.

Of course a newcomer to tai chi can't be balanced, strong yet flexible and flowing right at the start. Being a student means expecting stumbles along the way. Dr. Thao finds time to personalize instruction when a movement needs practice.

Students ranged in ability the night we visited from a mother and daughter attending only their second week, to students who have been with Dr. Thao since he opened the Center City traditional Chinese medicine clinic two years ago.

Tai chi doesn't look strenuous, but participants developed a healthy glow (sweat) less than halfway through the two-hour class. There's a lot to remember and Dr. Thao joked with the class that learning tai chi boosts your brain power. From how you position your feet, breathing control, and feeling your energy (chi) into your fingertips-- tai chi leaves no body part untouched. Warm-up and cool down portions of the class are also important to revitalize every inch of the body's energy or "chi" routes.

Movements are learned at each student's own speed. They can then be combined into several forms of tai chi, and students learn one form at a time. A breakout group worked on movements that involved holding a sword.

Dr. Thao explains there are "no physical limitations" to participating in tai chi. Everyone practices at their own level of flexibility and strength.

Dr. Thao has been studying tai chi for 15 years and before that he pursued martial arts. He was born in Laos and trained and earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees in the U.S. and also trained in China. He moved from martial arts to tai chi naturally, he said. "The martial arts require external energy," he explained, "tai chi is about learning to regulate internal energy."

Thao lives just a couple miles from the clinic and tai chi studio in Center City. He said he sought a small community where he felt comfortable and he likes "being close to nature."

+++++

Dr. Thao will be doing a tai chi demonstration at the Franconia Sculpture Park this weekend, during the 12th annual fall celebration. He is scheduled to present about 1 p.m. (See side story for details about the sculpture park's weekend festivities.)

---