WHEN he’s not designing clothes for Cebu’s social set, Oj Hofer teaches tai chi to prison inmates, cancer patients and seniors.
A Chinese martial art, tai chi aims to generate the flow of chi or vital energy. According to The New York Times, its choreographed poses, executed in slow motion, may not appear like exercise, but tai chi actually burns as many calories as brisk walking.
The Harvard Health Publication calls it “medication in motion” for its health benefits, such as improving balance and aerobic conditioning, lowering high blood pressure and curing depression.
While insomnia—which is induced by inflammation—damages the heart, tai chi harmonizes the yin and yang elements to soothe tenderness or swelling in the body.
Hofer warms up the class with standing meditation, gentle stretches and loosening of the joints. He then introduces basic stances, hand positions and coordinated movements in fluid motion. These stances are associated with imagery of nature to make the tai chi poses more concrete.
Rhythm
It takes a few sessions to get into the rhythm of the sequences. Tai chi teachers espouse muscle memory, training the body to perform activities without having to think about it.
On the benefits, Hofer said the practice of tai chi eases his tension before taking up exams on calligraphy and ikebana. When he’s feeling under the weather, tai chi and its synchronized breathing balance the energies in his body. “You can heal yourself,” he said. “Blood is stimulated and it resonates throughout your system.”
Aside from health and relaxation benefits, tai chi became an instinctive form of self-defense. While touring Spain, a husky man grabbed Hofer’s phone and tried to mug him. On impulse, Hofer shifted his weight and hit the attacker in the solar plexus, the nerves at the stomach pit.
“He just flew and I hailed a cab to escape,” recalled Hofer. “When you are conscious, you can repulse negative energy.”
Hofer has conducted sessions for the dancing inmates or prisoners at the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center. “I emphasize meditation in motion. The prisoners become so peaceful that they look forward to the next class,” he said.
He has also held workshops for cancer patients in Shangri-La Mactan. “Tai chi helps to regenerate cells so that one could live longer,” said Hofer.
Mature practitioners are said to have fewer falls because of improved muscular control and improved awareness of how they move in space.
Hofer seems to have found a good way to stay healthy, and to give back at the same time.
