Tai Chi

On impulse decided to join my neighbour Val at her weekly Tai Chi class this afternoon. Sadly it's not on a gorgeous beach like this, just our local Methodist church hall!

5pm. Back from an hour of my first Tai Chi. The warm up exercises are lovely, I can feel my shoulders and arms free from stiffness. But the routine of 'forms' has me completely lost! Trying to co-ordinate arm movements and leg bends is like that rubbing your tummy while patting your head thing. They do have lovely names, like 'parting the wild horse's mane'. Lower back and thighs ache by the time I'm home due to the bent leg posture but worth going again next week and checking out some You Tube videos of the exercises. Oh, and we did do something like that pose in the photograph, which might be called the Intercept and Punch.

Stiffness diary, Monday
Left shoulder where it meets the clavicle is stiff and painful when I go to bed Sunday. Painful in the night, still painful and difficult to move Monday morning. Soak in hot bath, no improvement.
1pm. Drove around delivering photo orders (long story, but see http://happy-valley.org.uk/discover/picarch1.htm if you want) Shoulder stiffness easing.
5pm. Feeling OK. Only residual pain in shoulder.
7pm : Pain back in left arm only this time in the area round the biceps. Lifted an averagely heavy skillet pan, but with right arm.
Night/Tuesday early morning: Right knee around what I think is the popliteal tendon. Left hand knuckle joints.
Tuesday. Stiff around the knee but otherwise ok.
4-5pm Tai Chi
10pm. Stiff legs and left shoulder, but not as bad as anticipated. Off to bed.