(soft music) - [Announcer] NPT Reports: Aging Matters.

(soft music) - We firmly believe that it's very important, starting at a very young age, that the people stay active because that's gonna help them maintain their strength in their legs, maintain their balance, their flexibility, their gait.

(soft music) - [Presenter] While there are many forms of safe and effective exercise, research shows that Tai Chi is uniquely good for older adults.

- It reduces not only pain, but reduces falls by as much as 55%.

So, Tai-Chi has many benefits.

(soft music) - So I had the fear of falling because I had fallen several times and I didn't want to repeat that experience.

I don't have that so much now because I'm careful with the way I carry myself.

I carry Tai Chi with me throughout the day.

I'm always conscious of what I'm doing, how I'm walking, how my balance is.

(soft music) - So what makes the movements of Tai Chi unique are that they're done very, very slowly.

And so, as we practice Tai Chi we're aware of our body moving through space and because we're doing it slowly, we can be confident we're not gonna fall.

Again, we're strengthening those muscles that hold our frame together, and then they become available to us in daily life.

(soft music) - Tai Chi was a really great first step for me because you don't have to have any special clothes, you don't have to have any special equipment, you don't have to move your body in funny ways.

- [Presenter] Due to COVID-19, this group of Nashville Tai Chi and wellness students do a socially-distanced outdoor meetup once a week.

But online learning has now become an option as well.

- I have a lot of students who've only learned online, and they're doing great and they keep signing up.

So right now in the age of COVID-19, the most important thing is to stay active.

And so whether it's Tai Chi or something else, staying active, but movement is essential.

And I think Tai Chi is such a great option.

It's not about perfecting the moves, it's about moving.

It's about moving in a really balanced way.

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