ABOUT THE AUTHOR: GEORGE LOCKER
Over 40 years ago, I was introduced to Cheng Hsiang Yu, a Grandmaster of T'ai Chi Chuan (Taiji Quan), an ancient Chinese martial art. Master Yu had a profound understanding of the stability and power of T’ai Chi - how to acquire it, and how to apply it. No matter how strong and skillful my classmates and I became, Master Yu stayed well ahead of us, even into his 80’s!
My understanding of balance deepened when I began to teach T’ai Chi-inspired exercises to seniors. Even for the young, learning T’ai Chi is a physical challenge because of the emphasis on the legs. For an older adult, developing leg strength and ankle flexibility takes time, consistent effort, and the ability to maintain a sustained bent knee and ankle.
POSTURAL RETRAINING
YI JIN JING
The need for an incremental approach to increasing leg strength and ankle flexibility led me to create Postural Retraining™, and to write Falling Is Not an Option: A Way to Lifelong Balance, and a Science of Healthy Balance: Why We Need One, What it Might Look Like.
I am currently on the faculty of the Omega Institute for Holistic Studies in Rhinebeck, NY, where I teach a 10-hour class, A Way to Better Balance.
Apart from T’ai Chi practice and teaching, I am a tenant's rights attorney in NYC; I ski and kayak in the Adirondacks; and I have a magnificent daughter.
At 75, my balance and stability are awesome.
