Ai Chi and Silver Sneakers

Today was the day I have been anticipating for months--the Ai Chi certification workshop. It was a big reason I wanted to come to IAFC this year because the workshop was to be given by both the originators--Jun Konno and Ruth Sova. The 10-second explanation of Ai Chi is that it is aquatic mindbody work that combines Asian principles of balance and harmony with movement and breathing to form a moving meditation with physical benefits for people in almost any condition. Much of the day was spent in the land session covering many aspects of the practice--the underlying ideas, the different populations and conditions it can serve, the reasons it helps relax and relieve stress.

The icing on the cake, of course, was the pool session. Ruth first took us through all the elements of the movement progression, with plenty of opportunity for repetition. Then she facilitated an "Ai Chi Journey" where she vocalized some of the thoughts one might have while we did the movements. Last in the pool was a silent Ai Chi progression led by Jun Konno, where not a word was spoken and we thought our own thoughts while following his movement on deck.

I apologize to Ruth for the less-than-ideal angle of the photo, but I wanted to waste as little pool time as possible taking pictures, and the bright sunlight made very little visible in the camera screen. I just had to snap and hope. During Konno's progression, I was so lost in the experience it never occurred to me to pick up the camera.


To my surprise, passing this Ai Chi certification means that I can be an Ai Chi trainer, and can teach other instructors as well as teach classes or use it one-on-one. This can happen with Ai Chi because Mr. Konno wants its benefits to spread, because there are a small defined number of moves, and because perfection in instruction or execution is not a goal. It is an extremely non-judgemental format. "How it happens today is how it is supposed to be." With repetition comes deeper understanding and increasing benefit.

The Ai Chi was plenty for one day, and I would have been content to ooze off at the end of it and melt into a puddle of calm in my room, but I had signed up for an early evening session about Silver Sneakers SilverSplash, the aquatic format from the Silver Sneakers franchise of exercise for older populations. There are land classes as well as aqua.

Silver Sneakers classes are acquired at an institutional level by health clubs or nonprofits that want to serve elders in this way. Anyone can participate, but seniors with certain Medicare health insurance plans get free memberships in Silver Sneakers institutions on the supposition that exercise decreases health care costs. MaryBeth Marotto, the instructor, said that participation in an exercise program like Silver Sneakers can reduce such costs by $2200 per person per year.

MaryBeth led a land session explaining a little about Silver Sneakers in general, and then the principles and basics of the water format. The workout might remind some people of Arthritis Foundation classes, although SS is more flexible and varied. Anchored movement is basic, but participants who want and need more challenge are welcome to add impact to their moves. Beyond a basic warmup/cardio/flexibility/balance/stretch outline, instructors are welcome to create their own combinations and progressions. The only equipment allowed is a proprietary kickboard-style foam board that can be used in various ways for resistance or balance assistance.

Alas, electrical storms once again cancelled evening pool sessions, so we did a sample workout indoors. This actually had some special benefits, because we got the feel of what it would be like teaching this class from the deck. The room was too dark for photography, but the kickboard link above gives you an idea of how it is used and what it looks like. Although I'm not likely to work with an SS program, this certainly gave us plenty of ideas to take home.

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