Tai chi saved me from myself

I wasn’t trying to get better. I wasn’t trying to build a practice. I was just trying to have fun. I was in my 20s, and it felt good to meet in the park and learn this form and how to move with more flow, from my center — what a concept!

I didn’t know then what it would come to mean. Back then, I wasn’t thinking about safety—mine or anyone else’s. Addiction was part of the picture. So was recklessness. I wasn’t exactly planning for a long life.

But tai chi stuck. I kept showing up. I learned to move slowly, with intention. To feel my feet. To breathe.

Tai chi gave me a life I didn’t know how to ask for.

That’s how I know tai chi saved me from myself. From old patterns. From the part of me that didn’t know how to care for myself.

Now I’m offering a class. Not because I think I’ve mastered anything—but because this practice gave me a life I didn’t know how to ask for. And I want to share it with people who might need that, too.

It’s gentle. It’s grounding. It’s patient. It gives you back your breath, your balance, and your sense of energy moving through you.

We start just over a week from now. If you’ve been thinking about it—come. Or if you know someone in Sebastopol who might need this, send them my way.

I’d be honored to practice with you.

—Sue

Tai chi for grounding, balance, and renewal

A beginner-friendly class starts Saturday, May 17, 9am, in Sebastopol.

Taught by Sue Kearney, a longtime practitioner.

This gentle, standing form supports breath, balance, and resilience—no experience needed.

Email me at sue@suekearney.com

Or get the details here: suekearney.com/taichi