Church News – October

By Shirley Cannon

“Now is the only time you own. Always we begin again. Every time is the first time.”

So begins the adult exercise classes that take place every Monday and Wednesday morning at Trinity Church’s hall at 1880 APA Road in Point Roberts. Held from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m., I teach the classes and honor you by starting and stopping right on time. One hour of slow motion, intense stretch and strengthening moves from Tai Chi, Yoga, Pilates, dance and gymnastics, which are all disciplines from my past experiences.

How we age is a choice. We all diminish with the passage of time, but the choices we make as to how quickly we “use it or lose it” is ours alone. Each participant is offered a chair and a mat. The mat is used primarily to keep the chair from slipping and since bare feet are preferred by most, also to keep toes warm in the winter months. We don’t sit or lie on the mat, just stand, at times on one foot with the other foot on the chair, for balancing practice. The class begins with “Cedar Tree in the Wind,” a name I gave to a Tai Chi move that involves rotating the torso around the spine with the arms hanging “like wet noodles” or like cedar branches flapping in the wind.

Essentially a moving meditation with relaxing music, it’s a mind/body/breath connection while both standing and sitting. For strengthening, the class ends with a plank, hands on the chair seat, with or without push-ups. Finally, half down dog, which involves moving into deep lunges with the chair for support. It’s too easy for some, and too hard for others; both men and women of a certain age are finding it helpful.

Created to assist in the healing process of knee replacements, Knee Club tries to make that process a lot more fun.

There is no fee for the class, but a donation box is available and a donation is made for the use of the room. To reserve a spot, contact me at shirleycannon3@gmail.com or 360/945-2617