My name is Cody! I live in Anchorage, Alaska. I have been practicing Tai Chi since March of 2025. In my thirties now, and I have been experiencing the signs of arthritis in my own body, which was very difficult to admit to myself and to others around me. Funny enough, around the same time when I began to open up about it, I found a nutritionist who helped me eliminate certain forms of stressors from my diet, primarily sugar and carbs (which turn into sugar) as well as foods my body just does not want, even if they say "healthy" on the packaging. At the same time, I happened to move into an apartment which had a gym across the street, which is where I started going and found a Tai Chi for Arthritis instructor coincidentally, Anna Young Hudson. I became hooked! I love how internal and mindful it is! So much of it just made sense to me. I have had a misconception in my mind that tells me: To be healthy, you gotta get big; you gotta stretch far and extend passed your limits and lift heavy; you gotta run miles at a time; you gotta eat endless amount of protein; if you're not buff, you're a wimp. Tai Chi Chuan is much simpler. A person can do all of those things if they desire them, but the truth is we can't be going to the max only. We need simplicity and an appreciation of subtlety and easy, mindful movements to improve the longevity of our lives. Just because a person looks big on the outside, doesn't mean that the inside isn't screaming for tenderness. TCA gives us that option to go deeper into ourselves, to learn to listen to what is really happening within us in the day-to-day moments. This creates a circular sort of reciprocity that we have been craving underneath all the stimulation we tend to seek throughout our lives - a calling for home. Tai Chi Chuan reminds us of Flow and how important it is to nurture Flow from within each day. I say all of this to say: the inflammation in my joints becomes more manageable with Tai Chi for Arthritis. It is important to continue the practice because within the practice lies the outlet for the daily pains which are massaged and gently coaxed from the movements, as well as redistributing the blood evenly throughout the body, which in turn reduces overall inflammation. Sometimes in my mind during the practices, I see: Water running over smoothly polished river stones. I think that is very similar to our joints and our blood supply. Also, Emotionally: personally, the emotional release feels amazing when I just get lost in the movements and thus allow the mind to have a singular focus where all the ten-thousand-things fall to the wayside. Here are a few reasons I have fallen in love with the practice.
Certified Seated Tai Chi for Arthritis Instructor
