Sunday, April 03, 2005

Managing Multiple Sclerosis by Teaching Tai Chi

I cannot imagine managing my multiple sclerosis apart from teaching tai chi. I teach for many reasons: the rewards of teaching, the sharing of a gift, cultivating my practice, being engaged in my community, meeting wonderful and often inspiring people, satisfying my teaching bone, making new friends.

But there is an MS side to why I teach. MS takes away. Letting go of what I used to do is forced upon me. It is something I must accept, graciously or not. Teaching reverses the psychology. I am choosing to give rather than being forced to accept. Disease or not, I am in charge.

MS fosters its own brand of fear and anxiety. For me, it’s a fear of losing my place in this world. Teaching tai chi enables me to find my place in a way that is not defined by multiple sclerosis.

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