Instructor uses tai chi to help others get relief from pain, relax

By Alexia Campbell

Since the moment Adele Gold saw a man practicing tai chi on the Inca Trail in Peru, she knew she had to try it. Fifteen years later, she is still learning,— and teaching it.

The circular, synchronized movements Gold shows her class not only improve the flow of chi energy, they also relieve arthritis pain. Twice a week, she teaches more than a dozen students at the Arthritis Foundation in West Palm Beach how to use motions from the 600-year-old Chinese practice to target discomfort in their joints.

"I've seen improvements in people as far as pain and even flexibility," she said. "It also takes some of the stress away from everyday life."

The controlled movements have relieved some of the arthritis soreness Gold suffered from for years. Now she says she has more strength in her legs and motion in her neck and back. Gold teaches the low-impact sun style, which avoids deep knee bending.

The ancient exercise does more than soothe physical pain.

"It's very meditative," she said. "You're thinking of nothing but what you are doing."

The concentration on breathing and fluid gestures is one of the reason's tai chi is referred to as "meditation in motion." Gold leads her students through such sequences as the "brush knee" and the "wave hands like clouds," which require complete focus and attention. Although tai chi has martial arts roots, its movements resemble a slow, graceful dance.

Gold studied the art form for several years in Stuart before receiving her teaching certificate through the Arthritis Foundation. After giving classes at a health club and at a retirement home in Palm Beach County, Gold now prefers teaching through the Arthritis Foundation, where she says students are more dedicated and likely to return.

Before her first encounter with tai chi, Gold decided to follow in her brother's footsteps and study medicine. She graduated from the University of Kentucky with a degree in medical technology.

After her first visit to West Palm Beach soon after, she decided she could not leave the area.

"I came for a vacation and stayed for 55 years," she said.

Gold worked at Good Samaritan Hospital in the medical lab.

She eventually met and married Martin Gold, a schoolteacher and coach. One of the many activities she enjoyed with him was tennis.

Now a widow, Gold plays tennis twice a week and maintains her active lifestyle.

If a few days pass without exercising, Gold says she begins to feel stiffness and aching. Yoga is another outlet for her which she says improves her balance.

"Any exercise is good, just moving makes you feel better, go and walk around the block at least," she said.