Lourdes Tai chi for Health

06/12/2026

Tai Chi for Health: Understanding the Difference Between Health, Fitness, and Weight Loss

We often receive phone calls from individuals interested in Tai Chi because they have seen advertisements on social media claiming that “Chair Tai Chi” or “Tai Chi Walking” will help them lose weight and reduce weight size.

While these advertisements are often well-intentioned, it is important to understand what Tai Chi is — and what it is not.

Tai Chi is primarily a mind-body practice, not a weight-loss program.

The focus of Tai Chi for Health is to improve:

✓ Balance and fall prevention
✓ Posture and body awareness
✓ Coordination and movement efficiency
✓ Flexibility and joint mobility
✓ Leg strength and core stability
✓ Stress reduction and relaxation
✓ Confidence in movement and daily activities
✓ Overall physical and mental well-being

Research has consistently shown that regular Tai Chi practice can improve functional mobility, balance, endurance, and quality of life, particularly for older adults and individuals living with chronic health conditions.

However, Tai Chi alone is generally not considered a significant calorie-burning activity and should not be viewed as a primary strategy for weight loss.

What Tai Chi does exceptionally well is help build the foundation for a healthier and more active lifestyle.

As balance, strength, posture, and confidence improve, many individuals find they are better able to participate in other forms of exercise such as walking, cycling, swimming, fitness classes, strength training, and other aerobic activities that can contribute more directly to weight management.

Think of Tai Chi as building the “engine” that helps support healthy movement.

By improving stability, coordination, endurance, and body awareness, Tai Chi can help individuals move more comfortably, reduce their fear of falling, remain active longer, and continue participating in the activities they enjoy.

At the Lourdes Tai Chi for Health Program, our goal is not simply to help people exercise — it is to help people move better, feel better, and live better.

Tai Chi is not about quick fixes or dramatic weight loss.

It is about developing lifelong habits that support balance, strength, resilience, and healthy aging through the integration of mind and body.

Move with purpose. Balance with confidence. Age with strength.

For our next available classes to register visit:

https://www.guthrie.org/classes-events?keywords=Tai%20chi%20

05/20/2026

Summer beginners class registration now available at https://www.guthrie.org/classes-events?keywords=Tai%20chi%20

05/01/2026

Summer 2026 Beginners class
Open for Registration

https://www.guthrie.org/classes-events?keywords=Tai%20chi%20

04/25/2026

World Tai Chi & Qigong Day

Today, we joined thousands across the world in celebrating World Tai Chi & Qigong Day; a global moment where, at 10:00 a.m., communities came together to move, breathe, and share in a unified flow of peace, health, and healing.

From the East to the West, this practice traveled across time zones, connecting people through something simple… yet powerful:

Movement. Breath. Awareness.

And right here in our own community, we were proud to be part of that global connection.

⸻

What many may not realize is that Tai Chi is more than just a series of movements.

It is a practice that teaches us how to:
• Slow down in a fast-moving world
• Find balance—both physically and emotionally
• Build strength through softness
• Develop awareness of our body, breath, and mind
• Restore a sense of calm, stability, and confidence

It is not about perfection.

It is about presence.

⸻

Our Lourdes Tai Chi for Health Program began over a decade ago as a simple fall prevention initiative using Tai Chi for Arthritis 6 and 12 Forms.

Since then, it has grown into a comprehensive community wellness program, now in its 11th year, served over 1,750 participants.

Today, our program includes a wide range of offerings designed to meet individuals where they are in their journey:

Beginner & Introductory Classes
– A welcoming starting point for anyone new to Tai Chi

Tai Chi for Health Series
– Arthritis (6, 12, and 32 Forms)
– Heart Health
– Rehabilitation
– Memory & Cognitive Support
– Osteoporosis
– Energy (Levels 1 & 2)

Advanced & Progressive Practice
– Sun Style 73 Forms
– Yang Beginner & Yang 24

Qigong Practice
– Introductory and Advanced sessions focused on breath, energy, and internal awareness

Continuous Practice Classes
– Designed for those who prefer to grow at their own pace, reinforcing comfort, confidence, and consistency

⸻

One of the most important things we share with every participant is this:

Everyone is a beginner.

No matter how long you practice, Tai Chi continues to teach you something new.

It is not a destination—it is a journey.

A journey that evolves with you.
A journey that meets you where you are.
A journey that supports healing, growth, and connection over time.

⸻

Our mission has always been simple:

To make Tai Chi accessible, affordable, and meaningful for our community.

To create a space where individuals can come together—not just to exercise—but to reconnect with themselves and with others.

To support wellness not just for the body—but for the mind and spirit as well.

⸻

If you’ve ever been curious about Tai Chi or Qigong…

If you’re looking for a way to improve balance, reduce stress, build strength, or simply slow down and breathe…

We invite you to join us.

You don’t need experience.
You don’t need to be “in shape.”
You just need to begin.

Our next series of classes will be starting 3rd week of June, 2026.

⸻

On this World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, we celebrate not only the practice—but the people who make it meaningful.

And we look forward to welcoming many more of you into this journey.

Flowing forward together.

Lourdes Tai Chi for Health Program

03/14/2026

Interview of Lourdes Tai chi program 2 years after starting the program

Shaz Bamasi, a registered nurse from Binghamton, New York, shares how he brought Dr Paul Lam's *Tai Chi for Arthritis and Fall Prevention* to his hospital an...

02/01/2026

AI-generated "Tai Chi" ads on Social Media (Dr. Lam’s news letter)

In late 2025, many of us began seeing a flood of AI-generated Tai Chi advertisements on social media. My first thought was positive—the more people talk about tai chi, the more awareness grows, and the more people may be encouraged to learn.

But as I looked more closely, and after discussing this with colleagues and friends, my view changed.

Many of these campaigns appear to be run by companies using aggressive, high-pressure sales techniques. They feature AI-generated "elderly instructors" designed to create false trust. The marketing is aimed at older adults seeking pain relief, better balance, and fitness solutions.

The harm to consumers is real: unauthorised charges, misleading subscriptions, and products that provide little value. Even worse, people can injure themselves by following unsafe exercises and poor instruction.

What concerns me most is what this does to tai chi itself. Anything built on false claims eventually damages the very thing it tries to exploit. These ads may create short-term curiosity, but they distort what tai chi really is. They present it as a "muscle-building shortcut" or quick-fix routine, while erasing its internal, meditative nature and its evidence-based health benefits.

Tai chi is not a gimmick. It is a mind-body art that develops balance, calmness, coordination, strength, and inner stability through correct principles, safe progression, and regular practice. More than 1000 medical studies have shown its benefits, and 35 studies have shown our Tai Chi for Health Programs being effective and safe, our studies have helped millions of people worldwide improve their health and wellbeing.

Safe and effective instruction is what makes tai chi's remarkable power to transform health possible.

A Suggestion

If you see an ad that makes exaggerated claims, pressures you to "buy now," or uses AI-generated instructors, please be cautious. Choose programs that are transparent and taught by properly trained instructors.

If you or a friend are considering starting tai chi or buying an online program, please take a moment to choose a trusted instructor. A good way is to learn with a Tai Chi for Health Institute–certified instructor or use our official resources. You are welcome to contact us for any advice at [email protected]

Message from Paul Lam and Tai Chi for Health Institute. February 2026 TCHI News Letter

12/30/2025

❄️ Winter 2026 Tai Chi Session ❄️

Intro to Tai Chi

🗓 Saturdays | 11:30–12:30

📅 Starts January 17, 2026

8 classes over 8 weeks for $40.00

Register here:

https://www.guthrie.org/classes-events?keywords=tai%20chi

Regular Beginner Tai Chi classes are currently full.
If you would like to be placed on the waiting list, please email us. Openings are offered as space becomes available.

✨ Build balance, strength, and calm this winter.

12/04/2025

With gratitude from Lourdes Tai Chi program as we have now transitioned to Guthrie Tai Chi .

Dear Tai Chi Family,

As we gathered at the close of this final Fall session this week we celebrate a milestone that few community programs ever reach—ten remarkable years of shared practice, shared strength, and shared healing.

What began in October 2015 as a small community class at Shippers Road has grown into one of the most sustained and beloved wellness initiatives in our region. Over the past decade, the Lourdes Tai Chi Program—now Guthrie Tai Chi - has touched the lives of more than 1,750 participants, introducing the art of Tai Chi to our community with compassion, dedication, and purpose.

This session alone, we welcomed 139 participants—an astounding demonstration of the continued belief in our mission of balance, mindfulness, and movement for health.

🫴 A Journey Rooted in Resilience

We have walked through seasons of profound challenge and profound growth.

When the world shut down during COVID-19, our Tai Chi community came together—on screens, in living rooms, on porches—to keep moving, keep breathing, and keep supporting each other. Through Zoom classes and remote practice, we held onto hope and connection. And when the world reopened, we continued forward, stronger than ever.

🫴. A Decade of Teaching, Learning, and Expanding

We began with the foundational Tai Chi for Arthritis 6 Forms and 12 Forms, then advanced to 12 Forms Continuous, Tai Chi for Rehabilitation, and the full Tai Chi for Arthritis 32-Form and Continuous Practice.

With the arrival of Caroline, our program blossomed further. Together we expanded into:

• Tai Chi for Energy

• Tai Chi for Osteoporosis

• Tai Chi for Heart Conditions

• Tai Chi for Memory and Rehabilitation

• Sun 73 Form

• Yang Beginners

• Yang 24 Form, the most widely practiced intermediate sequence in the world.

This past year, we proudly launched our first 6 month long Qigong series, including two classes and 15 current participants who are discovering the deeper internal strength of breath work and energy flow.

Our collaboration with Binghamton University’s School of Pharmacy and School of Physical Therapy allowed us to share Tai Chi’s benefits with future clinicians—spreading evidence-based wellness into the next generation of healthcare.

🫴 A Community That Moves Together, Heals Together

Over the years, we have formed a community built on friendship, respect, humility, humor, and shared purpose. We’ve gathered in classrooms, outside in parks during the summer to feel the wind and sun guide our practice. We held our own world tai chi Qigong day end of April, and did tai chi demonstrations at Colorscape art festival two years in a row. We’ve supported each other through illness, loss, and recovery.

We have welcomed new participants with open arms, and we honor the memory of those who are no longer with us.

Every person who has joined this program has touched it in a meaningful way.

🫴 The Birth of Shen and the Tai Chi Spirit

From this journey, we created our own symbol of patience, strength, compassion, and inner balance—Shen the Sloth, our Tai Chi mascot.

Through ShenWear and your generous support, we established a Tai Chi Scholarship Fund to ensure that no one is left behind—whether due to financial barriers, health limitations, or life circumstances.

Your participation in ShenWear has helped us extend the healing power of Tai Chi to those who need it most, and in building a connection through the spirit we wear in our practice.

🙏🏻To Each Participant—Thank You🙏🏻

To those who have been with us from the beginning, to those who joined somewhere along the way, and to those who found Tai Chi for the very first time this year.

Thank you.

Thank you for giving this program its heart.

Thank you for showing up with openness, curiosity, and courage.

Thank you for allowing us to share this practice with you, and for trusting us with your wellness journey.

Whether this is the end of your Tai Chi chapter or the beginning or a continuation of a lifelong practice, we are grateful that you spent part of your journey with us.

And to those continuing forward into the next year— we look forward to many more seasons of breath, movement, friendship, and strength.

🙏🏻 With Deep Gratitude 🙏🏻

As we close the 10th year of this program, may you carry with you the essence of our shared practice

Balance in Motion. ~ Strength in Stillness.

Wishing you peace, health, joy, and a very warm holiday season.

In strength, friendship, humility, and respect

Yours in Tai Chi,

Shaz and Caroline

10/02/2025

Tai Chi for Fall Prevention in Older Adults

☯️ Balance in Body, Mind, and Spirit

7️⃣ Flow Into the Future

🫴 A Practice for Life

Regular Tai Chi practice reduces falls by up to 55% in older adults. It’s never too late to start—and every movement is an investment in independence.

🤔 Daily Reminder:

“Flow forward—every movement builds your strength, balance, and future.”

Email or call us and save your seat in our next community wellness Taichi classes at Guthrie Lourdes - Spring 2026 now open on line for registration

📞 607-698-6081.
📧 [email protected]

Lourdes Tai chi for Health Program is a fee based community wellness program for any age adults offered through Guthrie Rehabilitation Services at Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton, NY

09/30/2025

Tai Chi for Fall Prevention in Older Adults

☯️ Balance in Body, Mind, and Spirit

6️⃣ – Awareness is Protection

🫴 Mind-Body Connection

Tai Chi sharpens your awareness of how your body moves in space. This mindfulness helps prevent stumbles, trips, or missed steps.

🤔 Daily Reminder:

“The body follows where the mind gently leads.”

Email or call us and save your seat in our next community wellness Taichi classes at Guthrie Lourdes Spring 2026 registration is open online

📞 607-698-6081.
📧 [email protected]

Lourdes Tai chi for Health Program is a fee based community wellness program for any age adults offered through Guthrie Rehabilitation Services at Lourdes Hospital, Binghamton, NY