Joe Higgins brings Tai Chi to Lake Norman for 15 years

The Tao of Joe

Huntersville resident has brought Tai Chi to Lake Norman area for 15 years BY » Aaron Garcia | PHOTOGRAPHY BY » Ken Noblezada

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“Use it or lose it, the more you do, the more your balance is going to improve.”

If Joe Higgins has learned anything about himself during the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s that he can actually exist without teaching Tai

Chi.

Well, sort of. The 75-year old admitted he’s held some open-air, “distant” one-onone classes with a few of his advanced students since social distancing guidelines took effect. He’s also worked with the Cornelius Parks, Arts, Recreation & Culture (PARC) department to put together a video for its Motivational Monday series highlighting a few Tai Chi basics.

So, he hasn’t exactly tied

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Joe Higgins first discovered Tai Chi in 2000 and now teaches it all across Lake Norman.

off the teaching. But give him credit—he’s led as many as four classes per week for local groups like the towns of Huntersville and Cornelius since moving to the area in 2005. For a man that loves the “stillness in movement” that Tai Chi has brought to his life over the past 20 years, outright stopping during this forced sabbatical hasn’t come naturally. Finding balance

Tai Chi is an ancient Chinese martial art in which students perform memorized sets of movements called forms. More meditative than combative, the moves are slow, precise and calming. It’s believed by many to have impressive health benefits, and practitioners boast improvements in blood pressure, anxiety, depression, and more.

Higgins first discovered Tai Chi in 2000 after 30 years practicing yoga. He’d been an early adapter of the discipline as a 19-year-old college student in the mid-sixties. Following his retirement as a college counselor,

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Higgins studied under the teachings of Dr. Paul Lam, who founded the Tai Chi for Health Institute.

he attended a Tai Chi class when it was offered a few doors down from his gig at a pottery store. He was attracted to Tai Chi’s movement-based approach to meditation. Many of the beliefs were similar to yoga’s, making it “a natural fit” for him, he says.

Higgins studied the teachings of famed instructor Dr. Paul Lam, who founded the Tai Chi for Health Institute. The benefit that seems to resonate the most with his students, says Higgins, is balance. As we age and become less active, he explains, our muscles become weaker, which impacts our ability to steady ourselves. Many make the mistake of meeting their newfound wobbliness by avoiding activity, he says.

“Now, you do less exercising and get cautious about how you walk,” says Higgins, “so your balance gets even worse.” Use it or lose it

Instead, finding a low-risk, low-impact activity like Tai Chi can help, says Higgins.

“Use it or lose it,” he says. “The more you do, the more (your balance is) going to improve.”

So, yes, he can slow down on the teaching for now, but he doesn’t want to lose it. When this is over, Higgins says he hopes to get back to what does feel natural—helping others by teaching Tai Chi.

“You have faith that it’s going to start up again.”

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