The healing power of moving slowly

BY DIANNE BLEEKER PHOTO PETER VALCKX

Is enough attention being paid to the body in a place that mainly revolves around the mind? “Yes, if you make exercising a priority. I was always able to combine it with my studies, so you should be able to as well. Exercising for half an hour a day is so important for your body and mind. If you have a car, you have to maintain it. The same goes for your body. It doesn’t guarantee a healthy life, but it’s good for your physique in any case.”

Are you referring to the difference between being physically fit and being healthy? “Yes, those two terms are often used as synonyms. Fitness is the physical ability to execute tasks using force, stamina and flexibility. It’s about having a well-trained body and being in shape. Health is a broader concept, relating to someone’s general well-being, both physically and mentally.”

Students are struggling with stress and psychological problems a lot. How can exercise help in this respect? “Regular exercise decreases the risk of chronic diseases, improves bone density, raises the energy level and promotes overall well-being. In addition to having a fit body, it’s important to pay attention to your nutrition and your mental health. Slow movements, for instance, help to reduce anxiety and stress. Moving slowly means focusing. Tai chi is not about muscle tension but about peace, which removes stress from your body. Good posture is also important. Your body functions as a sounding board to how you feel.”

You teach your classes outside, on the campus square. Doesn’t that mean the threshold for people at a university to participate is quite high? “Yes, they’re tense about it. There’s a culture of embarrassment when it comes to exercising in public. At Uilenstede they intend to create more dark spaces for spinning or kickboxing, so I think it’s a trend. People want to exercise anonymously. I really have to pull them across the threshold. But once I have, they love it. There was this guy, for instance, who spent four months looking out his window before he finally joined. Now I wouldn’t be able to chase him away with a stick.”

In addition to standard one-hour classes, you teach free fifteenminute ones. Why? “To get people excited about tai chi and familiarise them with it. Businesses at Zuidas and students generally don’t have breaks longer than thirty minutes. If you spend fifteen minutes of your break on something completely different, this will boost your ability to focus for the rest of the day. With the nice weather we’re currently having, we’ve added salsa. The music makes it easier to draw a crowd.”

What do salsa and tai chi have in common? “The choreography aspect. Learning steps teaches you to focus. Both are ways of relaxing and creating peace. Both types of exercise enlarge areas of the brain, such as the hippocampus, which deteriorate as we get older. What’s more, dancing makes you happy, because you produce endorphins. When you dance, your brains are receiving different impulses and making different connections, which makes you look at situations differently and react more creatively. Tai chi isn’t the same as dancing, it has its own choreography. Focus is very important in this respect, as is coordinating your breathing.”

Why is it so important for you personally? “I started karate when I was six, because my mum thought it would harness my recklessness. Salsa comes from Curaçao; it’s part of life. I took courses, but it’s in my system. Whenever I feel a bit down, I play salsa music to cheer myself up.”

William Antersijn

66

2019 – present Master of tai chi and salsa teacher, VU Amsterdam

2002 – present Owner of Antersijn Automatisering Services (IT company) and GezondAnderszijnSport

1997 - 2022

Designer, work planner and IT manager at GTI

1983 - 1984

Taekwondo teacher at 42nd Armoured Infantry Battalion

1978 - 1983 Computer Technology, Hogeschool Enschede

1978 Moves from Curaçao to the Netherlands

1963 Starts doing karate

Great at sport

William Antersijn practices taekwondo, tai chi, kungfu, dancing, running and kickboxing. He has more than 60 years of experience in a range of martial arts and has run 44 marathons. In the 1984-1985 season, he won the Dutch and European taekwondo championship.

Every Tuesday, he teaches tai chi from 12.30 to 12.45 and salsa from 13.00 to 13.15 on the campus square. Everyone’s welcome to join. At the Sports Centre he also teaches kickboxing and kungfu classes.

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Aan de VU studeren 31.700 studenten en werken 4.500 medewerkers. De uitstekend bereikbare VUcampus ligt in het hart van de Amsterdamse Zuidas.

Aan de VU studeren 31.700 studenten en werken 4.500 medewerkers. De uitstekend bereikbare VUcampus ligt in het hart van de Amsterdamse Zuidas.

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