A Slow Fix

A few minutes a day... can make a big difference in you life, in your health both physical and mental. Still it amazes me how easily people pop pills, with so many side effects and cost, yet when a simple and enjoyable habit can be effective they just won't do it. There is a high attrition rate in any Tai Chi club or any class. I feel happy if 10% of my students continue to study, I know that sounds dismal, but it is what it is. Most of us in our 'right now' culture, don't have the patience or perseverance to create a lifetime habit in order to help our health. We want a quick fix, maybe it's time for a slow sustained fix?

East Bay Inmates Breathe Easier

MARTINEZ — The qi gong meditative class begins with instructor David Ezra asking the participants if they have any worries this week.

A burly man with tattoos running down his arms speaks up. "Any little thing will set me off," Sonny Mitchell says.

Ezra tells Mitchell to control his emotions and then instructs all the men in orange jumpsuits to stand in two rows of five or six. He turns on a portable CD player, which plays soothing melodies.

Several feet away, Deputy Frank Oathout, a guard at County Jail in Martinez, watches to ensure the inmates behave while they're performing their slow movements and controlled breathing techniques.

Oathout said he has seen a decrease in the number of fights among inmates in the cellblocks. Suicide attempts and medical emergencies have also decreased, Ezra said.

"It helps me relax and stay grounded," Mitchell said. "I wish this class was more than once a week. I look forward to it."

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