Monday, May 27, 2002

Stress Reliever Bargersville man teaches study of energy and balance

SHERRI CONERDAILY JOURNAL STAFF WRITER

Monday, May 27, 2002

Michael Heinz, tai chi huan instructor, demonstrates moves.

May 28, 2002

Time out of every day for some quiet moments and gentle movement is good for your health and emotional well being, says Michael Heinz.

So Heinz is sharing his expertise in tai chi chuan, a “soft” or “internal” style of Chinese martial art also known as Chinese yoga. Next month, Heinz will offer these classes to Johnson County residents.

“It’s a very big part of my life,” says Heinz, who has practiced tai chi chuan since the late 1980s.

“It’s the study of energy and balance,” he says. “It’s a superb stress reducer and it’s very good for health.”

Heinz, formerly assistant dean in the College of Arts and Sciences at Indiana University, earned a tai chi chuan teaching certification from Grandmaster William CC Chen of New York in 1993.

Heinz provides private and semi-private instruction in the Bargersville home he shares with his wife, Beverly Heinz, and their 9-year-old twins, Katie and Marissa. He also visits students’ homes.

Early every morning, Heinz practices what he preaches. Weather permitting, he’s on the family deck, engrossed in tai chi chuan exercises.

“It gives me a sense of centeredness that I value,” he says. “It also helps me appreciate the joyful things in my life and helps me deal with the challenges in my life.”

Tai chi chuan differs from yoga in the meditative manner, Heinz says. Practicing yoga includes postures that are static or still. Tai chi chuan is “constant, slow, gentle movement.”

Quoting a 1997 study conducted by the National Institute on Aging, Heinz listed ways senior citizens older than 70 benefit from tai chi chuan. Blood pressure decreased. Grip strength increased. And risk for falls were reduced “nearly in half,” Heinz says.

People of any age benefit from participating in tai chi chuan, which has been practiced regularly in China for centuries, Heinz says.

“When the body moves slowly and balanced, there is a profound affect on the mind,” he says.