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Published Tuesday, January 03, 2012 in Close-Up

Special

Sherry Gossett, foreground, Gerry Gossett, right rear, and Malcolm Westberry, left rear, are “moving clouds around” in Yvette Monet’s tai chi class at the Summit Family YMCA.

Baby Boomers seeking stress relief through tai chi, yoga

From STAFF REPORTS

news@newnan.com

Have you ever moved a cloud? How about rolling a ball of energy in your hands? Or have you tamed a tiger?

These are all tai chi poses in a class taught by Yvette Monet at the Summit Family YMCA on Highway 34 East, Newnan.

More Baby Boomers are taking yoga and tai chi classes as they age, seeking a way to control stress. "Emotionally, yoga calms you and helps you through a lot of wrong choices in life," Monet said.

"Tai chi is a Chinese martial art and there are all types you can do," she said. Monet prefers Qi Gong which is "more personal and cultivates energy in the body. You try to feel the energy moving through your body with your breath. As you bring the energy in, you're getting healthier, stronger and more balanced," she said.

"It isn't important to be perfect in the poses," she continued. "The importance is to just feel the energy and to be present in the poses. This type of tai chi is even used in hospitals in China," Monet said.

A year and half ago, a mother-daughter team started working on the "Coach Approach" at the Y. They included exercising on the machines, Zumba Gold, Functional Fitness and tai chi. The mother, Gerry Gossett, said, "I benefit the most from Functional Fitness and tai chi. Yvette has been a great inspiration. She embodies the harmony of mind, body and spirit. She leads us at our own pace. 'If it hurts, you're doing too much,' she admonishes."

Gerry said she'd been through non-hodgkins lymphoma twice. Working out at the Y has improved her ability to walk and has improved her balance. Her daughter, Sherry, said, "I make her use her walker in the building, but more and more she is able to use just her cane."

"I love this YMCA," Gerry said. "I come to it like a kid in a candy store every time and leave like a lamb, relaxed and calm."

Gerry even worked out during the two years she was on chemo-therapy.

Sherry is a breast cancer survivor. "When I first came here, I thought swimming would be fun. I got in the pool with the idea I was going to swim 15 laps. After two laps I was spent, but I kept on until I finished the 15. Today I go 40 or 50 laps with no trouble. I have arthritis in my knees and the whirlpool really helps a lot," she added.

Gerry's balance is good. She demonstrated by standing up arms straight out and eyes closed. She attributes this feat to tai chi and Yvette.

"We have been to every gym in town -- even recently -- and concluded the Y is the best. It's family friendly. People aren't here to pick someone up. Nobody tells you to get on a machine for 20 minutes and switch to another," Sherry said.

Once the duo missed a few scheduled days at the Y. "Coach Donna (Bailey) called me at home," Gerry said. "She said she just wanted to know if we were okay and asked if we needed anything. Nobody in another gym has ever called me. They just want your money."

Monet, the woman the Gossetts claim as inspiration, "has been teaching and learning yoga for over 40 years. I just recently started learning tai chi two years ago. I'm not an expert, but I love it. I like to combine them. They sort of flow naturally together.

"Yoga saved my life," Monet said. "When I was 10 I had polio. I've had two spinal surgeries and all kinds of physical problems. Yoga has kept me walking. Tai chi is easier for me as I get older.

At 63, Monet said, "Yoga is the only exercise that I've done, and if done properly, is effortless."

A special ed teacher for 31 years, Monet "taught yoga to all of my students. To be in my classes students had to be physically and mentally profoundly disabled. They loved it. Kids are naturally limber and those with Downs Syndrome are incredibly flexible. We would sometimes combine with other classes and perform yoga as a student program" which was widely enjoyed."

Monet enjoys teaching at the Y. "I appreciate having the opportunity to help people get healthier. It makes it all worthwhile having someone in the class who can learn to feel more balanced and walk a little easier."

The Summit Family YMCA is on Georgia Highway 34 East and serves Coweta and Fayette counties.

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