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Fred Levine, 62, a retired computer-systems analyst from Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., began doing Qi Gong in September. He takes a weekly class taught by Claire Cunneen at the New York Center of the Integral Way and practices every other day at home. He also plays tennis, poorly, in his estimation, at least until recently. The first time he did a Qi Gong warm-up--gently pummeling his body with his fists--in preparation for his weekly game, he noticed a dramatic change. "About halfway through I suddenly started playing differently. I was using my mind more, and I was much more aggressive," he says. "I don't know if it was a coincidence, but it was striking." In addition to improving his tennis, Qi Gong has had an intriguing physical effect on Levine. "It's like a total body massage. It stirs you up in strange ways. You get this tingling feeling, like something's waking up in there," he says. "They say old men do it, so I'm looking forward to doing it for the rest of my life--once I learn it." He quickly adds, "I've got to learn it before my memory goes, though, because there's a lot to remember!"
Indeed there is. Levine studies a form of Qi Gong called Eight Treasures, composed of 32 linked exercises, with poetic names like "The Unicorn Turns Its Head to Look at the Moon" and "The Weeping Willow Shivers in the Early Morning Dew." There are thousands of other forms, each embracing a complete set of exercises.
Kathleen Moloney, 61, a social worker for the State of New York, got into Qi Gong by accident. Six months ago, she attended what she thought would be a Tai Chi demonstration. It turned out to be Eight Treasures Qi Gong, taught by Cunneen. No matter. Moloney has been doing the form ever since. Not only does she feel less stressed out and more able to concentrate, she also enjoys the excursion into another culture. "It opens you up to a lot of things--Chinese martial arts, medicine and Chinese painting," she says. "There's a whole way of looking at things that is so different from ours." Cunneen suggests sampling the full range to gain the maximum benefit. "Qi Gong is more than just movement," she says. "It's an attitude toward life and a way of eating and taking care of one's health. These balanced ways of living feed one another."
During a trip to China, Roberta Sobel, 64, a retired schoolteacher, saw hundreds of people performing Tai Chi in parks and vowed to try it herself. Since then, her senior-center classes in Miami have made her a convert. "I come from a generation that did the fox trot and the waltz, and Tai Chi is like dancing," she says. "It gives me a general sense of well-being. I'm more relaxed, and I have more energy." It has also made her more flexible. "I can bend and pick up something from the bottom shelf at the grocery store." Now that's food for thought.
TAKING CONTROL
Danny Glover only seems invincible. Best known for all those Lethal Weapon movies with Mel Gibson, he is as vulnerable to physical ailments as any other 51-year-old. Three years ago, he could no longer ignore a misalignment in his left hip he has had since a childhood accident. "I had a muscle dysfunction," he says. "My right leg was weak, and my left leg was strong." Thanks to a rigorous fitness regimen that includes Pilates workouts five times a week, the condition has been corrected.