‘Knight-time’ tai chi ‘you can grow with’ at Arbor Terrace
KNOXVILLE — Residents of Arbor Terrace of Knoxville, a senior living community at 9051 Cross Park Drive, are getting balanced under the instruction of tai chi instructor Paul Knight.
With tai chi, “it’s something you can grow with through your whole life,” Knight said. “It’s a lifetime practice.”
He has been doing tai chi for about 42 years.
“Originally, I liked it for the philosophy,” he recalled.
However, “I grew up in New York City at a time it was a pretty dangerous place to be — I was mugged several times at knifepoint and gunpoint — so self-defense took over the philosophical aspect of it.” Knight said he delved into kung fu, a form of Chinese martial arts resembling karate.
He evolved into the internal aspect, tai chi, after a motorcycle accident, where he lost his left foot. It was reattached in 1994.
“Someone ran a red-light and ran into me on the motorcycle,” Knight said. “In the recovery is where I started concentrating on chi-Gung, which is internal energy.
“That is about healing, meditation, breath work and that’s what got me into concentrating more on the internal part of martial arts, or kung fu,” he added.
Focusing on the healing aspects of tai chi, “that’s why I’m here,” Knight said. “Tai Chi uses a combination of body postures and breathing to maximize energy flow through the whole body.
“It’s energy circulation,” he added. “That’s what we want to improve, and that’s what we want to facilitate.”
Tai chi “literally translates as the ‘grand ultimate,’” Knight said. “It’s a series of movements with breathing and exercise. It strengthens you from the inside out.
“It strengthens the organs,” he added. “It improves circulation. It helps free the breathing.”
Tai chi has been growing in popularity among seniors.
“A lot of people are wanting to have a better quality of life in their later years,” Knight said. “It is something that’s easy to do — the movements are easy to do — they don’t injure the joints, and you don’t need much room, you don’t need equipment or much space.”
While looking for a place to teach, he wanted to share what he learned while recovering from the motorcycle accident. Knight reached out to Arbor Terrace. He also teaches tai chi at Storypoint Senior Living along Northshore Drive and Island Home Park Health and Rehab in South Knoxville.
Knight holds the class from 10 to 10:30 a.m., Wednesdays, at Arbor Terrace; 10:30 a.m., Fridays at Storypoint; and 1:30 p.m., Fridays, at Island Home.
He also teaches private classes by appointment by calling 865-415-8437, on Facebook at Paul Knight, Instagram or by e-mailing to knightdragon108@yahoo.com
