“Free life,” or perhaps in other words “Tai chi.”
That is Paul Pridanonda’s mantra to the students in his Leisure World Yoga meditation class.
He strives to help his students achieve a “relaxed and alert” state of being.
Forget about memories of stern teachers from your youth. Pridanonda is a warm, funny and very positive mentor.
Many of the people in the group have been personally invited to join with him in the practice that is meant to free the mind and spirit.
He has a way of making strangers into friends and inviting them to a different way of seeking health and positive consciousness. His family is his many friends and the students in the class.
Pridanonda reaches out to people wherever he goes inviting them to join the meeting. The meeting/class is held on Saturday mornings in clubhouse 6 from 9:30-11 a.m.
Pridanonda is a very inspirational, joy-filled person. He’s an excellent teacher of Tai Chi movement and what he calls the meeting “relax and alert meditation.” He believes that we can all overcome any challenges, physical or mental, with flexibility, patience, and caring and kindness.
Brain fitness is a subject that is discussed. He shares his thoughts of calming the mind by feeding it more positive thoughts resulting in better physical and mental health. Tai Chi can be described as mental martial arts. But this form is a very gentle.
It’s a ritual of relaxing the mind and body through meditation in movement. At the end of the class is a wonderful guided meditation that gives mental relaxation and clarity.
At the beginning of the meeting Paul shares his many thoughts to relax the mind. Leisure World is filled with mature folks living on many different levels of physical abilities and mental awareness; who all have challenges to overcome from the unkind ravages of time heaped upon their bodies and minds. Paul believes that attitude is the most important thing that we can always change in our life. He says that we are all in the same family of man.
He’s a totally unique teacher.
Pridanonda doesn’t like to be confined to what we might think of as normal behavior. He refers to himself as “Master Screw Loose,” his way of expressing his outrageous sense of humor and self deprecation.
He might jump up suddenly and start dancing the ballet, as he sings “We are Family” by Sly and the Family Stone.
Everyone joins in the fun with his spontaneous antics and laughs heartily with one another, adding funny remarks from everyone.
Pridanonda’s like a graceful court jester. He loves to make everyone comfortable and provokes thought with his outrageous courage and generosity of spirit.
Everyone is encouraged to share their thoughts/feelings, good or bad, achieving a relaxed time with one another. The president of the group, Ron, reads Pridanonda’s thought for the day. On a recent Saturday morning it was “We can overcome anything.”
This thought seems to be just the right words to elevate the member’s mood. Everyone has a different reaction to the meeting of the minds, coming from different places. Linda Pridanonda, Paul’s wife of 38 years, is always by his side and compliments the group with her gentle and sweet spirit.
He says she is the boss, or “his Queen.”
Pridanonda said he was spoiled as a child and that something in him always knew that material things are not what creates happiness in this world.
Pridanonda’s a true giver and teacher of inner spiritual peace and renewed mental awareness. Each member has experienced great relief from different ailments of pain as a result of the mental and physical exercises.
Something about the combination of laughter, sharing thoughts, the slow and steady flow of Tai Chi movements, and the special mediation at the end brings relief, healing and energy. It seems like magic from this observer.
Pridanonda has studied the physical discipline and the philosophy of Tai chi for many years. He believes that life is a stage and we all have our part to play in the great drama of life. He believes we can completely rewrite our role with a little attitude adjustment.
Relaxing our mind is a true joy and letting our energy flow helps to let go of worry and let our higher power be the heavy lifter.
Pridanonda says he believes that faith in a better tomorrow with a little help from our friends today helps us to see that we are all in the same boat, seeking the same thing, love, happiness and peace of mind.
Paul is a volunteer at the senior center and works for the Post Office.
To his students Pridanonda is just a regular guy guru with an unquenchable thirst for connecting his friends with everyday miracles. We can all benefit from the philosophy of “Love, Laugh, Live, and Let Live.”
Facts about Tai Chi
Tai Chi is very popular these days. It is estimated that 180 million people worldwide practice Tai Chi every day. It is documented that those who do practice every day have a longer, more active life than those who don’t, and their health potential increases dramatically.
Other exercises dissipate your energy, while Tai Chi accumulates it, leaving you feeling refreshed when you finish. The slow, dance-like speed of Tai Chi creates balance, flexibility and calmness. With an emphasis on deep breathing and using mental imagery, Tai Chi integrates your mind with your body, and is very effective at relieving stress.
Recent medical studies confirm what these Tai Chi practitioners have known for centuries—that just 20 minutes a day of Tai Chi can dramatically improve your balance (and significantly cut the risk of falls among older people), improve your leg and lower body strength, increase flexibility, help with arthritis pain and aid in the recovery from injuries.
A recent study presented at the American Heart Association meeting even found that just 12 weeks of Tai Chi resulted in a small but significant drop in blood pressure in older people.
Writer Queenie Booher is a resident of Seal Beach Leisure World’s Mutual 9.
