Vicki MacCulloch was 60 when she fell in love with tai chi. A Santa Fe resident since 1964, she had been walking with her sister, who was exhibiting balance issues. “She was tripping and her balance wasn’t good. I had just read an article about how tai chi was good for balance. I signed us both up for a class at the Genoveva Chavez Community Center. I didn’t realize the class was for people with arthritis and other disabilities, but it was a good starting point for me. My sister didn’t warm to the classes, but I did. I immediately saw the benefits,” MacCulloch says.
That was 12 years ago. Now 72, MacCulloch practices the Chinese martial art every morning for 90 minutes before she even has a cup of coffee. She attends classes six days per week. “I do it because of how good it makes me feel. Within five minutes my lower back feels better, my posture is straighter, my body is flexing, and I feel great,” she says.
After about 18 months of practicing at the Chavez Center, MacCulloch learned about classes with Jill Basso, proprietor of Desert Sage Tai Chi, with whom MacCulloch has been studying for the past decade. Basso previously lived in Chatham, New York, where she founded Hudson Val...