A Tai Chi Master Helps Older Adults Move and Breathe

Ron Weatherford was in his 20s when his kung fu teacher encouraged him to learn tai chi. At first, he wasn’t too keen on the calm, flowing movements of the ancient Chinese martial art.

“I [had] just spent a year ... doing punches, kicks, and learning the martial art that I love,” recalls Weatherford, of Evansville. “And now he’s asking me to slow down and relax.”

As he grew older, however, his interest in tai chi blossomed. Now, the 72-year-old Weatherford is known as “Sifu Ron,” the Zen guy with long gray hair who leads tai chi classes for hundreds of AARP members. (Sifu is a Chinese term of respect for a teacher or master.)

Sign Up: Tai Chi with Sifu Ron

AARP Indiana hired Weatherford for a pilot session, offered virtually on Zoom, in March 2024. More than 500 people registered.

The classes went bi-monthly this year, drawing about 200 to 300 attendees each time. The sessions, which last 45 minutes to an hour, are free and open to anyone.

“Welcome to the dragon’s den,” Weatherford says at the start of one recent class. That would be his own den, where his fireplace is the backdrop as he demonstrates breathing meditations and tai chi exercises and stances. He advises participants to have a chair nearby, in case they need to do the movements from a seated position.

Addison Pollock, AARP Indiana’s director of community engagement, says one goal of offering tai chi is to help family caregivers by giving them a break from their routine and a chance to recharge with light movement and mindful breathing.

Meditation in Motion

Robyn Grant, an AARP volunteer from Indianapolis who cared for both her late parents, says the classes allow busy caregivers to switch gears, focus on the moment and put the long list of “have-tos” on the back burner.

“A big part of it is Sifu Ron,” Grant, 68, says, noting his engaging and calm demeanor. “I just feel the daily stress evaporating listening to his voice.”

Tai chi combines a set of slow movements and postures with meditation and controlled breathing. Some refer to tai chi as “meditation in motion” or “moving meditation.”

Weatherford traces his interest in martial arts to his childhood in Mount Vernon, west of Evansville, where he first saw karate chops and judo throws on The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and other TV shows.

“I wanted to learn more about this exotic stuff,” he says.

In the late 1970s, he saw a flyer for kung fu classes at a health food store and signed up for his first class. “I knew right away that I was home,” he recalls. “This was where I wanted to be.”

For most of his life, Weatherford had “normal” jobs and practiced martial arts on the side. He worked as an auto mechanic out of high school, then at a shingle factory and a car dealership.

It was during his factory stint when his first martial arts teacher—and his eventual mentor—asked him to help teach at a kung fu school in downtown Evansville. Since then, Weatherford has taught martial arts around the region.

Over the years, he grew to appreciate the benefits of tai chi. Unlike the more vigorous moves of his younger years, this was a practice he could see himself following for a lifetime.

'I'm the Pudding'

Studies suggest tai chi can have significant benefits, ranging from reduced blood pressure to better brain health and improved flexibility and balance. The balance component makes it particularly good for older adults at risk of falls.

For Weatherford, tai chi went from side gig to career when he was working as a service manager at the car dealership. “I was the guy talking to the customers on the phone and trying to fix their problems to keep everyone happy,” he says. One customer asked how he stayed so calm in such a stressful environment.

When Weatherford said he practiced tai chi, the woman asked if he would teach her and her husband. He taught them the little tai chi he knew, and they loved it. Word of mouth spread, prompting more requests and further self-study through reading, videos and seminars.

A friend suggested reaching out to older Hoosiers. Weatherford followed through, knowing he could modify moves for a wide range of abilities by adjusting postures and using chairs.

To gin up business, he made cold calls to area retirement centers. Eventually he added classes through area hospitals, the Southwestern Indiana Regional Council on Aging and AARP.

During the AARP classes, he encourages viewers to practice the exercises every day. “Tai chi [is] good for the body, mind and spirit,” he notes.

Weatherford can’t explain exactly why tai chi is so beneficial, but after decades of practice, he is a firm believer. “What do they say, ‘The proof is in the pudding,’?” he says. “I’m the pudding.”

To find the class schedule and register, visit aarp.org/INtaichi. To watch past sessions, enter TAICHI25! as the passcode. ■

Sarah Hollander, a freelance writer and former daily newspaper reporter in Cleveland, has written for the Bulletin for 15 years.

Also of interest:

• 8 Surprising Reasons to Try Tai Chi After 50
• Going With the Tai Chi Flow
• How to Lower Your Blood Pressure in Just One Week