During the pandemic lockdowns, the Sault Ste. Marie Branch of the Fung Loy Kok Institute of TaoismTM suspended its Taoist Tai Chi® arts sessions to keep all its participants safe.
When its building on Cunningham Road was sold this spring, some people worried that there would be no more Taoist Tai Chi® arts offered in the city.
"Not to worry," said Barb Patriquin, a local Branch Council member. "We are in the process of starting up again but now we will be in more than one location."
The Sault Ste. Marie Branch of FLK has been espousing the health benefits of the Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi® path in Sault Ste. Marie for more than 35 years and has no intention of stopping.
Even before the pandemic, the institute was headed in a different direction, away from being in one fixed location and back to bringing the Taoist Tai Chi® arts out into the community.
The group has found three locations to hold sessions and plans to first open them to participants who were active when the group had to suspend sessions back in March 2020.
Sometime later in the fall, they may look at opening an introductory session to beginners depending on the response they get to this soft opening and on how the pandemic proceeds.
Most of the leaders stayed active during the past two and a half years by practising on their own. Now that they are able to gather again, they are refreshing their skills and making sure they are all on the same page.
If you are interested in returning to sessions or are interested in an introductory session, you are encouraged to email sault@taoist.org for more information.
Classes will be taking place at St. Gerard Magella Catholic Church on Pentagon Blvd, St. Andrew's United Church in the Donald Hall on Wellington St. East and at Northern Heights Public School on Grand Boulevard.
"We tried to use different locations around the city so people who might have transportation issues could still find a location they can get to,” said Patriquin, “We would like to give as many people as possible the chance to participate."