Are you worried about the extra kilos of weight that you could put on this Diwali? Are you leading a stressful life where things sometimes get on to your nerves? Do you wish to physically prepare yourself to face any situation that life could throw at you? If the answers are yes, you must consider joining Tai Chi classes in the city, at the Alan Thilak Tai Chi School.

The school was founded in the year 2000 by Sonika Vickraman, who received her Tai Chi training from her master Wu Heng Dong. “Currently I train those who are interested in learning this is an internal Chinese martial art in the Yang style, which also rejuvenates your body and the mind. Each level is a three-month programme and there is no limit to how much one can learn,” Sonika says.

Tai Chi can be learned and practiced by almost everybody – from school-going students to senior citizens. “Tai Chi, in a nutshell, is poetry in motion. It is a series of movements along with breathing techniques with perfect coordination of the body and the eyes. I play Chinese music in the background while I teach,” Sonika shares.

Currently, she teaches beginners in a closed hall. Those who have completed the basic level of Tai Chi under her are trained in the advance levels in the open. This, she says, helps her students connect better to the elements of nature.

Sonika says that practitioners of Tai Chi definitely experience the benefits of the exercise. One of her students, Nandini Raju, is a testimony to this. “I have completed my first level of Tai Chi under Sonika. I realize today I can handle any situation with ease. I have my mind in control, and Tai Chi has become a way of life for me,” says this corporate trainer.

Currently, Sonika takes Tai Chi classes at her centre, located on Dr. Nanjappa Road. With the demand for Tai Chi classes growing in Coimbatore, she has plans to set up centres in locations like RS Puram and Sai Baba Colony.

Sonika can be reached at 98431-32079.