John Adams-CHAIRMASTER by Rich Courage

     So last Monday morning, fresh off the 1 hour bus ridwe from Rockland, I hump up the five flights to the Wellness Unit(which was the Snack Bar), the whole time huff puffing like I’m hiking a friggin’ mountain.  My gross out-of-shapeness is due to just having done 9 months at Rockland State Psych doing nothing but scarfing down Snickers bars, smoking Kools and expanding my butt watching repeats of repeats of Law and Order.

    Huff puffing, I exit the stairs and bump right into John Adams, who luckily is the man I’d come to see.

    “John.” I wheeze, “You habve any T.E.s?” (Transitional Employment jobs)

    “Rich,” he says with a smile, “Come up later and we’ll talk.”

    “How about 11?” I ask, breathing better.

    “11 I’m doing Chair Exercises,” John says.  “Hey, why don’t you join us?” he asks.  For a moment, a half dozen very creative reasons to say no run through my brain, but the next moment I hear myself answer, “Sure, I’ll see you at 11.”

    “Good.  I’ll see you there,” John says, and walks his zucchini stained kitchen aproned self off to do zucchini kitchen things.  Now,  being a severly out of shape, heavier than I’ve ever been in my whole life(and I’ve been heavy!)47 year old, flailing my unlimbered arms and legs around was the last thing I wanted to do.  And yet I’d said yes to John Adams.  Why?  Well, John has a Black Belt in Shorin-Ryu`, so he’s earned my respect for his achievment.  But that’s not the reason.  Oh, and every time I see John, he’s working, going to do something, coming from just having done something, or discussing something to be done.  Doing.  Done, I mean done.  Hee.  But th’s not the reason.

    John asked me to join him and other members in his Chair Exercise class in such a friendly voice, he might as well have been inviting me to a beach party.  John was inviting me to join him in something which would be good for me, and at this point in my strange life, I can’t really afford to miss too many opportunities to be with friends.  John Adams is my friend. So, yeah, I said yeah.

    So, 11 a.m. rolls around, there I am in the exercise loft above the Wellness kitchen with a few other members all seated in a circle with John Adams seated at the head.  “Okay,” he says very matter of factly, with just a tinge of command in his voice.  “First, we’re going to do some Tai-Chi breathing.  Close eyes, push thoughts out.  Use your hands, push out, breathe out.  Pull in, breathe in.”

    So we all breathe out, push out, breathe in, pull in about eight times.  I could feel the muscles and tendons in my unuseed shoulder muscles going  Rice Crispies on me.  Snap, crackle, pop.  Ah, to be 21 again!

  And then, we all did leg stuff, and arm stuff, and more leg and arm stuff, the whole time also breathing … breath stuff.  I’m not going to describe the exercises in boring detail because it really only makes sense(and fun) when you actually do it.

  I’ll say this though; each instruction John gave usto breathe and move in certain, productive ways was relaxed, yet precise.  Simple, yet specific.  Repetitive, yet engaging.  Oh, and it was kinda fun too.

    John Adam’s Chair Master class is a fun activity that helps you grow as a person.  And it’s F*R*E*E*!!!

    Okay, okay, sadly but true, most of you reading this piece will not go, we all know that, right?

    So, let me put it to you like this;  John Adams, Black Belt; nice guy chock full of friendly, quiet power; John’s personal, friendly invitation TO YOU for a few minutes of great, easy exercise,.. for FREE!!??  Come on.  How can you lose?

    Don’t go.

    Chair Mastery in the Wellness Unit.  Try it.  Have Fun.  Feel good.  John Adams’ Chair Master class is offered Mon-Fri @ 11:30 a.m. on the 5th flr. Mezzanine.

    ALSO*** Mon-Fri @12:45 p.m. in the First Flr. Living Room.