Faces and Places: Michele Cullen-Russell (Canada)

Welcome all. Finally, a post! There are as many different stories as there are styles of tai chi. My friend Michele is an artist who lives in Canada. Michele has been practising tai chi for 7 to 8 years and finds it helps her with her multiple sclerosis (MS). Michele practises both sitting and standing styles. As you'll see, tai chi inspires her artwork as well as her daily life.

I practice Fung Loy Kok Taoist Tai Chi.  It is a very internal art which doesn’t require a lot of external movement from me, but I can feel my body working.  It has not taken away my MS issues but... it has somehow showed me how to find my balance and work with what I have. I feel very centered and stable when I take the time to finish each move before going to the next move.  The advantage for me is that I have a very narrow/small spot where I am totally balanced on my legs/feet so I need to find my center all the time or I start to fall over. I am usually very stable and enjoy the feeling of having some control over how my body moves. As soon as I stop and just ‘walk ‘, my MS legs are back. 

Michele enjoying tai chi

I have also been shown how to practice walking normally again by my instructors – just making sure I place the heel down first and then the toes -  but this doesn’t come naturally and most of the time I just want to get from A to B without thinking about how my foot lands... but I do practice.  

Hold The Ball by Michele Cullen-Russell

It is really all about balance and being centered, being open, relaxed, and feeling the connection from the ground up which is exactly what I feel when I am in that right spot. This form of tai chi seems to have an emphasis on the rotation of the spine, and this is where my MS lesions are located.  My feeling is that it is helping to slow down my MS progression. 

Sweet Spot by Michele Cullen-Russell

The tai chi community is also so very supportive, and I just love getting together to do tai chi with them. I was introduced to this form of tai chi by starting in a chair as well as using parallel bars. A year later I had to start walking with two canes and incorporated them into my tai chi so that I could find balance. Now, I practice free-standing tai chi most of the time but still enjoy my practice in a chair or with my two canes when my body is needing the extra help. The versatility of this tai chi made it possible for me to slowly understand how to compensate and work with what I have. Anyone, with or without health issues, can practice and receive the health benefits it offers, and this is why I love it so much.  

Cocoon by Michelle Cullen-Russell

So, I would say that the tai chi helps me physically and mentally. It has improved my quality of life. It is a tool I can use to work with my MS. I am not just giving in to my disease but working alongside it with the help of tai chi. I have a great team of doctors, but they can do nothing for me now other than to monitor my condition. They have been curious and are watching and have noticed how tai chi has really helped me.

Self Portrait in Water by Michele Cullen-Russell

Finally, I can see how tai chi has also influenced my paintings over the years.  I feel fortunate and grateful to have it in my life. 



Michele Cullen-Russell