By Carol Fisher Linn
Tai Chi and Qi Gong at Cornell Cooperative Extension – a community fundraiser
Cultivate the Garden, Cultivate Yourself –
ELLICOTTVILLE – Cornell Cooperative Extension (CCE) Cattaraugus Master Gardeners will host “Cultivate the Garden. Cultivate Yourself,” where nature meets vitality – a six-week introductory series on authentic Tai Chi and Qi Gong. The outdoor classes will run every Tuesday evening from September 1 through October 6, 2026, from 6-7pm at 28 Parkside Drive at the scenic Nannen Arboretum in Ellicottville. This is a vital fundraiser for the extension. The Tai Chi Master will return all enrollment funds to the extension, which will directly benefit the Cornell Master Gardener Program. It is important to know that these extra programs at the Extension Center can only take place through the generosity of the program patrons. Donations directly support local CCE Master Gardeners educational gardening programs, community outreach, environmental stewardship, and horticultural education throughout the region. Please consider this and be generous.
Kim Oudemool, Natural Resources Educator for the Cornell Cooperative Extension in Cattaraugus County explains why gardening and Tai Chi truly go hand in hand. “Gardening and Tai Chi may seem like very different activities, but both invite us to slow down, pay attention, and connect with the world around us. Gardening uses our bodies as we dig, plant, reach, and bend, while Tai Chi teaches us to move with intention, balance, and awareness. Together, they remind us that caring for ourselves and caring for the garden can go hand in hand. We are very excited to offer Tai Chi at CCE and look forward to continuing developing programming that enriches the lives of others in our community.”
With fall approaching, gardeners might still be nurturing and growing late season vegetables, planting spring bulbs, or in my husband’s case, planting next year’s garlic, clearing, pruning, mulching and winterizing. Learning to practice Tai Chi will help gardeners or garden lovers to also be preparing their bodies and spirit for the coming seasons of life in gentle no-stress movements.
Martial arts and gardening truly seem to be a strange pairing (like dry red wine and salmon or trout) yet as someone who had participated in tai chi on a beginner level, I discovered how the slow, deliberate movements, the deep breathing and focused mindfulness improve energy and, more importantly, posture, flexibility and balance. I never met a tai chi class I didn’t like, and I always left feeling so much better than when I arrived.
Master Gardener and Shifu (Master/Teacher), Steve Czajkowski, a Cornell Certified Master Gardener Volunteer, will instruct. Says Czajkowski, “Just as we tend to our gardens to help them flourish, we must also tend to our own physical and mental well-being.” … “The Nannen Arboretum provides the perfect peaceful back-drop for participants to connect with nature while supporting vital community agricultural programming.”
The course is designed for adults – young, old … or even older, any fitness level. You will delve into Basic Tai Chi and Qi Gong exercises, breathing, balance, coordination, relaxation, stress reduction, increased natural energy, improved posture, flexibility and body aware-ness. For novices, all of these add value and stability to your well-being but possibly none more enlightening than an introduction to feeling and cultivating Qi (chee). So, let’s explore “Qi.” From Google, a quick primer on Qi tells us that it “is the traditional Chinese concept of a vital life force or energy that flows through all living things and the universe. It often trans-lates as ‘breath’ or ‘air.’ It is a foundational pillar of Traditional Chinese Medicine, philosophy and martial arts.” So, basically, it animates the body, keeps internal organs working and maintains vitality leading to better health. We all can use that.
To register, contact the CCE Cattaraugus office at (716) 699-2377 ext.106. Classes will take place Tuesdays, 6-7pm (Sept 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and Oct 6) at the Nannen Arboretum, 28 Parkside Drive, Ellicottville, NY. $125 – Suggested Donation Amount – includes commemorative class t-shirt. Checks payable to CCE Cattaraugus. Participants should wear comfortable clothing and supportive footwear suitable for walking on grass. Depending on enrollment and participant interest, continuing instruc-tion may be offered following the completion of this introductory series.
About the Cornell Master Gardener Program:
The CCE Cattaraugus Master Gardener Volunteer Program provides home gardeners with research-based, educational programs and resources. Volunteers dedicate their time to community projects, educational workshops, and maintaining local green spaces to foster environmental stewardship throughout Cattaraugus County.