Husband-and-wife team bring tai chi to Wood St. Fitness starting June 16

Wood Street Fitness in Bensenville is launching new tai chi classes beginning Thursday, June 16, and a Schaumburg-area husband-and-wife team have been hired to lead the classes.

The classes, led by Jay and Linda Burke, will be offered from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays and 9 to 10 a.m. Thursdays.

The couple completed Yang Style Tai Chi training in 1998 and have been teaching at area park districts ever since.

"I took my first tai chi class with my wife in 1995 as a way to do something relaxing together," Jay Burke explains. "Since completing training, we've been teaching classes to those of all levels and abilities with and without each other."

Tai chi is an ancient Chinese martial art being discovered in the West as a health exercise, it is a gentle exercise that is suitable for people of all ages, abilities and fitness levels.

This class brings the mind, body and spirit together with isometric, balance and leg-strengthening exercises. Movements are executed slowly and precisely to learn proper body alignment. Numerous scientific studies have shown these exercises to be helpful in managing stress.

"Our classes encourage relaxation through focus on breathing, balance, posture, body alignment, and leg strength," Linda Burke says. "We find Tai Chi to be a great way to beat stress in our lives."

The classes are offered at the Bensenville Park District's Deer Grove Leisure Center, 1000 W. Wood St., Bensenville. The Wood Street Fitness Core Class Pass applies to tai chi. The class is offered in-person only, not virtually.

A complete schedule of group fitness classes offered by Wood Street Fitness may be found at WoodStFitness.com/Classes.