Man says tai chi gave him second chance at life...Classes teach relaxing, energizing routine,
breathing techniques
For Gary Paruszkiewicz, a Detroit native diagnosed in 1991 with multiple sclerosis, it all started with a breath. Confined to a wheelchair by 1993 and taking 16 tablets of Valium every day, Paruszkiewicz had to give up his passion as a successful chef because of his sensitivity to heat.

Paruszkiewicz was suicidal and admits he considered buying a one-way ticket back to Michigan from Kankakee, Ill., where he now lives, to see Dr. Jack Kevorkian.

But his wife had a different idea, suggesting instead that he go back to school and take up tai chi.

“The way I saw it, I only had two options,” he said, so he went back to school.

Paruszkiewicz recalls his first day back to school, how his professor walked in the room and said, “nobody in this room is breathing.” The professor shut off the lights, and Paruszkiewicz learned to focus on his breathing and listen to his body, he said.

Paruszkiewicz got a degree in psychology and was inspired to take up tai chi, an art involving slow, fluid movements, each with a variety of meanings and purposes, to energize and relax the body. He adapted the sequence so it could be performed while seated, using it as a form of therapy, and eventually got himself out of the wheelchair.

“Physical therapy built up my muscles, tai chi taught me how to use them without falling down,” he said. Now, Paruszkiewicz travels around teaching his routine, slightly adapted and made easier to remember.

Last week, Paruszkiewicz was invited by C.C. Plus, Dance for Fun and Fitness, to teach a group of 60 seniors and adults with developmental disabilities in Clinton Township. He also trained the staff of C.C. Plus to incorporate the sequence into other classes.

He taught the students a ward-off movement, a sun breath sequence and something he calls “the grand, heavenly massage,” all designed to increase breathing and energy flow in the body. And it’s all done from a chair.

“All you need to do is give yourself permission, and give yourself control,” he told the class. “If you’re feeling aggravated or angry … you can calm yourself. You can make yourself feel better.”MORE