The Confucius center may no longer exist at UNF, but it left an impression on our campus through an unusual avenue: exercise. Tai Chi is not just good for your body, though, it’s also good for your mind. Tai Chi is a Chinese martial art that is learned for its health benefits and defense training.

Nicolas Michaud is an adjunct professor and student here at UNF and teaches Tai Chi at the Student Wellness Complex on Wednesday and Friday afternoons.

“We started as a club first, and then we started doing it at the gym this last summer,” Michaud said. “It’s particularly good for your leg strength and balance; yet at the same time, if you do a solid hour of Tai Chi at the end you feel better about where you are at that moment.”

Michaud learned the benefits of Tai Chi through the Confucius Center and continued to practice even after the professor who taught it went back to China.

“He just wanted people to keep doing it – and I, of course, am not really as good or fluent in it as he is – but I’ve tried to create a space where I am learning it with other people. So I talked to the Wellness Center and started getting in contact with people there and they were very interested,” Michaud said. “We just decided to get it up and running and now it’s a thing.”

The next Tai Chi class will be taking place tomorrow, Friday, Nov. 21 at 12 p.m. at the Student Wellness Complex in group fitness studio 1800.

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