People always acted like there'd be a bunch of Buddhist monks there. Yoga has become so mainstream that some pro sports teams use the exercise to increase flexibility. We use muscles we don't use in other activity. Many fitness clubs, like Jefferson Fitness Club, offer yoga classes. It's a series of precise, coordinated movements in which a person moves slowly and rhythmically.
People can do it in everyday clothing, barefooted, in sock feet or in flat shoes.
Originally, tai chi was a self-defense art, but it has evolved into a mostly therapeutic exercise. She's in her seventh week of a tai chi class for senior citizens at the Lexington Wellness Center. She's already planning to take another tai chi class, then learn yoga. Artman, who has fallen and broken her ankles in recent years, had read about tai chi's benefits of improved balance and strength. A 1996 study at Atlanta's Emory University followed a group of 200 seniors ages 70 and older.