Qigong Gets Back to the Garden

Carpinteria Qigong/tai chi teacher Jessica Kolbe was one of the last to shut down in personal classes, only giving up her gatherings that were fighting the spread of COVID-19 through social distancing on Carpinteria State Beach when the statewide stay-at-home orders became official in mid-March. She’s been offering online classes ever since, with the more than half a dozen choices featuring at least one free workshop every week (this week it’s an hour of Healing Qigong for Strength and Joint Health) to let prospective students try her out on Zoom at no cost.

So it only seemed like things were coming full circle to hear that Kolbe is among the first to take advantage of the relaxing of stay-at-home standards and the slow re-opening of the economy by starting to teach live Qigong/Tai Chi classes with real people, albeit outdoors, once again. The new meetings take place every Thursday at 10 am in the large garden at the Carpinteria Woman’s Club, where Kolbe confirms that participants will practice social distancing while communing with actual nature as well as our internal natures. Participants are also required to wear masks during the session.

“Qigong has practices for getting through all of life’s ups and downs, while Tai Chi helps to bring life back into balance and harmony,” writes Kolbe, whose clients include people with Parkinson’s disease, Lewy Body Disease, cancer, dementia, chronic pain, arthritis, balance issues, depression, compromised lungs, and other conditions. The classes cost $18 per session, with discounts for 5- or 10-class packages.

Meanwhile, most of Kolbe’s online classes have been recorded and reformatted for airing on TVSB, Channel 17, community access, which now airs her workshops up to seven times a day. And Kolbe Santa Barbara City College summer online class “Tai Chi Easy™” starts Monday, June 1, at 11:30 am. Visit www.QigongSB.com, email JessicaKolbe26@gmail.com or call (805) 705-3426.