Center takes
alternative path to health
by Matt Amato
amatomatt@dekalbchamp.com
Never wavering from a tone as soothing as the cup of
Chinese tea she offers, Corinne Chaves is relaxation
personified. She meditates twice a day and practices qi gong,
an ancient healing art. So she’s chilled, disciplined and
healthy. Now, she wants you to feel the same way.
At Decatur Healing Arts, a business where Chaves partners with
husband and Tai Chi instructor Jude Hasken, a myriad of
methods are offered to ease back pain, stress and other
ailments–yoga, therapeutic massages, Taoist meditation, tai
chi, qi gong. But this isn’t just some esoteric west-coast,
one-stop-healing shop. This stuff really works. Just have a
little faith.
“One person did the practices and had no side effects from
chemotherapy,” she said. “I’m such a firm believer. I used to
be hypothyroid and I no longer am.”
Those not in the know might imagine the experience as this:
Wear loose clothing, unroll your mat, breathe slowly, contort
the body in weird positions while listening to waterfalls and
windpipes, and one hour later all problems are melted away.
Well, there’s more to it than that. Think holistically.
“There’s a lot of education to be done because people don’t
know about it,” said Chaves referring to the challenges faced
in an instant gratification society. “I see so many people
taking so many drugs with so many side effects. I’m passionate
about people taking the responsibility for their health and
giving them the tools.”
In other words, you need to practice these tools, which have
been handed down after centuries’ worth of ringing
endorsement. During classes, students are informed
step-by-step the derived benefits from each movement and the
psychology behind them. That’s why the right instructor is so
important. And these instructors, if they’re honest about
their practice, refer to themselves as students.
Take Chaves’ case for instance. After spending 19 years as a
corporate technology consultant, she, like thousands, was laid
off after the Internet bubble burst. Having been a yoga
student since 1973, she gravitated to qi gong and the
teachings of Master Yun Xiang Tseng. Master Chen, as he’s
better known, is an interesting character. At 6 years old he
went to a monastery to study Taoist healing and martial arts.
Ten years later, he was teaching it.
Through her on-going dedication to qi gong, which took her the
length and breadth of the country, Chaves cultivated plans for
a business. “I kept getting reinforcement through meditation;
it gave me the answers to difficult questions. I kept saying
that this is what I should be doing,” she said. “So here I
am.”
During her soul-searching hiatus, Chaves also became a
licensed massage therapist. So with ideas and qualifications
to back it up, the next step was finding an adequate space.
She describes Decatur Healing Arts as having three concepts:
“The classes in the studio; therapeutic massage – Chinese
medical massage, shiatsu and Swedish; and there’s a small
retail outlet – the things that support the practices.”
And the public appears to be receptive. “It’s [the clientele]
more people 40 plus who aren’t interested in aerobics or hard
core types of exercise who look for something that feels good,
[is] not expensive and doesn’t require props or equipment. For
yoga, the big expense is your mat -- $20-30,” she said.
So with a business geared towards her lifestyle, does Chaves
miss the corporate world? “No, do I look like I do,” she
laughed.
Decatur Healing Arts is located at 109A New St., Decatur. For
more information, visit
www.decaturhealingarts.com.
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