b'MS Focus Activitiesagain what it could do for people with differentEverybody can move somethingconditions, especially those with MS.As for the future, Tony hopes his virtual Parting of the ways students, through MS Focus, accept his effortsToday, Jef lives in Maine while, as ofto incorporate philosophical approaches. 2020, I returned to Orlando, Tony said.Beyond his classes, Tony is writing a book on Despite the distance, the pair talk daily and areblending Tai Chi into everyday movement. still best friends. He will always be my brother;Whether you open a door, put on a vehicle I owe him so much and would not be whereseatbelt, or grocery shop, you can take Tai I am today were it not for Jef. He taught meChi everywhere. Its methods can exceed one and inspired me to teach again; remember,hour each week. By continued practice, youll as I learned karate, I trained the kids of myrealize that you are far more capable than neighborhood back in Jersey. Uniting with Jefyou previously believed.and spending all those years with him revivedTony insists that his faith was a colossal that will to give back in this way. part of navigating the highs and lows of his Tony conducts public and private Tai Chilife with MS. He said, I dont question why lessons online and in person. One of histhis happened to me. Gods presence, even at favorites, Tai Chi in the Garden, is an intimatethe start of my diagnosis, was and is the most gathering with students while surrounded byincrediblecomfort.Withoutquestion,its nature. I teach at Mead Botanical Gardensbeen a rough ride, but what good am I if I on Saturdays in Winter Park, Fla., from 10:30dont prioritize my self-care to help steer others to 11:30 a.m. I love doing that because, whilein their wellness journey? you can practice Tai Chi anywhere, there is aWhen asked what he would title his life if it tranquility about the outdoors. We are supposedwere a class, he replied, Living with Obstacles to enjoy the world around us, and this is oneand Not Stopping Along the Way. After getting way I and others can, Tony said.diagnosed, while still in the hospital, I went Virtually, Tony still teaches his Miami studentsfrom room to room and prayed with other twice a week, and as of autumn 2022, hepatients. It would have been easy to think only accepted an invitation to lead Tai Chi classesof myself, but I persisted even amid uncertainties for MS Focus: the Multiple Sclerosis Foundation.about my condition. No one there ever rejected I got referred to the Foundation by a friend,prayer with me; the answer was always yes, Maggie, who regularly attends their Health andand by the end of the devotion, what they had Wellness classes; she told Kasey, the executivebeen carrying and holding in was released. director of MS Focus, about me. We connected,That is what I want my students to feel after ironed out the details, and here I am, Tony said. every class.Like those he led years before, Tonys Tai ChiTony believes there is an activity everyone classes at MS Focus became an immediatecan do, even if Tai Chi isnt for them. We do success. I never tire of hearing the feedback.ourselves an injustice by not moving what we Their presence each week tells me a few things:know we can. Ive taught this art to bedridden that they are connecting with themselves andindividuals; it doesnt matter your position: the movements, they are letting go, and MSeverybody can move something, even if that isnt present. If I can make them forget aboutsomething is only a little. Fewer movement their troubles, even for an hour, I am gladstill goes further than none at all.because I know I am helping them the wayTo learn more about Tony Garcia, visit his Jef helped me.website, taichiinorida.com. msfocusmagazine.org 32'