TESTIMONIALS
TESTIMONIALS
Physicians, Medical Professionals and Health Care Providers
Students | Tai Chi Miracles
| “I regularly refer my patients with chronic conditions such as insomnia, hypertension, and diabetes, as well as arthritis pain, to Ms. Hesseltine’s Tai Chi classes, with good results. Though Ms. Hesseltine is not an Asian, her training in Counseling Psychology and Guided Imagery actually made her a better Tai Chi teacher than a conventional Chinese master, as hundreds of people who took classes with her can attest to.” |
|
| “I have had the privilege to work with Glenda in several capacities at Kaiser Permanente in Stockton. She was involved in our Physician Wellness Seminar in which she was inspiring in her ability to elicit participation from a group of medical providers known for their dislike of interactive activities. As a certified instructor, she taught classes for our members…and provided education for patients with fibromyalgia and chronic pain. She was much loved and inspired our members at her highly attended evening classes. In an era where the new paradigm in health is directed at wellness, Glenda is a wonderful and masterful healer.” |
|
| “I have been a student of Glenda’s for the past four years. Glenda is well-informed and trained in teaching all ages. Her pleasant personality makes all of her students want to continue with the classes…..I am pleased to add that my cardiologist approves of the workout provided by Tai Chi. “ |
|
| “From the moment I was her student, I saw a woman with a passion for health and sharing her love of Tai Chi. I took the beginning class and then the advanced martial arts class and was able to learn from her giving, loving spirit. I was next able to benefit from Glenda’s teachings in a Kaiser Employee Class that was offered weekly at lunch. It was wonderful to get relaxed yet energized over my lunch hour. The best opportunity I have had through Glenda is being able to teach basic Tai Chi warm up in my Managing Chronic Pain class here at Kaiser. Through Glenda’s mentorship and instruction, many of our chronic pain patients in our program now use Tai Chi to help with their pain management. Glenda has truly touched my heart and spirit and I have seen her teachings and classes effect many people here at Kaiser. You will see for yourself how she has an uplifting, motivating spirit that effects all whom she encounters.” |
|
| “Glenda Hesseltine is a Tai Chi teacher par excellence. With a background as a counseling psychologist, coupled with deep understanding of wellness from her own recovery from fibromyalgia, Glenda is a motivational speaker for wellness…..one who practices the art of holistic healing both on herself and the community, she has touched and transformed many lives in the course of her Tai Chi teaching.” |
|
| “Glenda has been the heart and soul of the Fibromyalgia class. She teaches in a way that is respectful of each person’s limits, but at the same time, encourages them to be open to new possibilities.” |
|
| “She has helped many people with various conditions through the practice of body awareness and Tai Chi. She is a very gentle, kind and loving person…an asset to any medical facility.” |
|
| “Glenda is a respected, influential teacher who has touched the lives of those she has worked with and taught.” |
|
| “The rapport and sensitivity that she shares with her students is often expressed in class evaluations and letters of praise submitted by her students. Glenda takes her work seriously and approaches life as a healer. She encounters difficulties with a positive attitude, focusing on what lessons are to be learned from life’s challenges and encourages others to do the same. She sets an example for others with her calm, collected demeanor…staying focused on what is important.” |
|
| “I wanted to let you know how much I appreciated taking Tai Chi lessons from you. I always knew you were special. Until recently (when I saw someone else teach Tai Chi), I didn’t know how special! You really put your heart and soul into what you teach. I especially love the way you tell a story while movements are taught. You teach Tai Chi with passion and incorporate aroma therapy, music, art, and camaraderie within students. You are blessed with the special art of Tai Chi. |
|
| “I have known the remarkable Ms. Hesseltine for many years through a variety of education and community projects in Stockton and the San Joaquin County, and as an instructor of Tai Chi in a program entitled Wellness Works!, a holistically based educational program developed specifically for the welfare population in S.J. County. Glenda teaches the basic principles and practice of Tai Chi for 2 hours in the short program and up to 6 hours in the extended program. For the majority of the participants, at the outset, Tai Chi is one of the most unusual, unfamiliar, and misunderstood activities in the wellness curriculum. However, because of Glenda’s extraordinary perception, absence of judgment, ability to teach, and understanding of past and present life struggles many welfare recipients experience, she was successful in making Tai Chi one of the most popular and helpful aspects of the curriculum.” |
|
| For over three years, each instructor at Wellness Works! was evaluated by every participant. A few of the examples of comments Glenda received are: |
|
|
| “I am a Public Health Nurse and I work for San Joaquin County. I was fortunate enough to meet Glenda Hesseltine and to study Tai Chi with her for 18 months, which helped me tremendously in reducing my pain and stress due to a medical condition called Fibromyalgia.” |
|
| “I was diagnosed with peripheral neuropathy and told there was nothing to be done…just inevitable immobility. I was barely able to walk, had difficulty getting in and out of a chair, was chronically fatigued, depressed, and continued to have, despite pain meds, intense cramping of my legs and arms at night. I found it impossible to do much of anything. In 2003 I was introduced to Tai Chi and I have practiced regularly. By this spring (2004), I was able to travel to Washington D.C. for the March for Women’s Lives, which I completed unaided, except for a walking stick. My blood pressure and cholesterol/triglyceride levels are within normal limits. My blood pressure medicine was cut in half by my physician four months after starting Tai Chi. I have no more chronic fatigue, and sleep well at night with little or no cramping. My balance has improved; I walk faster and more evenly….I no longer use a cane. I can get up from most chairs easily. A year into practicing Tai Chi and I am a much healthier and yes, a much happier person.” |
|
| “Glenda taught Tai Chi to City of Stockton employees for a number of years. I was enrolled in her class for approximately 3 years. I was Deputy City Clert for the City of Stockton. This was a very demanding and stressful position. Each time I left a Tai Chi session, I went back to work feeling refreshed, calm, and energized…ready to face the rest of the day. Tai Chi also helped me with health problems, including digestive problems and arthritis. I have taken Tai Chi from other instructors and believe me, Glenda is the best! Her spirituality is a great part of Tai Chi and it comes naturally to Glenda.” |
|
| “Personally, the benefits of the Tai Chi classes were invaluable. It’s amazing the stress you can let go of during and after a Tai Chi class. During the time I was taking the class, I found that I was always more relaxed, even between classes. The techniques taught in the class can be used anywhere. I still use many of the techniques I learned from Glenda for breathing, de-stressing, relaxing, and stretching. Glenda’s Tai Chi class certainly made for a better workplace! “ |
|
| "Glenda helped me get my life revamped and we were able to create the perfect solution to get me motivated and excited about everything in my life! I am come a long way from our meeting and could not have done it without her support and knowledge!"
"Thank you so much!" |
| nena |
| Glenda’s students say: |
“My toes were cramping…I applied Tai Chi pressure to ear pressure points…..the cramping went away." |
|
| “Where do I begin? I have had so many good things happen to me because of Tai Chi. The most noticeable to my family was the improvement in my walking.” |
|
| “Left arm & shoulder has pain…I used my fingers & tapped my left side…pain gone.” |
|
| “My broken shoulder is improving so much, thanks to Tai Chi.” |
|
| “Four days with a houseful of Thanksgiving Day guests. Exhausting, but using my Tai Chi, my Fibromyalgia was held at bay.” |
|
| “ I am a CPA. All stress goes to my neck. I can finally move my head without pain!” |
|
| “Using facial pressure points, I almost eliminated a cold…minimal symptoms, no nighttime coughing.” |
|
| “On the way to class, I was so exhausted I hurt all over! Every part of me ached. I was so relaxed leaving class that no part of me hurt!” |
|
| “My back has been great since starting Tai Chi”. |
|
| “I am an “antsy” person, but after just one day of beginning Tai Chi, I slept all night.” |
|
| “I surprised myself by 'outwalking' my husband (who is in much better shape than I am) by walking the Tai Chi way on a 2 mile hike. What fun!" |
|
| “My stressed husband relaxed instantly when I massaged his ears and now begs to have his ears rubbed.” |
|
| “My bowling improved. I received “most improved bowling” award in my league.” |
|
| “I am handicapped and do my Tai Chi sitting down, but still have great rewards. The fingers on my right hand would not bend….since massaging and using the finger exercises, I can now make a fist. Also, the pain in my back and legs has decreased.” |
|
| “During a trip to Mexico, I suffered severe headaches. I immediately used all of my Tai Chi knowledge to relieve the pain…tapping, pressure points, etc.” |
|
| “My husband says I am a kinder, gentler person since taking this class. I don’t react as quickly…act instead of react.” |
|
| “I am a teacher’s aide at Newday. My allergies were causing breathing problems. After my Tai Chi class, I was able to breathe better.” |
|
| “I noticed my sense of smell returning. It was really amazing.” |
|
| “For years I have been troubled with ringing, buzzing, and twitling in my ears…the Tai Chi has improved this condition and I have an all-over change of feeling.” Kay A. Stockton, Ca. 6/22/99 “I went to have an MRI and Tai Chi helped to calm me. It worked. (Twice before, they had to take me out of the MRI machine.) |
|
| “My husband told me that I am walking taller.” |
|
| “My husband used Tai Chi for three hours to stay awake while driving home from deer hunting.” |
|
| “My name is Ana and I have suffered for 25 years from insomnia. The most that I slept for a week was 5 to 7 hours, but since I started Tai Chi, yesterday, I slept 12 hours straight through.” |
|
| “I averted a migraine headache by simply relaxing and doing our facial relaxation and exercising. Normally I would have to take medication.” |
|
| “My 12 year old step-son said that I was less cranky since I started Tai Chi!!” |
|
| “On my last visit to my doctor, she wanted to know what I was doing to have so much improvement in my MS. I told her I was doing Tai Chi. She said to keep up the good “chi”. |
|
| “I was able to have 2 needle guided biopsys on my breast using Tai Chi and without local anesthetic (allergic to anesthetic). They were also able to remove 2 roots of teeth without a pain killer.” |
|
| “I want to tell everybody that by taking this Tai Chi class, I totally prepared myself to quit smoking. Many of the breathing methods taught in the smoking cessation class I already knew from Tai Chi. The meditation in Tai Chi also helped prepare me mentally. After 20 years of smoking, I stopped.” |
|
| “This has been life-changing! For the first time in 30+ years of sinusitis attacks, I relieved the symptoms with Tai chi.” |
|
| “I have noticed that my spine is more flexible. I have taken Tai Chi less than a year.” |
|
| “I started to do Tai Chi two and one-half years ago. My cholesterol had been 250—260 for at least 3 years. Within six months of Tai Chi, the cholesterol had dropped to 205 and has stayed at 203—205 since. My doctor can only attribute that to Tai Chi, since lifestyle is the same.” |
|
| “My balance has improved. I did the Nepali Coast hike in Hawaii…for me a difficult hike, but accomplished it and feel that it was the Tai Chi that was most beneficial.” |
|
| “I can sleep through the entire night now without waking up in pain.” |
|
| “ I usually have trouble opening new plastic bottle caps. Since I have learned Tai Chi and learned to use my chi, there hasn’t been a bottle that I can’t open.” |
|
| “I have felt so much better about myself. I have lost 22 pounds in the last 12 weeks. I owe this to the peacefulness I found within myself through Tai Chi.” |
|
| “Tai Chi Golf!!! I started warming up for my rounds of golf with Tai Chi and kept the mind set “try softly” (from Tai Chi) as my 'swing thought'. I have increased my ability to drive the ball by 40 to 50 yards! No kidding. My golf buddies have noticed and commented that I look so smooth and that the violence is gone from my swing. 300 yard drives, straight down the fairway get noticed.” |
|
| “Three weeks ago, I had a doctor appointment. I I was late and breathless by the time I arrived. Routine blood pressure check occurred almost immediately….140/90…eeeks! I immediately began diaphragmatic breathing, slowly in & out, my blood pressure was taken again at the end of my appointment….124/78!!! Wow! Let’s breathe!" |
|
| “ I spend many hours a day at the computer. I have had hand, elbow, and shoulder pain for years. After being in the Tai Chi class, I noticed the pain wasn’t as intense. Then I found the section in the book “The Healer Within” on hand massage. I have been able to eliminate almost completely the pain, not only in my hand, but also in my elbow and my shoulder. I believe!” |
|
| |
