Chi-Hab utilizes components fo several Eastern modalities, including tai-chi, yoga, and chi-gong. But while those traditionals form the foundation, there's something fundamentally different about our practice. With Chi-Hab, we're adapting the fundamentals of those practices to populations that traditionally have not been able to experience their benefits. We work with senior populations, hospital patients, and people with all manner of physical challenges to bridge the divide between their needs and what these rich Eastern traditions can do.

That's how we came up with our name, Chi-Hab-- the word "chi" means energy, and "hab" represents the rehabilitative potential that these methods bring. Like other practices involving "chi," Chi-Hab focuses on opening the energy pathways of the body through simple movement (sitting or standing). This process of opening blockages and reviving stagnant energy improves circulation and blood flow to the areas that need to heal.

Because it's designed to be self-directed, Chi-Hab requires no special clothing and can be performed in a relatively small space. The only tools are one's mind, body, and spirit.

How It Started

In 2005, Dr. Ann Cotter of the Mind Body Institute at the Atlantic Rehabilitation Institute, hired Keith to implement a tai-chi/chi-gong program for patients in a rehab environment--five days a week and one hour per session. We observed 80 patients over a period of about a year. In the beginning, patients presented with problems including joint replacement, severe trauma, stroke, and some cancers.

Over time, patients reported better sleep, enhanced mood, better pain management, and faster healing, while relying less on medications.