When did you last think about the webbing between your toes?

‘When did you last think about the webbing between your toes?’ In my case, not that long ago actually, as dear Sweet William has athlete’s foot, and it does tend to focus the mind on the toes if a member of the family is walking around sporting that. But it’s a good question, and one that was posed to me just an hour ago as I stood in a patch of grass in the middle of a built-up urban area, shifting my weight back and forth, back and forth, back and forth, rolling through my feet and hugging an imaginary big ball.

Let’s start at the beginning…I was about to give up on the day big time when I suddenly remembered a Tai Chi class was being introduced at work this week. So having locked myself away in my office all day - door shut, studiously trying to avoid contact with anyone in case I was called upon to show an interest in the world – I threw caution to the wind and headed on over to the designated patch of grass and took a leap into the unknown.

The class was run by a very nice man called Colin, who looked kind of odd doing Tai Chi in the summer heat, wearing a formal striped shirt and suit trousers. But I quickly realised, what you look like doesn’t matter, and you can wear more or less anything for this particular activity – you’re concentrating on what’s going on inside the body, not outside it.

I must say, for what is such a stressed-out and large organisation, I was disappointed that only about ten of us turned up for Colin - and all women. Are men not in need of relaxation and gentle exercise? Or are they scared of looking like prats stood on the edge of a busy city-centre street waving their arms in the air? Come on, lads, give it a go! It really empties the mind of everything apart from that gentle movement, the kiss of the warm breeze and your breath. I found it incredibly relaxing and focusing. It brings to your attention every part of your body as you make the slow, deliberate weight shifts and sways. It should be prescribed on the NHS for depression.

I’m used to yoga, swimming, weights and aerobics (hey – I’ve tried everything to shift this depression!), but this was something completely different and uniquely challenging for me. You see, to add insult to injury, not only did I go down with postnatal depression what seems like a lifetime ago, I also developed vertigo and have had it for nearly two years now. The medics have done brain scans and blood tests, poured hot and cold water in my ears, blindfolded me, spun me around, and stood me on one leg. In most of these situations I end up falling over or wanting to throw up, and they have yet to come up with a cause.

Anyway, I just discovered it makes Tai Chi a bit difficult. All the swaying from side to side and following slow movements with your eyes, is enough to send me tumbling. My doctor tells me – by standing me up and asking me to close my eyes, then catching me when I fall – that I am over-relying on my eyes to give me a visual clue as to when I am upright. When she pointed this out I realised that I do always need to focus on a point somewhere just in front of me, a little below eye level, which is staying fairly still. This always helps to keep me on my feet.

So I needed to find my visual clue in the middle of this grassy patch where we were practising Tai Chi. It is a fairly large space, and apart from our merry little gathering, an empty one. So the only thing that was staying fairly still in front of me was Colin. And as I say, I have to focus downwards a bit – so the poor guy had me staring at his crotch for the best part of an hour. No wonder he said an all-women group was intimidating! But it kept me upright. Colin says Tai Chi makes you concentrate on even the smallest parts of your body, right down to the webbing between your toes. Sorry, Colin, if I’d have concentrated that far down I would definitely have fallen over!

A newly chilled Daisy signing out...