In the warm, shallow pool, a dozen women stand with their arms extended. As they sweep their palms underwater, gentle ripples rise to the surface and crisscross hypnotically. You could almost mistake ...

Seven women gathered in the basement activities room of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church near Blain, working on memorizing and mastering a series of meditative motions as part of a regular exercise class.

Watching a group of people doing tai chi, an exercise often called “meditation in motion,” it may be hard to imagine that its slow, gentle, choreographed movements could make people stronger — ...