ST. CHARLES, Mo. - Richard Janning angles his knees slightly outward, concentrates his weight on his heels and confidently lifts himself out of a chair.

For Janning, 82, this is not an act of everyday living. It is the result of exercise and learning the Chinese art of tai chi from instructor Dennis Bussell.

"One of the first things he taught me is that I need to keep my heels under me when I get up, so I don't fall over," Janning said.

Bussell takes his martial arts class to 15 nursing homes across metropolitan St. Louis. The goal, he says, is to help people to improve their balance and to prevent falls and potentially crippling injuries.

Bussell uses folksy humor to encourage his students to try movements they often have given up as too risky. On this particular night, about 30 seniors have gathered at Parkside Meadows Retirement Community here.

Trim and agile at 40, Bussell begins with a series of willowy arm stretches.

He describes tai chi chuan - its full name - as "the way of the energy hand." Legend has it that a Chinese monk saw a white crane preying on a snake and mimicked its movements to develop tai chi. Over time, it has evolved into a soft, slow and gentle form of exercise that can be practiced by all ages.

Bussell says he was 19 when a Chinese family in Tulsa, Okla., allowed him to study with them. He began visiting nursing homes about 18 months ago when one of his students suggested his class might benefit seniors.

"The first thing I did was sit down in a wheelchair and ask myself, `Now if I was stuck here, what would I be able to do?' "

At one point in his class, those who are able to stand move behind their chairs. Bussell tells them to grip the chair and to put toes together with heels outward.

Following Bussell's lead, his pupils point their right toes upward and gently turn to their right. Their right hand follows in a flowing movement. Their left foot and hand remain firmly planted. Once they reach a 90-degree angle, they set their foot down.

"Oh, you look just like waves in the ocean," he tells them. "When I first came here, I told you that I would get you to stand on one foot, and you nearly laughed me out of the room. Look at you now!"

Afterward, students offer testimonials on their 10 months in the class.

Frances Clark, 83, says she's learned to massage the pressure points in her right wrists to relieve the nagging symptoms of carpal tunnel syndrome.

"All I have to do is touch it lightly, and the pain goes away," she says. "It's just amazing."

For 82-year-old Robert Keller, it's brought relief from leg cramps and a return to his two-mile walks.

Studies confirm the benefits of tai chi. One study by Emory University researchers gathered 200 healthy people with an average age of 76. Some were given simplified training in tai chi, others got biofeedback-based training in balance on a movable platform, while the rest got education about falls but no physical training.

The tai chi and biofeedback groups were given 15 weeks of training, and researchers kept track over four months of the number of reported falls. The tai chi group went on average 47.5 percent longer than the others before a first fall, said researcher Steven L. Wolf.

"There appears to be a confidence that's gained from an awareness of where one's body is in terms of the environment," Wolf said.