In the John Adams campus auditorium, Master Janet Gee instructs her Tai Chi Chaun and self-defense classes every Saturday morning. MELISSA MA / GUARDSMAN

It’s nine o’clock in the morning when students of all ages walk into the John Adams campus auditorium. They say hello to Master Janet Gee, who talks, jokes and laughs with them. It’s Saturday morning, and 70 students have come to learn Tai Chi.

The class begins, and it’s very quiet though the room is packed with bodies. All are dressed differently: some have their training clothes on, while others are dressed more casually in jeans and t-shirts. The students concentrate on Gee’s calm voice that floats over the soft, serene music. The beginners look at her carefully as she instructs them.

Gee, a San Francisco native, views martial arts as a way of life. She started in 1971 and has 35 years of experience and a seventh-degree black belt. She is a champion and her San Francisco studio is filled with trophies.

“Martial arts give you confidence,” Gee said. “I didn’t have a voice, [now] I’m strong enough to say, verbally, what I want, feel and think.”

Gee, a City College alumna, has been teaching part-time for 11 years. She is also a certified yoga instructor and massage therapist. Her clients come to her studio for healing.

“I work with people … the person’s whole self,” Gee said.

She is also a certified rape crisis counselor and she is involved with San Francisco Women Against Rape.

“They came to me for a self-defense instructor,” she said. “I learned the crisis hotline. I still teach self-defense with them.”

Advanced student Janet Ishigame has trained with Gee for three years. She is one to take the front road when Gee helps the rest of the class.

“You learn a lot about yourself, patience with yourself, and in the same time, you strengthen not only physically, but also spiritually and mentally,” Ishigame said.

The center is important when doing Tai Chi, as Gee explains. Arms, legs and the whole body need to be correctly positioned.

As soon as Gee says goodbye to her Tai Chi class, students in the self-defense class arrive. Thirty people come in and sit down in a circle. Gee writes on the whiteboard and talks about self-defense before exercises. She tells her students to always be aware of sounds, smells and everything else around her.

“Stay in the present, and in the movement for the everyday life,” Gee instructs. “Allow yourself to be safe. ‘No’ is a good word. What part of “no” don’t you understand? What part of “yes” don’t you understand?”

She explains further, “You learn to use your voice, but you can also use your body language. It can be your eyes.”

The self-defense class differs from the Tai Chi class. There is no music and students work two and two or in small groups. They use striking pats to learn how to use their hands, arms and knees. They move around and hit the strike path and yell “strike” and “no.”

“I heard about it and I have interest in it,” said students Kim Chau said. “I’m a single woman, and I like to go out late in the evening, and I like to protect myself.”

Karim Biaye, one of the few male students, said, “My parents said it could be good experience for me. I thought I wouldn’t like it at all, but I like it and the teacher is really good.”

Janet Ishigame, who is also in the Tai Chi class, is enrolled in the self-defense class as well.

“It’s different than Tai Chi because Tai Chi takes a longer time to learn,” Ishigame said. “Self-defense is for everyday use.”

After the four-hour session, Gee says goodbye to her class and jumps into her car. She has one more class to teach before her workday is through.

e-mail: acnilsson@theguardsman.com