Training Tips
Greetings. I have been writing and sending these out since 2015, and for you who have just joined us, welcome to the Gilman Studio Training Tips. These Tips are a result of my desire to share my life’s study and teaching in the area of Internal Arts and human potential.
I have taught Tai Chi and Qigong since 1973 and shared with thousands of people, and yet feel limited, as I live in a small community in the northwest corner of Washington State. I wanted to reach a larger audience on a regular basis. Thus, the Training Tips was born.
Most books on Tai Chi are written by an instructor to share his or her form. They are meant to teach the movements. They also, usually include short chapters on history and philosophy, but that is usually limited. I have written two Tai Chi books and now these Training Tips, not as “how to” books, but as “why to” books. Most people who are attracted to Tai Chi seek relaxation, focus, balance, health improvement, and a very few, martial skills. What most people need to carry on with their studies is motivation. That is what these Tips are all about. I want to encourage students to continue to practice, and continue looking deeper into this marvelous art form, and that only comes from regular and continuous practice.
I hope you read through all of these and maybe one or more will stimulate you to stay with your initial interest and enthusiasm. You can bookmark the ones you like to go back to in the future. As you grow and change, the meaning of these Tips will change, and hopefully you will find you understand them in your body, mind and spirit. If you aren’t already receiving these in your mailbox, subscribe and it will come as regular as clockwork on Monday mornings. The Gilman Studio never shares your information.
I sincerely hope you enjoy these and share them with your friends. You will make me happy. Thank you for your interest in our beloved art.
Sink the Elbows – 6/14/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip - #322 Sink the Elbows One of the Tips readers wrote to ask me about the meaning of “Sink the Elbows”. Let me share my take on this “Important Point”. Firstly, for form smoothness and harmony, we need to express yin and yang in our...
read more13 Important Points – 6/7/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 321 “13 Important Points” As we get started with our summer in the park “Microscope” examination of the Yang 54 Form, here are some important points to work towards understanding. As the summer progresses, review these points on...
read moreRiding the Tai Chi Bicycle – 5/31/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip - #320 The art of Tai Chi Chuan is based on the philosophy of yin and yang. There is nothing mystical or magical about this philosophy. It compares two things, and only at one brief moment in time. Everything in the Universe is in a...
read moreProgress/Reminder – 5/24/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 319 Progress Progress in Tai Chi is hard to gauge. In most other martial arts there are levels of attainment as signified by belts. A black belt is said to have reached a higher level then a brown belt, for instance. In Tai Chi,...
read moreTeaching/Random Tai Chi Ideas – 5/17/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip - #318 Teaching There will come a time, and I hope not too far in the future, when a person will be judged not by what he has, but what he gives. There needs to be a shift in thinking about what is valued and important. There is...
read moreEmbryonic Breathing/Staying Safe – 5/10/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 317 Embryonic Breathing There is a practice in Tai Chi Chuan called Reverse Breathing. This comes through the Daoists, as opposed to the Natural Breathing of the Buddhists. I learned this technique from Master Jou and, at the...
read moreGenius Plays Tai Chi/Schedule Change – 5/3/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip - #316 Genius Plays Tai Chi Leonardo de Vinci was thought to say, “Start with what you can see, and learn from what you discover.” That idea is so important to me as a student and teacher. The form was given to me by a teacher, and...
read moreTai Chi and Nerves – 4/26/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 315 Tai Chi and Nerves The body and mind are interrelated, and at the core, one and the same. Both developed from one cell that was a combination of an egg and a sperm cell. It is convenient to talk about a human as composed of...
read moreTai Chi And Music – 4/19/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip - #314 Tai Chi And Music I went over to visit a friend, and she promptly sat me down in a comfortable chair and commenced to play me a piece of music on her piano that she was going to be performing that very night. As the melody...
read moreWho, What, Where, When, Why, How – 4/12/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 313 Who, What, Where, When, Why, How When I was in high school, I took a journalism class and worked on the school paper. We were taught to use the 5W's – who, what, where, when, why, and also how. Let's see if that relates to...
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