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.
Puget Sound Meditation/The Journey – 1/10/22
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 350 Letting Nature Clean The Body I recently was practicing in the park, and where we practice, we overlook the Admiralty Inlet to the Puget Sound. This Sound goes all the way past Seattle and ends near Olympia. This is a big body...
read moreSome Thoughts on Chi – 1/3/22
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 349 Some Thoughts on Chi Our bodies are made up from Yin Chi from the energy of the earth, Yang Chi from the heavens including the sun, Prenatal Chi that is the Chi we get from our parents and, if you so believe, God. This...
read moreVital Self Help Information – 12/27/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 348 Vital Self Help Information To Stay Safe in The New Year The chances for injuries while practicing Tai Chi are very small. If you stay in your body, (meaning that your awareness is on the activity you are engaged in at the...
read morePurpose of Training – 12/20/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip #347 Purpose of Training For those of you who are just joining in, I want to remind you that these Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tips are mostly directed at “why to practice”, not so much “details of form structure”. This weeks...
read morePleasure – 12/13/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip #346 Pleasure Funktionshust is a German term for the pleasure taken in what one can do best. This pleasure – this happiness – may increase the tendency to continue to do these things. This is nature's way of creating excellence....
read moreEast vs West Bodies – 12/06/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip #345 East vs. West Bodies I want to share with you a look at the Tai Chi body and compare it to the more traditional Western view of beauty and function. The Western ideal for a man is sometimes represented by Hercules. Huge,...
read morePhilosophical Evolution – 11/29/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip #344 Philosophical Evolution Tai Chi Chuan developed in China over the course of thousands of years. First there were the mystical seeking exercises of the Daoists, who developed the idea that the body is the temple of the soul. If...
read moreDestination – 11/22/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip #343 Destination One of my students was having great difficulty with the idea of moving energy internally. She had thought she had to trace the exact line or path of energy from the floor to the Dan Tien, and from there to her palm,...
read moreRest/Working with a Partner – 11/15/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip #342 Importance of Rest It is a fact that every action of our body requires energy. Our basal metabolic rate is the base amount of energy our bodies require to exist. When we do work, a chemical reaction occurs using stored energy...
read moreTai Chi Chuan Instructors – 11/8/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip #341 Someone recently emailed me to make a comment on this Tip which was published on 7/9/18. I think it is worth a re-read. Enjoy. Tai Chi Instructors I, modestly, admit to being one of the longest serving full time Tai Chi...
read more