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.
Breath and Tension – 4/5/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 313 Breath and Tension Breath and tension are very closely interrelated. I see examples of this all the time. I used to do a form of body therapy, called Trager Psychophysical Integration. There is one particular movement when the...
read moreMore Thoughts on the Heart Center – 3/29/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 311 More Thoughts on the Heart Center Lately I have been reading a history of the 20th Century, written by two Americans. What strikes me most is that, but for a few brief periods, our country has been constantly involved in war...
read moreTai Chi From The Heart – 3/22/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip - #310 Tai Chi from the Heart Many, but not all, of the Internal Arts are martial arts: the study of how to defend the self without resorting to the use of excessive force. The greatest martial artists are those who do not even have...
read moreSit Up Straight – 3/15/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 309 Sit Up Straight Master Subramuniya, my first meditation teacher and guru, made the statement, “You can never be depressed if you can sit up straight.” At first I didn't understand this idea and sort of poo-pooed it, yet I can...
read moreUnderstanding Principles – 3/8/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip - #308 Understanding Principles. I want to remind you, as I do so often, that Tai Chi is not just a qigong exercise, or simple exercise program. It is a martial qigong exercise. It evolved from a combination of kung fu and qigong,...
read moreA Few Random Thoughts and Counting Moves – 3/1/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 307 A Few Random Thoughts and Counting Moves * Most people on the spiritual path spend much of a lifetime seeking self awareness or enlightenment. Periods of up are followed by periods of down, but the sincere seeker carries on no...
read moreWhy 108 Moves in Yang Long Form – 2/22/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip - #306 Why 108 Moves in Tai Chi Chuan? Tai Chi study can be as simple as memorizing movements or as complex as a life-long journey into the self. It doesn't matter what you seek with your study, Tai Chi will have plenty to offer....
read moreLove and Chi/Cane Form Class – 2/15/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 305 Love and Chi I don't believe that there is anything that fills the body with Chi as much as loving does. Do you remember when you first fell in love? What was that feeling? What does it feel like now? In Chinese Natural...
read moreYin and Yang of Tai Chi Chuan – 2/8/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip - #304 The Yin and Yang of Tai Chi Chuan The study of Tai Chi Chuan is the study of Yin and Yang — how they relate, engage and disengage, in a never ending cycle. Every facet of our Tai Chi practice, and our life also, can be viewed...
read moreThe Mind – 2/1/21
Monday Morning Tai Chi Training Tip # 303 The Mind Tai Chi means Yin and Yang – and the interaction between the two extremes. We, Tai Chi players, frame all of our physical, emotional, mental, spiritual, on finding balance between yin and yang. There is nothing that...
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