T'ai Chi Thursdays ~ new series starts Thursday, May 10th!

SIGN-UP HERE for 8-Week Series ~ May 10 thru June 28

There is no substitute for confidence.  My junior high football coach, Coach Thompson, used to say repeatedly, “If I could sell confidence in a bottle, son, I would be a millionaire.”  The antithesis of confidence is doubt, disbelief, and pessimism.  True confidence can be acquired through consistent internal and external methods of practice.  Only through multiple experiences accumulating into the same outcome can one develop and cultivate unwavering confidence.  Repeated practice and repeated outcomes solidify our belief that something can be truly beneficial.  Astute observations and repeated experiences teach us the reality of whether something is constructive or destructive, negative or positive, rewarding or detrimental.

Confidence is a strong energy; doubt is a weaker energy.  Michael Jordan, Joe Montana, Larry Byrd, Drew Brees, Martina Navratilova, Chris Evert, Serena Williams, Dirk Nowitzki, A-Rod, Michael Phelps, Usain Bolt, Steve Nash, Kobe Bryant, Roger Staubach, Barack Obama.  All these individuals possess strong positive mental energy.  Each exudes faith, belief, and confidence that they can get it done when it counts the most in crunch time, in the fourth quarter, in the last two minutes.  Could Dirk and Steve lead the NBA in free throws every year if their dominant energy was doubt?  NO!  Doubt is a weaker negative energy and does not breed success, champions, or championships.

Belief, dreams, faith, and fantasies are necessary.  Once you have experienced something socially, culturally, physically, personally then it’s not only belief, faith, and fantasy, it evolves into a different type of energy.  A stronger energy, a stronger chi.  Once you have partook in a real life experience then it becomes something tangible: the chi of confidence!  This is amplified life force energy.

The beauty of the practice of T’ai Chi is it creates patience, inner harmony, clarity, and confidence.  Each week you begin to notice a new sense of balance, strength, coordination, power, agility, flexibility, endurance,grace. Physically, you become stronger and you have the added benefits of stress relief.  You become less critical of yourself, calmer, and more tolerant with others.

“That which is not revealed in the beginning will be revealed later through the practice.”

~ Chinook, 2010

This is one of my favorite quotes.  The practice of T’ai Chi reveals your own hidden potential.  You start to realize how much you can do.  You lose your fear of the unknown; and you start to embrace the new challenges as adventures.

I want to thank the fourteen people who have chosen to continue in this new series.  T’ai Chi is not a shake-and-bake art.  It’s not meant for the impatient.  Because of the complexity of the art, the detailed nature of the practice, it’s been my experience that the majority of practitioners who start don’t endure to the end.  In fact, this is the first time in my twenty-five years of teaching T’ai Chi that so many people, 74%, have committed.  Over the years I have connected, corrected, and refined my teaching techniques constantly and I feel that these changes have had a profound impact on the retention rate.  I will continue to strive towards excellence and to constantly take your feedback to further serve you.  I look forward to seeing returning students and meeting new classmates in this next series.

This current series will resume where we left off and continue with new material, and it will be totally accessible to new students who will get a full review of the previous material.  This system will continue until those dedicated students have learned the full T’ai Chi Chuan Yang Short Form.

Sincerely, your sifu, Chinook Gnome Wushdu

The literal definition of Sifu is “Teacher”.  A Sifu is more than a teacher, he is a guide who is passing on the tradition and philosophy of the art as a way of life, not just the techniques themselves.


T'AI CHI ~ You asked for it!  You got it!  Here comes  8-weeks of T'ai Chi meditation in motion helping promote serenity, reduce stress & improve strength & health!  Accessible to all levels - beginners welcome! 

Have you physically and mentally outgrown the beating of high-impact bone and joint crushing fitness methods?             If so, this T'ai Chi Series is for you!

Chinook is offering a comprehensive dojo-style internal arts healing series starting  Thursday 3/24. Each Thursday session offers the following:

*   Dojo greetings
*   8 minutes                Qi Gong warm-ups (principles & practice)
*   50 minutes              T'ai Chi Chuan (Yang-style short form/slow set    
                                           practice)
*   2 minutes                 Rest break
*   15 minutes               T'ai Chi aerobics/fast set
*   2 minutes                 Abdominal strengthening core training
*   2 minutes                 Rest break
*   15 minutes                Fundamentals of push hands (reflex dexterity training)
*   2 minutes                  Rest break
*   20 minutes               Free-style, fun push hands play
*   4 minutes                  Closing mantra chant or silent meditation

This series is designed with YOU in mind!  You have the option to do the entire class or just the parts of the practice that work best for you.

This class is open to all levels with the exception of the free-style portions.  Please note - the free-style push hands play is offered to T'ai Chi practitioners or to those with prior T'ai Chi, Aikido, Ju Jitsu, Judo or Wing Chun experience.  Those without this experience can participate by signing a waiver.

This class will be taught in an ultra-vertical progression with new material being added in ordered succession each week.

Our recommendation?  Participate in all weekly sessions for best results.

Be PRO-ACTIVE!  Come enjoy a 'CHI-FULL SPRING with us!

Click here for Series Rates and Sign-Up.

35 maximum participants