%206409df%202.png)
Trudy Sherman, PhD
Hello
Thank you for visiting my Tai Chi Trudy web site.
I created these pages as a resource for my students as well as anyone else that might have an interest in learning and/or understanding the gentle and practical principles of the tai chi practice.
It is my hope that every person that visits my site finds at least a morsel or two of information that helps them to work with their body to promote relaxation, improve balance, or increase lung function.
My Story
I did not find my way to tai chi until I was in my 40's.
Even then, it was not really so much that I found my way as that it was placed in my path.
For that, I am grateful.
I started dancing when I was 5. By the time I was 7, I was taking lessons in ballet, tap, jazz, and acrobatics every week. I practiced whenever I had a space big enough. We had a giant braided oval rug in our living room that was ideal for practicing perfectly straight cartwheels and walkovers. My friends were often treated to private tap or jazz lessons when they came over to play, whether they wanted them or not. I was intrigued with how to make the body do what it was trying to accomplish: where should the foot be?, is the arm straight or bent?, do I kick my foot before or after I bend my back?
I have been good at math and problem solving since I was a child. My father was an electrical engineer and was good at solving problems too. I enjoyed hanging out with him in his shop when he was building or repairing things. He would ask me math questions which I figured out in my head. He would explain to me why certain things had to go together in a certain way so that they would be strong and not break. Sometimes he would ask me how I thought things should be built and why. He would show me why I was right or wrong or close. This is most likely why I was pretty good at physics back then and why I am good at helping others with body alignment now.
It really is no surprise that I ended up majoring in electrical engineering in college. After graduating I went to work at Motorola. I continued to take courses at the university and I continued to dance at Jazzercise classes. I met my future husband at work. He was also an electrical engineer. After we got married we bought an acre of land to build a house on. I spent 3 years designing and drafting plans for our house which we decided to build ourself. By the time we were ready to break ground for the new house, we had 2 children and I was pregnant with our third. Both the baby and the house were completed on schedule. A year later I got my master's degree in electrical engineering.
It wasn't until 10 years later that tai chi made its appearance in my life. My mom, who had been living in Canada for 20 years, decided to move back to Arizona. She had had polio when she was a teenager. Now in her 60's, she was suffering from post-polio syndrome. Her legs and her lungs were affected the most by the polio. So those were the same 2 things she was having problems with at the time. She was walking with a cane and getting frequent bouts of bronchitis, often requiring hospitalization. Her doctor recommended finding an exercise program that was not overly strenuous, yet still provided strengthening for her legs and encouraged deeper breathing to improve her lung health. Tai chi is what she picked.
At my mom's request I drove her to tai chi class every week and attended class with her. Occasionally we were able to attend 2 classes in a week. Being 20 years younger than my mom, as well as most of the other people in class, I viewed tai chi as an "old person's" exercise class. I enjoyed class because I came away relaxed. I figured it was because we weren't really doing anything, just standing around moving slowly.
About 6 months later when I was picking up my mom for class, I noticed she didn't hand me her cane. I asked her where her cane was. Her somewhat indignant reply was, "I haven't used a cane in over a month." I persisted and asked where her cane was. Perhaps she had misplaced it. Another fairly short response came, "They are all under the bed out of the way." I thought a moment and realized I couldn't remember seeing her with a cane in over a month. A little further thought and I realized she hadn't been to urgent care or the hospital for bronchitis in probably over 2 months, maybe longer.
That day was the day I started paying closer attention in class. What was going on? I realized that not only was my mom not using her cane, she wasn't sitting down for multiple portions of class either. She now stood for virtually all of the class only sitting at the break. The dancer engineer in me needed to figure out how simple slow movements improved my mom's leg and lung challenges. I went to class regularly on my own as well as with my mom. I went to class with other instructors and I learned different styles. I asked questions. I watched how people moved and analyzed how I was being told to stand and move. I was hooked. I was seeing and experiencing the subtle positive changes that come with regular tai chi practice.
After we built our house I left the corporate workforce and became a self-employed engineering consultant and a technical instructor. I contracted with companies and taught at the university. We had our 4th child, a boy. I continued to go to school and got a doctorate in computer science. Our kids grew up, went to college, and started doing adult things. At that point I had been practicing tai chi for 17 years. I had become a true believer in the benefits of tai chi. I decided I would become certified as a tai chi instructor so that I could teach tai chi part time when my husband and I retired.
#4
I chose to be certified in the tai chi form that my mom and I had been first taught: Easy Tai Chi. I did my certification with our original instructor, Don Fiore. He was the one who created the form to help Parkinson's patients improve their balance. In less than a year I was certified. Two years later, in 2017, my husband and I opened a dance studio for dance and tai chi. A year later I retired from consulting and started teaching tai chi. Not long after, with approval from Don, I changed the name from "Easy Tai Chi" to "Gentle Tai Chi". As my students got stronger and better balanced they asked for more challenges. In response, I created my "Gentle Tai Chi Sequences" and "Crane Dance Gentle Tai Chi" classes.
And now, here we are.
Contact
I am happy to answer any questions you might have.
Feel free to email, text, or call.
602-345-0496