Audio Interview: Clyde Boiston on the Philosophy, Power and Wisdom of Tai Chi

For this Waywards audio interview, accessible below, I spoke with my Tai Chi Chuan instructor, Clyde Boiston.

Clyde earned Tai Chi instructor certification several years ago. In addition to his Tai Chi practice and pedagogy, Clyde has a background in and experience with physical therapy, Qi Gong, breathwork, mindful movement and meditation.

Those seeking instruction in many of the aforementioned can find it at the Bel Wellness Healing Arts Center in Riverside, California, a welcoming space Clyde co-founded with his wife a while back.

I’ve come to sincerely enjoy my hour-long weekly session with Clyde. He’s been teaching me Tai Chi Sun Style since late August. We started with and continue to work on fundamental moves and sequences that ought to facilitate greater understanding of the 73 forms characteristic of Sun Style practice. I hope to begin learning those forms soon.

I sat down in the Bel Wellness studio in early December for a conversational interview with Clyde about Tai Chi, his instruction, the classes (and workshops) he offers, my progress and the mission of the Healing Arts Center.

You can listen to the interview, which lasted just over an hour, via the audio below. You’re also welcome to watch a short video clip of Clyde demonstrating a bit of what he teaches, which my instructor was gracious enough to let me record, and you’re free to check out video I recorded of myself fumbling along trying to execute and refine a Tai Chi sequence I learned from Clyde. Needless to note, Clyde remains a bit better at the practice, if you’ll permit me a serious understatement, but he’s also done impressive working helping me learn and grow — hence this dialogue I felt inclined to share.