Books and Videos
There are hundreds of books and videos related to the various styles of T'ai Chi Chuan. The important thing for a beginner to accept is that you can't learn T'ai Chi from a book or video. The feedback of a teacher is crucial. But often a beginner can find a good book or video useful in helping to remember the choreography of the T'ai Chi form so that we can practice at home between class sessions.
Book: Tai -Chi: The "Supreme Ultimate" Exercise for Health, Sport, and Self-Defense by Cheng Man-ch'ing and Robert W. Smith.
Video: T'ai Chi For Health: Yang Form with Terry Dunn. I emphasized Short because Terry Dunn has a similar video for the Yang Long Form that wouldn't be suitable for this class.
There are books and videos that are more technically accurate, but are much harder to find or are much more expensive.
Quiet Standing
In a time of day when things are peaceful and noise free, just stand with your feet parallel and shoulder width apart. Stand straight, relaxed not slouched, with your head erect so that you can feel the back of your shirt collar against your neck. Don't lock out your knees and don't bend them too much. Put your hands in front or your thighs the way you stand at the commencement of the form.
Just stand there meditating on how your body feels. If you find muscular tension, in your shoulders or hip joints, just let your mind direct your chi to the tension and dissolve it. Eventually put your mind in your dan tien. If stray thoughts intrude, that's normal. Simply lose them and return your mind to your dan tien.Stand as long as you can. Start at 2 minutes and try to work up to a session over 30 minutes. If you need an external reminder to end the standing, set an egg timer and leave it within earshot but not in sight.
The Bear - Warm Up Exercise
Before doing the form stand with feet parallel, shoulder width apart. Relax into the right side of the body so that all your weight is on that side. Turn your waist towards the left. Then transfer your weight by relaxing into the left side of the body with all your body weight now on the left leg. Turn your waist towards the right. When you turn your waist, your eyes, nose and navel should turn together.
Keep doing this exercise, alternating sides of the body, until you establish a rythym in your turning. Be mindful of the yin and yang of which side of your body is weighted and which isn't. Except for the instant of transition all your weight should be on one side of your body or the other. You are standing on one foot, not two. To an outside observer this may not be apparent because you should keep both feet flat throughout the exercise.
When your waist turns your arms should swing with the waist turn. Don't use your arm muscles to power the arm swing. The arms should not flail or swing exaggeratedly, but should swing consistent with the arc of your turning waist.