The Tai Chi Book is a detailed guide for students who have learned a Tai Chi form and want to know more. It also introduces beginners to the principles behind great Tai Chi, and answers common questions.

The Tai Chi Book shows you how to use Tai Chi to gain strength, how to improve your balance and flexibility, and how to achieve remarkable vitality.

The author also introduces complex elements of Tai Chi, including ways to develop the relaxed strength known as sung, how to cultivate and feel Chi, how to train mindfulness, and a helpful chapter on being a student.

In addition, the author explores the debate over Tai Chi breathing patterns, explains in detail proper body alignment, and tells why Pushing Hands is more important than you might think.

The Tai Chi Book is your guide to the fullest health benefits of Tai Chi and to higher levels of skill and ability.

Like two books in one-basic and advanced tai chi training.
Find out how to choose and relate to a teacher.
Develop remarkable vitality and longevity.
Includes the Cheng Man-ch'ing short form.
More than one hundred photos and illustrations.

Robert Chuckrow has practiced Tai Chi Chuan since 1970, and has studied under renowned masters Cheng Man-ch'ing and William C.C. Chen. Chuckrow has a Ph.D. in experimental physics from NYU. He teaches physics at the Fieldstone School in Riverdale, NY and teachers tai chi chuan in Northern Westchester. Chuckrow resides in Ossining, NY.

Contents

Author's note
Åbout the author
Romanization of Chinese words
Introduction
1 What is t'ai chi ch'uan?
T'ai chi ch'uan as a spiritual teaching
T'ai chi ch'uan as meditation
T'ai chi ch'uan as a system of exercise, health, and healing-Strength; Flexibility; Endurance; Coordination and reflexes; Alignment; Knowledge of health and healing; Attentiveness to self, surroundings, and nature; Patience and a sense of timing; Inner stability and balance; Memory; Enhanced visualization
T'ai chi ch'uan as an embodiment of taoism-Yin and yang; Being in the moment; Principle of non-action; The concept of zen; Non-action in self-defense; Principle of non-intention
Tai chi ch'uan as a system of self-defense-Some background; How t'ai chi ch'uan is used for self-defense
The interconnectedness of taoism, health, self-defense, and meditation
2 Ch'i
Ch' kung
Some basic questions
What is ch'i?
Other benefits of ch'i
How is ch'i experienced?
Is there any scientific basis for ch'i?
Why some people fail to experience ch'i
Sensing and cultivating ch'i
Sending ch'i
Effect of clothing on ch'i
Ch'i from inanimate objects
Feng shui
Cautions about ch'i
To those for whom the concept of ch'i is difficult to accept
3 Basic principles and concepts
Air
Balance-Physical stability of inanimate objects; Physical stability of people; How we sense imbalance; The effect of others' actions on balance; Mental stability; Balancing of left and right sides
Centering
Ch'i
Circles
Concentration
Continuity
Double weighting-Examples of double weighting
Drawing silk
Gravity
Levelness of motion
Leverage
Macroscopic and microscopic movement
Newton's first law
Newton's third law
Opening and closing of the thigh joints
P'eng
Perpetual motion-The long river; Converting translational motion into rotational motion
Precision
Rotation
Sensitivity-The effect of the mind on sensitivity; A physiological factor affecting sensitivity: Weber's law
Separation of yin and yang
Sequence of motion
Shape
Spatial relations
Stepping-What part of the foot should contact the ground first?; Relaxation of the legs; Relaxation of the feet; Walking through leaves; The importance of keeping the center of gravity low during stepping; The importance of additonal bending of the rooted knee during Stepping
Sticking
Strength
Sung
Suspension of the head
Unity of movement
Verticality of the axis of the body
Vision
Visualization-visualization in daily life situations
4 Breathing
Everyday breathing-The importance of efficient breathing; Reasons for inefficient breathing; Aa conjecture about the direct absorption of oxygen to the brain; An abdominal breathing exercise
T'ai chi ch'uan breathing-A natural pattern of breathing; A reconcilation of different breathing patterns
5 Alignment
What is alignment, and why is it important?
Why is it necesssary to study alignment?
Obstacles to reversing faulty patterns
A personal story
A story about an acquaintance
Alignment of the hand and wrist
Alignment of the knees
Alignment of the ankle
Alignment of the arch of the foot
About parallel feet
Alignment of the pelvis
Alignment of the head
Alignment of the shoulders
Alignment of the elbows
Alignment of the spine
Proper sitting
6 Warm-up and stretching
Flixibility-Why do we lose flexibility?; Why is flexibility important?
Warm-up
Stretching-The benefits of stretching; The important of stretching correctly; Monitoring progress; Arresting or reversing inflexibility; Experiencing the effect of each action; Getting up after stretching; The best time of day to stretch; Yawning; Spontaneous stretching; Stretching using gravity; Hanging; Stretching using momentum; The importance of stetching equally in both direcitons; The importance of repeating each stretch; 'Crackiing' of joints
7 Stances
Definitions of terms-Planes and lines; Terms describing stances; additonal terms
Descriptions of the main stances-Fifty-fifty stance with straight knees; Meditative fifty-fifty stance; Fifty-fifty stance with bent knees; Seventy-thirty stance; Diagonal seventy-thirty stance; One-hundred-percent stance; A note of caution
8 On being a student
A. T'ai chi ch'uan practice
The importance of practice
Class is not practice
Continuity of practice
Group or individual practice?
How long should you practice?
Indoor or outdoor practice?
Time of day for practice
Self-discipline
Fear of mistakes
The mind during practice
Ways of practicing
At diferent speeds; Mirror imaage; Blidnfolded or in the dark; Compressed; Expanded; Extra low; On different surfaces; In different directions or places; In your mind; Stopping and repeating a move or part of a move; Emphasizing a principle or idea
Supplementary exercises
Exercises for improving balance
Use of a mirror
Use of music or a metronome
Practicee in everyday life
Eating before or after practice
'Cook-down' of the leg muscles
B. Teachers
Choosing a teacher
Methods of t'ai chi ch'uan teachaers
Asking questions in class
Attitude toward the teacher
'Perfect Masters'
C. Advice to beginners
D. The learning process
Goal orientation
A tale about a ruler and an artist
How is progress measured?
Perfectionism
Words and speech
Images
Critical evaluation of ideas
Learning from books
Learning from a videotape
Learning from dreams
Taking notes in class
Keeping a journal
9 Health, healing, sexuality
What is health?
How is optimal health attained?
Injuries-Learning from injuries; Pain; Treating injuries; Ch'i; Dit da jow; Broken bones bruises; Sprains tendonitis; Cuts; Scrapes; Infections; Massage; Rules
Vision-Palming
Feet-Arches; Four reasons why fallen arches are harmful; Rehabilitation of fallen arches; Effect of excessive weight; Foot exercises
Footwear-Heels on shoes; Wearing-down of heels; Ideal footwear
Nutrition-T'ai chi ch'uan and optimal body weight
Sexuality-Taoist sexual practices; Ginseng; Sex fast
Sleep-Naps; Sleep amounts; Pillows
10 Miscellaneoius
Male and female practitioners
Art and t'ai chi ch'uan
Dance and t'ai chi ch'uan
Science and t'ai chi ch'uan
Comparision of the short and long form
Variations in interpretation of the t'ai chi ch'uan movments-Straight or bent rear leg?; Why does the rear foot pivot on the heel rather than the toe?; Pivoting of the empty foot in 'brush knee'; Straight or bent wrist?; Pre-positioning the rear foot at the beginning of a movement compared with pivoting it at the end
T'ai chi ch'uan compared to 'aerobic' exercise
11 Push-hands basics
One-handed push-hands
Two-handed push-hands
Moving push-hands
Basi concepts of push-hands-Concept of t'ai chi; Yielding; Neutralization; Returning; Receiving; Energy; correct force (softness); Rooting and redirecting
Push-hands principles-Use of minimum force when neutralizing; Sticking; 'listening'; Non-action; Replacement; Folding; Opposite palms; Contacting an opponent; Neutralizing before returning
Miscellaneous concepts-Importance of stance; Circles; Equilibrium; Action and reaction; Newton's third law and the push-hands uproot; Controlling the oppoonent's balance; T'i fang; Examples of t'i fang; Mobilizing intrinsinc energy; Stepping in; Grabbing; Pulling; Use of speed; Push-hands versus self-defense; 'Taking punches'
Attitude-Investment in loss; 'Feeding' the beginner; Cooperation and sharing of knowlege versus competition
Appendix Postures of Cheng Man-ch'ing's short form
Names of postures
Description of the movements
Photographs of the postures and transitions
Bibliography
Index

A very rare book that combines technique, philosophy, religion, and science in a very useful manner.

A necessary book for anyone entering into this field for study and practice.

Highly recommended.

Urquhart ( )