Angus Clark - Tai Chi - A practical approach to the ancient Chinese movement for health and well-being

Cover Page

Title Page Illustrated Elements of Tai Chi

Preface Preface TAI CHI IS a system of exercises or movements to promote health and longevity, and a comprehensive system of self-defense. Its roots are in China, where it evolved over many hundreds of years as a martial art and as a system of self-development. In the past, many of its techniques were preserved for generations as clan or family secrets, but very gradually, knowledge of the art spread throughout China. Now at the start and end of every day in villages, towns, and cities all over Chinese Asia, people can be seen practicing the slow, graceful movements of tai chi in courtyards, squares, and parks. At dawn and as the sun sets in the evening, Chinese people go out to practice tai chi. Tai chi was carried to the West in the 20th century, both by Westerners who had studied under Chinese masters, and by Chinese teachers who moved to the West. Nowadays, tai chi is well known in all Western countries, and a wide spectrum of people all over the world practice it regularly. In the West health organizations, schools, colleges, and even businesses now incorporate tai chi into their curricula and their training programs. A cascade of cosmic energy sweeps through the body in the Squatting Single Whip posture. Tai chi is a multidimensional art form that has the capacity to touch several important levels in the life of anyone who embarks on its exploration. Tai chi is not just about health or about self-defense, but about the development of the whole individual—body, mind, and spirit. This book will introduce you to tai chi as a system of movement with a variety of health, fighting, and self-development aspects. The roots of tai chi are ancient, but its principles remain applicable in the highly pressurized modern world.

How to Use this Book How to Use this Book Illustrated Elements of Tai Chi is a comprehensive introduction to an ancient Eastern practice that is becoming more and more popular in the West in response to the pressures of modern life. Tai chi is a holistic healing art that embraces body, mind, and spirit. It improves physical and mental well-being through posture training and exercising all parts of the body, combined with encouraging greater awareness of the links between body and mind. Practiced regularly and with dedication, tai chi becomes a system of self-development and encourages a flowering of personal creativity.

Historical Origins Historical Origins TAI CHI IS rooted in the rich soil of ancient Chinese thought, which is based on observing the way things work in nature. The art embodies the concept of continuous change from one extreme to the other as expressed in the ancient book of wisdom, the I Ching : “When the sun has reached its meridian, it declines, and when the moon has become full, it wanes.” Tai chi stems from the ancient philosophy of Taoism, which arose at a time when China’s earliest martial traditions were emerging, among agricultural peoples whose lives were frequently disrupted by wars waged by contending states. And it was founded on the principle of following the natural way or Tao – the ancient philosophy of Taoism. The Taoist philosopher Lao Tzu is said to have been Official Archivist of the State of Chou (1st century B.C.E.).

The Birth of Tai Chi

A Healing Art

Seven Qualities

Seven Steps to Progress

Movement, Health, and Body Awareness

The Skeleton

The Muscles

Body Alignment

Stability and Mobility

Body Shape and Posture

Inside the Body

The Circulation

Digestion and Elimination

Sensory Systems

Breathing

The Energy Centers

Preparing for Practice

Moves and Postures

The Language of Tai Chi Movements

Eight Basic Postures

The Stances

Stepping

Balanced Walking

Key Moves

Warm-Up Movements

The Complete Short Form

Beginning

Ward Off Left and Ward Off Right

Rollback

Press, Push

Single Whip

Lifting Hands

Shoulder Stroke

White Crane Spreads Wings

Brush Left Knee and Push

Play Guitar

Brush Left Knee and Push (2)

Punch

Withdraw and Push

Crossing Hands

Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain

Rollback, Press, Push, and Single Whip

Punch Under Elbow

Step Back to Repulse Monkey

Diagonal Flying

Waving Hands in Clouds

Single Whip

Squatting Single Whip

Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg

Separate Right Foot

Separate Left Foot

Brush Knee and Push, Needles at Sea Bottom

Iron Fan

Turn Body, Chop, and Push

Bring Down and Punch(2)

Kick with Heel

Brush Right Knee and Push

Brush Left Knee and Punch Downward

Ward Off Right

Fair Lady Weaves the Shuttle (1)

Fair Lady Weaves the Shuttle (2, 3, and 4)

Ward Off Left

Squatting Single Whip

Step Forward to the Seven Stars and Step Back to Ride Tiger

Turn and Sweep Lotus

Bend Bow to Shoot Tiger

Punch (3)

Withdraw and Push and Crossing Hands

Completion

Branching Out

Working with a Partner

A Fighting Art

Cultivating Energy

Tai Chi for Life

Nature and the Elements

Freestyle Movement

Tai Chi at Work

Tai Chi at Leisure

Achieving Self-Fulfillment

Growing and Changing

Tai Chi Experiences

Styles and Schools

Further Reading/Useful Addresses

Index

Copyright

About the Publisher

TAI CHI IS a system of exercises or movements to promote health and longevity, and a comprehensive system of self-defense. Its roots are in China, where it evolved over many hundreds of years as a martial art and as a system of self-development. In the past, many of its techniques were preserved for generations as clan or family secrets, but very gradually, knowledge of the art spread throughout China. Now at the start and end of every day in villages, towns, and cities all over Chinese Asia, people can be seen practicing the slow, graceful movements of tai chi in courtyards, squares, and parks.

At dawn and as the sun sets in the evening, Chinese people go out to practice tai chi.

Tai chi was carried to the West in the 20th century, both by Westerners who had studied under Chinese masters, and by Chinese teachers who moved to the West. Nowadays, tai chi is well known in all Western countries, and a wide spectrum of people all over the world practice it regularly. In the West health organizations, schools, colleges, and even businesses now incorporate tai chi into their curricula and their training programs.

A cascade of cosmic energy sweeps through the body in the Squatting Single Whip posture.

Tai chi is a multidimensional art form that has the capacity to touch several important levels in the life of anyone who embarks on its exploration. Tai chi is not just about health or about self-defense, but about the development of the whole individual—body, mind, and spirit. This book will introduce you to tai chi as a system of movement with a variety of health, fighting, and self-development aspects. The roots of tai chi are ancient, but its principles remain applicable in the highly pressurized modern world.