T'ai Chi For Dummies

Introduction 1

About This Book 1

Why You Need This Book 2

How to Use This Book 3

Conventions Used in This Book 4

How This Book Is Organized 4

Part I: Stepping Up to T’ai Chi 4

Part II: Preparing to T’ai One On 4

Part III: Knocking on T’ai Chi’s Door 5

Part IV: Energizing Softly with Qigong 5

Part V: Making the Most of Your Practice 5

Part VI: The Part of Tens 5

Icons Used in This Book 6

Where Do I Go from Here? 6

Part I: Stepping Up to T’ai Chi 9

Chapter 1: Matching T’ai Chi’s Mind-Body Benefits to Your Needs 11

Defining the Grand Ultimate 11

Finding Out What’s in a Name 13

Abbreviations ’r’ us 13

Parting from apostrophes 13

Spelling: Not just for bees 14

Translation, please? 14

Setting T’ai Chi Apart from Other Movements 14

Reasoning Your Way to T’ai Chi 15

Fixating on fitness and exercise 15

Teetering over balance 16

Rehabbing injuries and strains 16

Minding your mind 16

Capturing the culture and tradition 16

Finishing with Wise Words 17

Chapter 2: Evaluating T’ai Chi’s Health Benefits with a Western Mind 19

Prepping for a Safe, Sane Practice 19

Going West for Eastern Movement 20

Speaking aerobically 21

Getting a grip on strength 22

Knowing What Western Science Says about Eastern Movement 23

Reviewing the reviews 24

Sleuthing out the claims 24

Making the Benefits Work for You 26

Betting on the benefits 26

Balancing your act 27

Stamping out bad or excess stress 28

Managing chronic disease 29

Fostering fitness 30

Chapter 3: Building the Mind-Body Foundation 31

Breathing Fully and Easily 32

Keeping the air going in and out 33

Fully tapping into the energy and calm 33

Practicing the right way 33

Relaxing the Muscles 34

Aligning and Rooting Your Body 35

Visualizing and Using Your Mind 36

Finding Energy Central 37

Chapter 4: Sowing Your T’ai Chi Seeds Mindfully 39

Sizing Up the Key Elements 39

Minding Yourself 40

Breathing through the Forms 40

Muscling Up to the Movements 41

Balancing your fitness checkbook 41

Intensifying or not 41

Part II: Preparing to T’ai One On 43

Chapter 5: Saying Hello to the Founding Families 45

Fancying the T’ai Chi Tales 45

Staying alive . . . and awake 46

Combating snakes and cranes 46

Savoring More Styles and Schools 47

Clambering for Chen 48

Flowing with Yang 48

Honing Wu/Hao 49

Discovering others under the sun 50

Chapter 6: Scaling the Peaks of T’ai Chi Practice 51

Taking Shape with T’ai Chi Forms 51

Focusing on forms 52

Sifting through seemingly strange names 53

Discovering the Charge of Qigong 54

Sparring Without Brute Force: Push Hands 55

Doubling up for double the benefits 55

Sensitizing your sensitivity with four skills 56

Trying a little Push Hands 58

Wielding Weapons 59

Benefiting from weapons 60

Typing the weapons 60

Chapter 7: Internalizing the Principles 63

Slowing Down — Principle #1 64

Taking It Easy — Principle #2 64

Thinking in Curves — Principle #3 65

Being Simple — Principle #4 66

Sinking Lower — Principle #5 67

Appreciating Opposites — Principle #6 68

Staying Balanced — Principle #7 68

Moving the Whole Package — Principle #8 69

Going with the Flow — Principle #9 71

Staying Rooted — Principle #10 72

Part III: Knocking on T’ai Chi’s Door 73

Chapter 8: Building the Basics 75

Tackling the Basics of the Basics 76

T’ai Chi posture 76

T’ai Chi breathing 79

Putting on the Moves 80

Understanding directions 81

Handling your hands and arms 82

Footing the basics 87

Stepping into transitions 92

Letting Yourself Move 96

Warming up 96

Doing your T’ai Chi scales 104

Chapter 9: Opening the Door, Yang-Style 109

Stemming from the Yang Long Form 110

Taking on the First Part, Yang-Style Short Form 111

Commencement (#1) 112

Parting the Wild Horse’s Mane (#2) 113

White Crane Cools Its Wings (#3) 116

Brush Knees (#4) 117

Strum the Lute (#5) 121

Repulse the Monkey (#6) 123

Grasp the Bird’s Tail — Left (#7) 124

Grasp the Bird’s Tail — Right (#8) 127

Chapter 10: Keeping the Flow, Yang-Style 129

Determining How You Want to Learn 130

Learning the Second Part, Yang-Style Short Form 131

Single Whip (#9) 131

Wave Hands Like Clouds (#10) 133

Single Whip (#11) 135

Pat the High Horse (#12) 136

Kick with Right Heel (#13) 137

Strike Opponent’s Ears with Both Fists (#14) 139

Kick with Left Heel (#15) 140

Chapter 11: Closing the Door, Yang-Style 143

Opening Your Mind to Different Versions 144

Making the Final Moves 144

Completing the Third and Last Part, Yang-Style 145

Right Palm Strike into Snake Creeps Down Left into Rooster Stands on Left Leg (#16) 145

Right Palm Strike into Snake Creeps Down Right into Rooster Stands on Right Leg (#17) 148

Fair Lady Weaves the Shuttle (#18) 150

Pick Up Needle from Sea Bottom (#19) 152

Fan through the Back (#20) 154

Turn into Backfist Down, Parry and Punch (#21) 155

Apparent Close (#22) 157

Crossing Hands (#23) 158

Closing Form (#24) 160

Chapter 12: Trying Out Manny’s Short Form 163

Using another T’ai Chi Short Form 164

Stepping up to a simpler short form 165

Taking On Manny’s Short Form 165

Part IV: Energizing Softly with Qigong 183

Chapter 13: Recognizing the T’ai Chi–Qigong Bond 185

Deciphering Qigong’s Meaning 186

Feeling Qigong’s Benefits 187

Finding awareness 187

Feeling the focus and calm 188

Gaining higher energy 188

Bettering your breathing 188

Sorting Out Qigong Goals 189

Reviewing Practice Principles 190

Righting your posture 190

Relaxing your muscles 191

Rooting your body 192

Meeting Your Microcosmic Orbit 192

Circling in on the acupoints 193

Practicing powerfully and quietly 195

Chapter 14: Meditating and Moving the Qigong Way 197

Going Forward with Qigong 197

Standing Like a Tree 198

Feeling your chi 200

Microcosmic orbit 201

Qigong Walking 202

The Eight Treasures 204

Part V: Making the Most of Your Practice 215

Chapter 15: Practicing What I Preach 217

Investigating Instruction 218

Going solo 218

Finding a teacher or class 222

Merging Martial Arts with Modern Multimedia 226

Selecting stars of the video screen 226

Reading all about it 228

Navigating the Internet 228

Chapter 16: Living a T’ai Chi Lifestyle Every Day 231

Making Changes through T’ai Chi 231

Making T’ai Chi Part of Your Day 232

Timing your ticket 232

Plotting quick T’ai Chi escapes 234

Living Your T’ai Chi Principles 235

Unplugging from stress 236

Concentrating on breathing 236

Taking a peek inside 236

Observing the goings-on around you 237

Responding to the behavior of others 237

Going with your gut 237

Taking five 237

Taking Care of Your Body 238

Eating smart 239

Sleeping well 239

Standing up straight (Your mom was right) 240

Sticking to a sane work schedule 240

Staying healthy and fit 240

Chapter 17: Trying Mini-Forms 241

Choosing Goals for Your Mini-Forms 242

Trying the Mini-Tai Chi Forms 242

Mini-form #1 — Begging for balance 242

Mini-forms #2, #3, and #4 — Seeking strength 244

Mini-forms #5, #6, and #7 — Finding flexibility 246

Mini-form #8 — Seeking stillness (Standing Like a Tree) 247

Aiming for Aerobic Conditioning 248

Chapter 18: Taking a Moment for Qigong 251

Scoring with Quick Qigong Goals 252

Trying the Qigong Mini-Breaks 252

Mini-breaks #1 and #2 — Refreshing and energizing 252

Mini-breaks #3 and #4 — Relieving stress 256

Mini-break #5 — Getting rid of bad chi 257

Chapter 19: Combining Qigong and T’ai Chi 259

Deciding What You Want to Gain 259

Doing It Your Mini-Combo Way 260

Mini-combo #1 — Yearning for yin and yang 260

Mini-combo #2 — Orbiting cosmically 262

Mini-combo #3 — Developing chi 262

Part VI: The Part of Tens 265

Chapter 20: Ten Benefits of Practicing T’ai Chi 267

Reduce Stress and Anxiety 268

Clear Your Mind 268

Improve Your Outlook on Life 268

Develop Discipline and Self-Control 269

Achieve Better Health 270

Acquire Better Balance 270

Breathe Better 271

Find the Flexibility in Your Muscles 271

Perfect Your Posture 271

Lower Your Blood Pressure 272

Chapter 21: Ten Times and Places to Add a Little T’ai Chi to Your Life 273

At Sunrise 273

At Sunset 274

When Stress Has a Grip on You 274

While You’re on a Long Drive 274

Sitting in Traffic 275

Standing in Line 275

In a Park 275

At the Beach or Lake 276

In the Mountains 276

In Front of a Mirror 276

Chapter 22: Ten (Plus One) Ways to Supplement Your T’ai Chi Practice 277

Read a Little Taoism 277

Watch T’ai Chi Videos 278

Peruse T’ai Chi Books 278

Watch Yourself on Video 279

Try Meditating 279

Practice Mentally 280

Dabble in Other Martial Arts 280

Push Against the Wall 280

Stand on Bricks 281

Pick up the Pace 282

Apply T’ai Chi Principles to Everything You Do 282

Chapter 23: Ten Things to Tell Yourself about Your Practice 285

Slow Down 285

This Is Not a Competition 286

I Can Never Be Perfect 286

My Journey Is the Goal 287

It’s a Cumulative Thing 287

T’ai Chi Is a Martial Art 288

Enjoy Any Losses 288

There Are Lessons to Learn In Everything I Do 289

I Am a Teacher, Too 289

My Path Is Not the Only One 290

Chapter 24: Ten Wise Taoist Lessons 291

Weigh Your Wu Wei 291

Find Humility 292

Be Soft and Supple 292

Yearn for Yin and Yang 292

Sense “The Uncarved Block” 293

Let Emptiness Be 293

Seek Simplicity 294

Center Yourself 294

Practice Personal Patience 295

Live in the Present Moment 295

Chapter 25: Ten Quotes to Live By 297

Discover Yourself 297

Be Soft and Yielding 298

Live Slowly 298

Have a Mind Like a Mirror 298

Be Still 298

Gently Overcome the Rigid 298

Flow Ultimately 299

Look Inside If You Miss The Mark 299

Stay Strong and Gentle 299

Begin Your Journey with One Step 299

Appendix 301

T’ai Chi Chuan and Qigong 301

Finding instruction and networking 301

Hitting the library 302

Surfing the Web 303

General Mind-Body and Fitness Sources 303

Getting Connected 303

Hitting the library 303

Surfing the Web 304

Getting Equipped 304

Index 305