Complete Tai-Chi: The Definitive Guide to Physical & Emotional Self-Improvement

Rating:
Summary: Useful introduction to Tai Chi
Review: The introductory chapters in which Huang explains the development of Tai Chi and relevant physiological concepts are the best I have yet read and I would recommend them to any English speaker starting to learn Tai Chi. As with most attempts to describe how to do the form I found the detailed explanation of how to do Huang's short version of the Wu style form of little practical value; although to be fair I only read parts of it out of general curiosity as I practice Wu style in Hong Kong with the Wu family. Although the introductory paragraphs brought out the fact that Tai Chi is primarily a martial art I felt that once the book began to discuss the form this was forgotten. I have found that the greatest insights into the form often arise when one learns their martial application.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: This book is absolutely delightful, from its discussion of the theory behind the art to its amazingly in-depth tracing of its history. For the past year and a half, I have been searching for something to heal my Chronic pain disorder that effects my upper body, and has effected my classical guitar-playing and musicianship more than I like. Well, a few months ago I picked up the Sophia Delza book at my library and began studying from that, but I wasn't completely satisfied with discussion of forms and postures, so I decided to buy a book, and after an exhausting search I finally came away with this book which not only seemed to satisfied my requirements, but left me with an excellent feeling. I was most attracted to the fact that he was using the Tai Chi as a healing approach and that he had been practicing for upwards of 50 years. Well, let me just say that everyday I feel better, and my pain is constantly receding, I have a whole new outlook on life, and the calmness I have learned has helped me to develop my musicianship. I appreciate Master Huang's approach of allowing the reader to bring his own things to the practice such as relaxation methods, and at first I was perturbed that he didn't offer breathing methods on each of the postures, but it is inferred that one cannot learn the breathing for all movements unless they have learned the postures perfectly. Actually, one may notice, however, that he does describe in a brief passage what movements exhaling and inhaling require. This book is a beautiful description and application of the technique that will be helpful to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Youngster has found the perfect Tai Chi
Review: This book is absolutely delightful, from its discussion of the theory behind the art to its amazingly in-depth tracing of its history. For the past year and a half, I have been searching for something to heal my Chronic pain disorder that effects my upper body, and has effected my classical guitar-playing and musicianship more than I like. Well, a few months ago I picked up the Sophia Delza book at my library and began studying from that, but I wasn't completely satisfied with discussion of forms and postures, so I decided to buy a book, and after an exhausting search I finally came away with this book which not only seemed to satisfied my requirements, but left me with an excellent feeling. I was most attracted to the fact that he was using the Tai Chi as a healing approach and that he had been practicing for upwards of 50 years. Well, let me just say that everyday I feel better, and my pain is constantly receding, I have a whole new outlook on life, and the calmness I have learned has helped me to develop my musicianship. I appreciate Master Huang's approach of allowing the reader to bring his own things to the practice such as relaxation methods, and at first I was perturbed that he didn't offer breathing methods on each of the postures, but it is inferred that one cannot learn the breathing for all movements unless they have learned the postures perfectly. Actually, one may notice, however, that he does describe in a brief passage what movements exhaling and inhaling require. This book is a beautiful description and application of the technique that will be helpful to anyone.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent book
Review: This book is the most detailed explained book I ever read. It teaches you how to have the correct posture (Which is very very important if you want to learn tai chi!), the very basic tought of chi, and also it DOES have explanation how to breath. He didn't write how to breath in every single movement that he explained, but he did in the beginning of the book or/and in the attachment of old manuskript tranlations.
Once again it's a very good book for a serious tai chi student, but you have to get use of the way chinese people think to understand some of the contains.