The Essential Movements of T'Ai Chi

Rating:
Summary: My Experience with John Kotsias
Review: I have studied Tai Chi with John Kotsias for the past four years. John is a knowledgeable and principled teacher and martial artist. I have read this book on Tai-Chi Chi Kung several times in the course of my studies and find it more informative each time. John's personal experiences in his Tai-Chi education are enlightening and entertaining. His descriptions of the movements are detailed and include foot and waist diagrams for clarity. The moves are not simple and will be learned only after repeated practice and study, but I have found them to be most useful in my personal attempts to integrate mind, body and spirit. I have sent copies of this book to many members of my family and friends. I enjoyed it thoroughly and have been blessed by my opportunity to study this fascinating discipline with John Kotsias.

Rating:
Summary: My Experience with John Kotsias
Review: I have studied Tai Chi with John Kotsias for the past four years. John is a knowledgeable and principled teacher and martial artist. I have read this book on Tai-Chi Chi Kung several times in the course of my studies and find it more informative each time. John's personal experiences in his Tai-Chi education are enlightening and entertaining. His descriptions of the movements are detailed and include foot and waist diagrams for clarity. The moves are not simple and will be learned only after repeated practice and study, but I have found them to be most useful in my personal attempts to integrate mind, body and spirit. I have sent copies of this book to many members of my family and friends. I enjoyed it thoroughly and have been blessed by my opportunity to study this fascinating discipline with John Kotsias.

Rating:
Summary: A hands-on manual on T'ai Chi.
Review: The crisp, clean diagrams makes it the clearest exposition on the essential movements of T'ai Chi that I am familiar with. This book is the next best alternative to direct instruction. However, I would wish the author were more accepting of other T'ai Chi schools and instructors

Rating:
Summary: A positive chi experience
Review: The exercise forms that are lucidly described and illustrated in this book should be part of the practice of every serious Tai Chi student. John Kotsias was fortunate to have the opportunity to study with two masters of this art who had worked directly with the Yang Tai Chi family in China ­ an experience he describes at the beginning of the book. He thus learned forms that are seldom taught in the west. This basic form is the foundation for eveloping the strength of mind and body required to practice Tai Chi at the highest level. I learned it from Kotsias in the 1980s and insist that my students learn it before undertaking more widely practiced forms such as the 108 movement form of Yang Cheng Fu. Another outstanding benefit of this form is its ability to stimulate the flow of internal healing energy. I experienced this vividly at a conference where I was studying Tai Chi with a teacher from Europe. I had a nasty virus and could barely do the 108 forms being taught. I had promised a fellow student to show him the basic form and had to do so on that day since he was leaving for home. Amazingly when I was done demonstrating these 8 movements, my virus symptoms were virtually gone! I now regularly turn to the basic movements described in this book for self-healing. I strongly recommend this book to everyone interested in Tai Chi and chi healing.

Rating:
Summary: A positive chi experience
Review: The exercise forms that are lucidly described and illustrated in this book should be part of the practice of every serious Tai Chi student. John Kotsias was fortunate to have the opportunity to study with two masters of this art who had worked directly with the Yang Tai Chi family in China ­ an experience he describes at the beginning of the book. He thus learned forms that are seldom taught in the west. This basic form is the foundation for eveloping the strength of mind and body required to practice Tai Chi at the highest level. I learned it from Kotsias in the 1980s and insist that my students learn it before undertaking more widely practiced forms such as the 108 movement form of Yang Cheng Fu. Another outstanding benefit of this form is its ability to stimulate the flow of internal healing energy. I experienced this vividly at a conference where I was studying Tai Chi with a teacher from Europe. I had a nasty virus and could barely do the 108 forms being taught. I had promised a fellow student to show him the basic form and had to do so on that day since he was leaving for home. Amazingly when I was done demonstrating these 8 movements, my virus symptoms were virtually gone! I now regularly turn to the basic movements described in this book for self-healing. I strongly recommend this book to everyone interested in Tai Chi and chi healing.