Many homes do not have enough space to practice conventional Tai Chi. Tai Chi master Jesse Tsao explains his spaceless mini Tai Chi, a form combining five major styles in one comprehensive form, which takes only three to five minutes to practice in less than 40 square feet of space.

Tai Chi Bang: Eight-Immortal Flute is an energy practice based on characteristic Tai Chi postures combined with traditional Chinese self-healing meditation and self-defense kung fu. Tai Chi Bang gives an object to focus on between the palms, bonding the two hands moving together, making it easy and fun for beginners to feel the qi (energy), and gain the benefits of Tai Chi practice. Students who find it difficult to quiet their minds find this practice especially effective in gathering attention. Holding the Bang with both palms help them concentrate and be in the moment. The movements of the Bang imitate the movement of the qi inside the body. It relieves stress, gathers in fresh energy, rejuvenates the body and spirit, brings inner calm, and promotes qi and blood circulation.

Tai chi chuan is known at the Supreme Ultimate art - it at once embraces Taoist philosophy, is a holistic health exercise and is an effective self defense art. No wonder millions of people practice tai chi on a daily basis, making it the world's most popular health and self-defense system.

This is the updated 2nd Edition with my new creations added. I revised this book to reward my long time readers and supporters worldwide. The old version was created in 2012, it has been ten years since then, and there have been some changes based on the practical teaching experience. Plus, this new version included my new research works on Seated (wheelchair) Tai Chi Bang Therapy, a special design for Clever Care Health Plan, and Tai Chi Bang for Self-massage. This is a much clearer and enriched new version. I have informed the BN Publishing and they have agreed to remove the old version from the market immediately. Tai chi bang combines meditative self-healing and self-defense fundamental practice, and is based on characteristic tai chi postures. Tai chi bang provides an object to focus on between the palms, bonding the two hands as they move together, making it easy and fun for beginners to feel qi (氣), the vital energy. Some people who find it difficult to quiet their minds find this practice especially effective in gathering attention. Holding the stick with both palms helps them concentrate and be in the moment. The movement of the stick imitates the movement of the qi inside the body. It relieves stress, gathers in fresh energy, rejuvenates the body and spirit, brings inner calm, and promotes qi and blood circulation. This form was created during my doctoral research in Shanghai Sport University. I combined my hometown countryside meditation practice, from the nearby taoist Penglai Temple, with Chen style tai chi silk reeling, and local martial arts. Seated (wheelchair) Tai Chi Bang Therapy is designed for people with physical difficulty standing, or recovery from medical treatment. You can still practice to prevent carpal tunnel syndrome or hand arthritis. The stick provides you with a focal point to help with hand-eye coordination. The twisting moves can stimulate energy circulation in your fingers and wrists, prevent frozen shoulders, and improve the elasticity of the tendons around your elbows. It stretches and tones your muscles, improves the flexibility and strength of your spine, and prevents lower back pain. The practice is adapted from the tai chi joint locking techniques of qin-na, a traditional secret training approach for developing spiral inner energy. Tai Chi Bang for Self-Massage introduces to you an easy practice for body conditioning and energy enhancement. It improves meridian channel circulation by massaging major energy points and inner organs, also loosening muscles, tendons, and joints. It is simple yet effective in relaxation and disease prevention. No need to identify exact locations of energy points--just use the bang to massage the area.

The true health benefits and the foundation for martial arts application of Tai Chi can only be achieved when the practitioner incorporates "Internal Discipline". That is, using internal movements and internal power to direct and empower external movements into Tai Chi practice. This book outlines a methodology and training routine to achieve this goal. There are underlying scientific rational and logical connections between each element of the discussion. During the learning path, the practitioner will gain benefits every step of the way.Modern Tai Chi teaching has been shrouded in ethereal language as if logical thinking and scientific analysis do not apply to Tai Chi. Without a rational framework, Tai Chi practice has degenerated into multitudes of forms with no relevance to the original internt of the practice. Many of them have movements that could cause problems for the practitioner rather than improve their health. This book is a distillation of the Wu style teaching from Young Wabu (student of Wu Chien Chuan) and thirty five years of discovery through practicing and teaching by Master Stephen Hwa. It offers personal experience and insight into Master Hwa's road of discovery such as, internal energy or internal power, Large Frame Form, Compact Form, Square Form, body posture, Fajin, Qi Gong, Silk Reeling exercise, martial art applications, health benefits. In conjunction with the Classical Tai Chi DVD series, this road and its benefits is open to anyone who sets their mind to travel it.

The Art of the Straight Line captures the energy of Lou Reed's worlds of Tai Chi, music, and meditation. It was edited by his wife, the artist Laurie Anderson.Lou Reed was a musician, singer, songwriter, poet, and founding member of the legendary rock band the Velvet Underground. He collaborated with many artists, from Andy Warhol and John Cale to Robert Wilson and Metallica. Reed had a groundbreaking solo career that spanned five decades until his death in 2013. Reed was also an accomplished martial artist whose practice began in the 1980s. He studied with Chen Tai Chi pioneer Master Ren GuangYi. This book is a comprehensive collection of Reed's writings on Tai Chi. It includes conversations with Reed's fellow musicians, artists, friends, and Tai Chi practitioners, including Julian Schnabel, A.M. Homes, Hal Willner, Mingyur Rinpoche, Eddie Stern, Tony Visconti, and Iggy Pop. The Art of the Straight Line features Reed's unpublished writings on the technique, practice, and purpose of martial arts, as well as essays, observations, and riffs on meditation and life.

Contents: Introduction; Chapter 1: Introducing Tai Chi; Chapter 2: In the morning; Chapter 3: Travel in balance and harmony; Chapter 4: At work; Chapter 5: At the end of the day; Chapter 6: Your practice sequence; Resources; Appendices; Index

An insightful introduction to the basics and benefits of chi energy, a tenet of Taoism and of popular martial arts like T’ai Chi, qigong, and more Chi is the invisible energy of life that flows in and around us throughout the universe. Used skillfully, it can have a remarkable effect on health and vitality—to the degree that you’d be tempted to call it magical, if it weren’t so completely natural. Here is a perfect introduction to chi that explains in a direct and simple way what it is and why it is essential to a healthy and vital life. It provides an easy-to-understand explanation of chi, and then helps readers recognize, develop, and strengthen their own chi through specific breathing techniques and basic exercises, all demonstrated by the author. There are many books on chi development through T’ai Chi and qigong practice, but this one goes deeper to enable you to understand the fundamental principles as you cultivate it. This book is a reference for alternative health professionals such as acupuncturists and shiatsu therapists and their patients, as well as for anyone who practices T’ai Chi, qigong, aikido, and other chi-based martial arts.

Master the Chinese martial art of T'ai Chi with this accessible, illustrated guide. T'ai-chi (Tai Chi) is an effortless and rhythmical art that stresses slow breathing, balanced and relaxed postures, and absolute calmness of mind. It requires no special equipment or place to practice and takes no more than ten minutes a day. This book, from renowned Tai Chi master, Cheng Man-Ch'ing, introduces T'ai-chi as a means to a healthier life, as a sport and as a method of self-defense. It is a complete step-by-step manual for the beginner. With conscientious practice, readers will master the sequence of thirty-seven postures that will make up the T'ai-chi solo exercise. Students will learn how to progress from exercise to sport to self-defense with maximum efficiency. The instructions are clear and easy to follow, and more than 275 photographs and 122 foot-weighting diagrams guarantee an understanding of the correct form. A history of T'ai-chi, including thumbnail sketches of famous masters, and the first English translation of the basic T'ai-chi document, known as the T'ai-chi Ch'uan Classics, are also included.