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...

Professor Cheng Man-Ch'ing regarded a set of five disciplines--the "five excellences"--to be the mark of a well-rounded person: calligraphy, painting, poetry, t'ai chi, and medicine. Although he is best known for his teachings on the martial arts (in particular, his highly influential adaptation of t'ai chi), versatility was central to Cheng's philosophy of life, and he encourage his students to combine artistry with scholarship. This inspiring book is a commentary on and working compendium of Cheng's literary and pictorial interpretations of these subjects. Of interest to aficionados of...

Millions of people worldwide practice t'ai chi, the most popular form of which was codified beginning in the 1960s by Cheng Man Ch'ing. In this scholarly yet practical book, Professor Cheng shows precisely how the postures and moves of t'ai chi work, with examples from anatomy and physics, both internally as energetic principles and externally on opponents. He clarifies the spheres, triangles, and centripetal and centrifugal forces within physical exchanges such as push-hands. Contrasting Western and Chinese techniques of healing, he also explores the relationships of organs to one another in...