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Book
Facts
Title: Why Tai Chi?: Questions & Answers
Author: Master C.K. Chu
Editor: Jeremy W. Hubbell, Ph.D.
Publisher:
Sunflower Press
Date of
Release: January 28, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9832659-9-3
Library of Congress: 2011920387
Price: $34.95
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Why Tai Chi?
Good for
your body.
Good for
your mind.
Good for
sex.
Good for
You!
Excerpt from the Foreword:
Tai chi remains the most
difficult and the most misunderstood art in the world; students and
teachers wonder why this, why that, why do the form slowly, why align
the body this way and not that... This book will hopefully answer those
questions and help clear the misunderstandings of tai chi so people
will aim for the correct path. It is important that everybody
recognize there are no secrets or need to depend on lineage claims.
Rather, a properly taught tai chi curriculum can be prusued by anyone
at any age and in any shape or health condition. To furhter the spread
of tai chi amd, with it, improved health, I offer this text. I hope you
are able to read the book many times as you will get a deeper and
deeper understanding as you read and practice the art. The
more
understanding you have on the sujbect, the more enjoyment you have. It
is my hope that this book will inspire more people to do tai chi.
Sample
Questions:
How do we cultivate a positive mindset?
Just as the body has to exercise physcially, the mind has to exercise
in positive thinking. Meditation will help you do that. I suggest you
take a meditation class and use the Chu
Meditation book
as a guide...If we do not keep the body and mind stiumulated, the mind
goes into a negative mode and deteriorates very fast...
What does meditation have to do
with self-defense?
Many aspects of tai chi training are not too obvious to the casual
observer...Meditation training has many benefits...You become more
centered, calm, sensitive, controlled, and in tune with the situation.
Self-defense will come more easily and naturally with no struggle or
obstruction to a person who meditates because of the increased calmness
of mind...
Is sex
good for health?
Sex is an exercise in which the body moves in certain ways -
stretching, opening, and bending...If performed correctly, sez is a
good exercise...it also stimulates the body and the mind...
How do
I yield my way into a better job?
It is important to assess any job. See if it is suited to you and if
it's what you really want to do...You must to this other job while
still searching for one better suited to your Tao...There is an old
Chinese expression, "Riding a water buffalo while looking for a hore."
This means that you shouldn't just walk around looking for a horse.
Ride the water buffalo in the meantime...
Master
Chu and his production team: (left to right) Jeremy W. Hubbell and Liz
Anne Sharpe (Why Tai Chi?),
Jeremy and Rene Gonzalez (Eternal Spring Volume III), Jesse Shadoan and
Jose Debrigus (CK Chu Tai Chi Short Form Chart).
Reviews
From the publisher:
Why Tai Chi? (2011)
By Master C.K. Chu
Master C.K. Chu’s Why Tai Chi? uses a question and answer format to explain the details of a topic seldom addressed in tai chi books: why become a tai chi practitioner. Other books talk about general theory or provide instructions on how to do the form, but few provide the necessary discussion of what it takes, on a day-to-day level, to practice the art or to discern what the art is for. Tai chi is the most popular exercise in the world and yet remains the most misunderstood. Over his four decades of teaching tai chi at his school in Times Square (NYC), CK Chu Tai Chi, Master Chu has answered hundreds of questions about the art, like: Why do senior citizens do it?, Why is the movement so slow?, and Why must my body be aligned this way and not that? The answers to many of these questions have been brought together in this book as a follow-up to his 1981 book, Tai Chi Chuan Principles & Practice.
In answer to the title’s question, Chu writes in the Introduction, “Tai chi encompasses Taoism’s desire to develop human nature fully through a training regimen that maximizes the body’s health and longevity.” The rest of the book begins to unpack that sentence. While acknowledging that doing tai chi incorrectly will still yield benefits, the book argues that correct practice yields so much more benefit for the time invested. To help the student maximize tai chi practice, the book explains, for example, why tai chi is good for health, why it is a better self-defense system than others, what are the principles that govern tai chi practice, how do you do the form correctly, the reason for training slow and fast, using tai chi on an opponent, and how to fight. Crucial to a good tai chi practice is development of the disciplines of meditation, chi kung, nei kung, and push-hands. Each of these disciplines are discussed in detail, especially the way they improve health, improve self-defense, and improve your tai chi form.
Tai chi chuan is a sophisticated martial art and when it is practiced as such improved health and longevity result. Unfortunately, many people have the wrong idea about kung fu, thinking it is a means of committing violence against others, of using force against force, and they want no part of it. By training to fight, you develop your full physical and mental potential -- you optimize your balance, coordination, strength, and gain a calmness of mind. In short, tai chi training results in a better you. Good health is a benefit of this training. Such health as is gained from tai chi is useful in sports, professional life, daily living, and sex. In addition, tai chi teaches a philosophy of life that can be applied elsewhere. Tai chi trains you to respond to a thousand pounds of force with four ounces of strength. With tai chi training you can yield to life’s obstacles and then respond in the way that is best for you. In Why Tai Chi? Chu explains that this is accomplished by adhering to the tai chi principles in your training. This will make your training more efficient. While it is possible to gain benefit by not adhering correctly to the principles or by practicing with a poor alignment, for the time invested you will not achieve high-level results and you might hurt yourself. For example, many people position the knee incorrectly and then compensate by doing additional exercises to help the knee. But if they had been following the principles correctly, they would not have needed to do extra work. This book details the correct path of practice, for selecting a teacher, and for getting the most out of your workout time.
Why Tai Chi? argues that the more people who gain the positive energy possible with tai chi, the more society will become a healthy and positive for everyone to enjoy together. The book is the culmination of teaching 1000s of people with all kinds of body and emotional problems as well as questions. It is easy to read, whether straight through from beginning to end or just reading on the topic of immediate import. Tai Chi is a fighting art; it is a means of attaining good health so you can be a good warrior that means you have a good mind good body-mind coordination good strategy. You may never fight in your life but the responsiveness learned in tai chi is useful and will give you confidence in dealing with any situation. In short, why should you do tai chi? Because it is an art that develops you as a whole person, body and mind, giving you longevity, youthfulness, and positive energy. Tai chi is good for health and self-defense, and can be applied to any aspect of daily life. It is what we’ve all been looking for.
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