Introduction
Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming earned his PhD in mechanical engineering at Purdue University in the United States in 1978. When he arrived in 1974, he began to teach a group of students gongfu (kung fu). Shortly thereafter, he started teaching college credited courses in Taijiquan.
He began Yang’s Martial Arts Association in Boston, Massachusetts in 1982, with the “intent of preserving traditional Chinese kung fu and qigong.” Since then, the doctor and devoted martial artist has produced multiple books, DVDs and videos, with the goal of introducing Western society to a non-stereotypical and historically correct vision and history of China and the Far East.
His Tai Chi DVDs, videos and books have been translated into 14 languages, including English, Spanish, French, Russian, Polish, German and others. Doctor Yang earned the honorable title of Taiji Grandmaster in 2005, and published his bestselling book Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style in 2011.
The Idea
The driving force behind this award-winning book on “relaxed moving meditation” lies in the author’s childhood. Doctor Yang Jwing-Ming had to help provide his family with food and resources at a very young age. “Between the ages of 9 and 12, I had almost no food.” This was because Taiwan, where he lived, was dedicating all its energy for a war against mainland China.
He remembers starving as a child, and developing an ulcer when he was 16 years old because of all the mental stress and worry he experienced on a daily basis. He had begun practicing and studying kung fu a year previously. His White Crane Kung Fu master told the 16-year-old that his outward body was displaying signs of a stomach problem.
The youngster replied that he had no money, no medicine, and could not afford to see a doctor. His master referred him to Tai Chi Chuan (what Westerners call tai chi), and told Yang Jwing-Ming he had heard it was the perfect practice for relaxing and relieving pressure and stress on your internal organs.
While tai chi was originally developed as a martial art, the young Taiwanese simply turned to it as a way to heal the suffering and pain his ulcer was causing. Within 6 months he was markedly better, and within 1 year the pain had disappeared entirely.
Yang Jwing-Ming has said about that experience that, “Tai Chi was the only doctor I could afford.” It is for that reason he wrote the Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style book, to hopefully make accessible to anyone and everyone the healing properties of this ancient martial art.
How The Book Is Laid out
Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style is available in paperback and digital form. This book review covers the Amazon Kindle book format, which has received a customer satisfaction score of 4.5 out of a possible 5.0 star rating from previous purchasers.
The digital cover of this book is identical to the print version. We mention that because on the front cover is a quote from Inside Kung Fu magazine which states:
“One of the people who has made the greatest impact on martial arts in the last 100 years.”
Obviously referring to the author, that heavy praise prepares you for a thorough 396 page journey which includes the history of Chinese martial arts, as well as the theory and practices behind Tai Chi Chuan (Taijiquan). You are introduced to the 13 original postures, the traditional Yang Style Taijiquan Long Form, an explanation of qi and qigong, and how best to use this book to improve your health and recover from sickness and injury.
The author and world recognized tai chi grandmaster begins with a dedication to his spiritual father and teacher, Jou Tsung Hwa. He mentions watching the Taiji Farm leader and teacher growing younger and younger as the years passed by. He explains that it is the outwardly relenting, inwardly strong will and sense of purpose Jou Tsung Hwa displayed that is at the root of tai chi.
That stirring dedication is followed by a very helpful Chinese to English pronunciation guide of common words found throughout the book. Those editorial notes are followed by a Foreword by the previously mentioned grandmaster Jou Tsung Hwa.
A Preface by the author follows. He takes you through a quick introduction of the delivery of martial arts to the West, which exploded with actor and martial artist Bruce Lee’s Hollywood films in the 1960s and 70s. You learn that qigong is a training system which “helps to generate a strong flow of qi (internal energy) inside the body and then circulate it throughout the entire body.”
Qigong is the “parent” to tai chi, and many of the founding principles are important to its practice. You learn that Taijiquan, the classical Yang style of tai chi, is the most popular martial qigong style in the world. It is at this point that you begin to understand the incredible healing powers this relaxed, meditative form of physical fitness delivers.
Encompassing your bioelectric field, energy, mental state of being and understanding of yourself and others, taijiquan has far reaching possibilities. The author then mentions past books he has written, future ones that are planned, and follows this Preface with an Acknowledgments section.
The book begins in earnest with Chapter 1, a General Introduction of Chinese martial arts, tai chi specifically. This is a section a Chinese and Asian historian would love, just as much as someone attempting to harness the wonderful healing, relaxation and mental focus properties that tai chi delivers.
Chapter 2, titled Qi, Qigong and Taijiquan, explains qigong’s influence on tai chi. Westerners unfamiliar with qi as a real, internal energy source will also reach a deeper meaning of this natural physiological element in this chapter.
Chapter 3 introduces the Taijiquan 13 Postures (Eight Doors and Five Steppings) that form the basis of all tai chi movements. You also learn the importance of perfect form and movement.
Chapter 4, Traditional Yang Style Taijiquan, introduces the focus of the book. You learn how to practice tai chi sequences correctly, the perfect postures you are trying to attain, and the 8 fundamental stances you need to know. Still sitting and still standing meditation techniques are covered as well.
Chapter 5 wraps the book up with a short Conclusion, and is followed by 3 Appendices that include a glossary, index and translation of Chinese terms.
Who Benefits from Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style ?
If you are interested in improving your overall health, physically and mentally, Tai Chi Chuan Classical Yang Style might be just the book you are looking for. Available in immediate digital download and paperback, the book is affordably priced to say the least.
When a book earns an award, it may or may not mean much. But this groundbreaking resource that teaches the most popular form of tai chi to the Western world has won the following awards among others:
Gold Winner – 2011 IP’s Living Now Awards
Gold Winner – 2011 eLit Award
Finalist – 2011 Eric Hoffer Award
Finalist – 2011 USA Best Book Award
We only mention those awards, achieved in just the first year the book was published, to illustrate how complete and respected this tai chi guide is. For maintaining health, recovering from sickness, and for tapping its anti-aging powers, tai chi has been proven beneficial for followers of all ages, for men and women in every culture. The same can be said for this wonderful book, which is beneficial for anyone striving for better health and mental focus.
