Tai Chi Chuan and the Code of Life [Paperback]

Graham Horwood (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

Over the centuries, the ancient martial art of 'Tai Chi Chuan', better known as Tai Chi, has exerted an almost magnetic influence for millions of seekers, attracted to its promise of physical resilience, emotional well being and spiritual illumination. In this book Graham Horwood demonstrates how Tai Chi links not only to the I-Ching, to Taoism and to Chinese alchemy, but also to the greatest traditions of both Western alchemy and modern science. A portrait emerges of Tai Chi as a dynamic blueprint for the true functioning of the universe. To practice Tai Chi correctly is to directly embody the great universal truths as they naturally unfold in our daily lives. A treasure for novice and seasoned practitioner alike, this book makes a welcome and far-ranging contribution to our understanding and practice of this mysterious discipline.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I recommend this book to Taiji practitioners at all levels..." -- Asian Martial Arts, February 2003.

About the Author

Graham Horwood was trained by Chinese and Japanese Masters specialised in natural healing. He has helped and cured many people with tried-and-tested methods. Graham holds Complimentary Health Clinics in London and the Home Counties which he began in 1975. He also teaches and runs workshops on Tai Chi Chuan & Chi Kung, as well as Jungian healing concepts.

Product Details

• Paperback: 184 pages
• Publisher: Dragon Door Publications (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0938045385
• ISBN-13: 978-0938045380
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 8.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,155,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Clear Explanation, January 24, 2005

By 

Jim Curry (MT) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Tai Chi Chuan and the Code of Life (Paperback)

Tai Chi has been important to me for decades, and I respect my teacher (not Mr. Horwood). Nevertheless, my practice has attained only a modest level of sophistication, and the benefits I have derived have been modest. In searching the literature for help, I have found no shortage of impenetrable and flowery metaphor. I've found very little that is really practically helpful. This book is short, but it is very tightly written. It gives enough history to understand the many different guises under which Tai Chi appears. It explains clearly just WHY my practice is of limited value. It gives extremely accessible and functional approaches to improvement. Along the way, it imposes a body of knowledge of related symbols that is quite extensive. This "symbolic logic" has to be more than just memorized. A person has to "soak it in" so that it becomes a sort of second nature. If I can make an analogy to the production of a fine violin, the "symbology" is a "finish" that must not be "on the wood" but actually a "part of" the wood itself. Having prepared properly, the forms can then be used harmoniously. This seems to me a very excellent and expeditious approach. In only a couple of years of dedicated (extensive) practice, important gains can reasonably be expected. I have found nothing else like this---nothing nearly practical. It is a gift, but it isn't a free gift. Lots of study and lots of practice are needed, too. As Mr. Horwood says, if it were easy, it would hardly be worthwhile. Thanks so much.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing!, September 26, 2002

By 

Stephen Holder (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Tai Chi Chuan and the Code of Life (Paperback)

This book is extremely spiritual and interesting. The book has actually changed my life. Before reading this book I was remarkably unhealthy and often had health complaints. Since reading this book I have completely changed by dietary and exercise patterns, with a surprisingly positive result. It took some time and a lot of dedication and perseverance but the result was astounding. Graham Horwood is a genius and I feel I owe him a great deal, as he not only changed my outlook on life but also improved my health and vitality, which after all is the most important aspect of living a good life. An absolute must buy!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating, Jungian Riff On Tai Chi, June 19, 2009

By 

Arthur Rosenfeld (Florida, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Tai Chi Chuan and the Code of Life: Revealing the Deeper Mysteries of China's Ancient Art for Health and Harmony (Paperback)

Jessica Kingsley Publishers, under its Singing Dragon imprint, has been putting out some very interesting and unusual titles related to taiji and qigong lately, and this is one of them. Really, the publisher has found quite a rich vein to mine here, because rather than martial arts how-to books (although there is a little bit of hands-on guidance to be found at the tail end of this book) the offerings look at these Chinese arts through the unusual and creative lenses of practitioners, often Western, who have something different to say.

This book is one of them. Graham Norwood is quite steeped in Yang Style tai chi and appears to be privy to family perspectives most practitioners never hear. These gems are scattered throughout a text that brings Norwood's own experiences as a Jungian therapist to bear not only on the art, but on the philosophy and medicine behind it. I found the parallels and comparisons between Jung's work and ancient Chinese philosophy to be an intellectually fascinating gambit, though sometimes they felt like a bit of a stretch. No matter, though, because in the process of deciding to agree or not agree with any of Norwood's hypotheses, the reader is, perforce, looking at the arts and their history in a fresh way.

The book goes beyond Jungian perspectives. The author has a wide-ranging intellect, drawing on Western history and philosophy (the Greeks!) and modern biology and mathematics too. All in all the book reads like an extended, interesting conversation about how one can relate the logic and worldview of tai chi to a number of other academic and professional fields, punctuated by the author's desire to get up and show you how a particular movement actually works. It's a different book, and I think it has a place in the library of the devoted practitioner.