Customer Reviews

Tai Chi For Health

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mr. Maisel originally published this book back in 1963!A true american pioneer of tai chi chuan.Mr. Maisel learned in the orient. Sometime in the 1950's He was able to practice with chinese practiceners in New York's Chinatown who spoke little or no english and some who learned tai-chi back at the turn of the century. Of course there was NO FEE to practice and share in those days. After some years the first tai-chi club permitting westerners was formed in New York City. I learned the form more than 30 years ago in Ca. I tried to find a book for reference after learning the long Yang form ( as I was going abroad),and was rather confused; for Sophia Delza's excellent book was one of the very few found in book shops on technique and was of the WU style.Mr. Maisels Yang style was almost identical to what I had learned,and gave me the ticket I needed..The key is practice!Mr. Maisels book gives you enough for years of practice.I know there are many hundreds of Tai-chi books out there some esoteric, some claiming an uncut line of masters since Bodhedtharma etc;Ijust hope this edition contains the original photos and instructions. It may not have the maketable photos of more modern books,but they work great.I have looked at 45 or 50 Tai Chi books and Mr. Maisels earlier work was a true classic.Simple but grand,w/o any of the frills.Mr. Cheng Man Ching says in one of His also superb books"There is only one master in this Art"

For this, my first Amazon review, I select Edward Maisel's Tai Chi for Health, a book which has had the greatest influence on my life.This book, which I first acquired in 1963, was my introduction to tai chi, and for many years I knew of no other source of tai chi instruction, nor did I seek any other. The newer version is a faithful reproduction of the original, with only minor changes, such as updates of quotations from medical authorities. The photographs, as far as I can tell, are the same as those in the original edition, and, as the first reviewer says, sufficient for performing the movements in a way that leads to greatly improved health and stamina.
What Maisel teaches is classical Yang style, long form. Later, Chen Man Ching, great martial artist and healer, modified the form. He eliminated a lot of repetitions, and changed some aspects of the form, such as the shaping of the hands and positioning of the feet. If the long form takes, say, 20 minutes to perform, the short form might take about 8 minutes.

Today the modified style of Chen Man Ching is taught by his students, such as the legendary William C.C. Chen, who created even more modifications in the form, modifications which are now spread by his students world-wide. While this modified form is very beneficial, it is probably more conducive to martial applications than to healh. However, I believe that focusing on the health aspect first, with its effect on psychological health, increased self-confidence and reduced stress, provides a solid foundation for learning the martial aspects later.
The proliferation of different interpretations of the basic Yang style by teachers with varying degrees of competence, and the emphasis (some would say overemphasis) on martial applications, makes it advisable to return to the study of the classical style taught by Maisel.

As the previous reviewer noted, there are many modern books with more detailed photographs, and some even have specific instructions for inhaling and exhaling at the proper time for each movement. Yet truly Maisel's book takes a student a long way without striving for such a high degree of precision. I think one of the mistakes students make with tai chi is that they attempt to accomplish too much too fast. At least a few years of practice in the beginning should be undertaken without focusing on the breathing. As Maisel says, breathing should be natural, and the movements themselves guide the breathing process without any interference from our conscious mind.
As for the thought that perhaps the photographs might not provide enough detail to allow for transitions from one movement to the next, I used to think that was a valid criticism, and in more advanced practice, it might be. However as Maisel says, the movements must feel perfectly natural; if they don't feel natural they are wrong. That simple idea is enough guidance for most purposes, and the photographs allow us to "feel" our way to the right interpretation of the movements.

Let me say that this is a beginner's book, in the best sense. It is so true of Eastern practices like Tai Chi that we are always beginners, we never lose the beginner's mind. Tai Chi, as the books says, never becomes a routine, it is fresh and new every moment.
One final thought. The Appendix, the Three Classic Writings on Tai Chi, is not to be neglected. Those three treatises are to be taken to heart, and reflecting on those ancient writings is probably more beneficial than reading all those books which I read in the past, and might have dispensed with. Studying the three treatises might even inspire some people to learn classical Chinese!