Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms Paperback – January 1, 2006

This is an amazing book both for beginners and intermediate Tai Chi players. I find Dr Lam's instructions the most organized, detailed and useful. It complements the DVDs but it can also be used by itself. If you do not have access to an instructor, as it is my case, this book, the DVDs and online classes provided by Dr Lam are probably the best option for you. I ordered all other Dr Lam's DVDs and books and will subscribe to the online classes. I researched for months for good instructional material and this was not my first choice, but it definitely is now, along with learning from other sifu. I am not practicing only for the physical aspect, but also for the internal energy development and mind cultivation, so additional instructive material is used, but this book pretty much covers all the basics

I purchased this book on the recommendation of my Tai Chi instructor after I had been engaged in Tai Chi classes for about a year. This is an excellent overview of Tai Chi (and Qigong) - clear prose and great insights. My suggestion would be to purchase the 24 forms DVD first and work with it for a few months, then add this book for a deeper understanding.

Informative, basics and clear book.

Yang Style Tai Chi for Beginners and the 24 Forms, with Qi Gong Movements: The book covers qi gong and the Yang Style 24 forms that are standard. I studied with Kraig Stephens in my early 70s and enjoyed learning the movements until I left the area. Now that I'm older, I decided to go back to practicing qi gong and tai chi for health as well as enjoyment. For various reasons, I can't attend classes, and find videos somewhat difficult to follow, so I went looking for a book by a reputable teacher that would break down the elements, so I could relearn them. Then I found a Yang style teacher (Pei) to practice with on YouTube. (Hint: Writing out the steps and posting them helps with sequencing.) There are variations in how the 24 forms are taught, but this was a good choice for me. The book arrived "like new," with only a slight ding on the cover.

This is a great book for anyone who wants to use tai chi to relax and heal their bodies, minds, and spirits. It will help you to center on your breathing and learn the most commonly practiced style of tai chi in the world. This book emphasizes that tai chi can be practiced by people in all walks of life and not only experts. It explains how the unblocked flow of chi in the body can vastly improve all aspects of your life. You don't have to be a master to feel the benefits, and this book explains how tai chi can be a great model for self-care. Tai chi is gentle yet very powerful if practiced regularly, and this book is a good start for anyone.

Tai-Chi is much better to learn with an instructor. This book gave me an idea of what to expect. Without a live instructor I never knew if I was doing the exercises correctly.

I came across this book in my doctors office while in for a fibromyalgia follow up. I was captivated by it, absolutely captivated. The quality of the pages in this book is awesome. The lesson illustrations are gorgeous and comprehensible (see the image I uploaded for an example page). My doctor is a 1-year student, and we talked about how it might help me with my fibro issues. Coincidentally (?) the New York Times had just published an article on August 18th, 2010 about how tai chi has been found to help fibro patients. An excerpt is here:"A clinical trial at Tufts Medical Center found that after 12 weeks of tai chi, patients with fibromyalgia, a chronic pain condition, did significantly better in measurements of pain, fatigue, physical functioning, sleeplessness and depression than a comparable group given stretching exercises and wellness education. Tai chi patients were also more likely to sustain improvement three months later."([...])I really hate the need I have to take powerful meds and narcotics to control my symptoms, and I'm hoping Tai Chi can replace some, if not all, of them. So I bought the book, signed up for a 10 week beginner class with my doctors instructor, and I can't wait to get started. I'll definitely be using this book in my practice sessions at home to gain proficiency with the moves.A word of warning - this book is definitely for the first timers and relative newbies. I wouldn't recommend it for intermediate or advanced students. Unless you just want to have it in your collection or in your office for others to see.

This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in Tai Chi!