Geraldine Woods is the author of more than 40 books, including the popular English Grammar For Dummies. She has taught high school and middle school English for over 25 years.

Introduction 1

Part I: Stepping Up to T'ai Chi 9

Chapter 1: Matching T'ai Chi's Mind-Body Benefits to Your Needs 11

Chapter 2: Evaluating T'ai Chi's Health Benefits with a Western Mind 19

Chapter 3: Building the Mind-Body Foundation 31

Chapter 4: Sowing Your T'ai Chi Seeds Mindfully 39

Part II: Preparing to T'ai One On 43

Chapter 5: Saying Hello to the Founding Families 45

Chapter 6: Scaling the Peaks of T'ai Chi Practice 51

Chapter 7: Internalizing the Principles 63

Part III: Knocking on T'ai Chi's Door 73

Chapter 8: Building the Basics 75

Chapter 9: Opening the Door, Yang-Style 109

Chapter 10: Keeping the Flow, Yang-Style 129

Chapter 11: Closing the Door, Yang-Style 143

Chapter 12: Trying Out Manny's Short Form 163

Part IV: Energizing Softly with Qigong 183

Chapter 13: Recognizing the T'ai Chi Qigong Bond 185

Chapter 14: Meditating and Moving the Qigong Way 197

Part V: Making the Most of Your Practice 215

Chapter 15: Practicing What I Preach 217

Chapter 16: Living a T'ai Chi Lifestyle Every Day 231

Chapter 17: Trying Mini-Forms 241

Chapter 18: Taking a Moment for Qigong 251

Chapter 19: Combining Qigong and T'ai Chi 259

Part VI: The Part of Tens 265

Chapter 20: Ten Benefits of Practicing T'ai Chi 267

Chapter 21: Ten Times and Places to Add a Little T'ai Chi to Your Life 273

Chapter 22: Ten (Plus One) Ways to Supplement Your T'ai Chi Practice 277

Chapter 23: Ten Things to Tell Yourself about Your Practice 285

Chapter 24: Ten Wise Taoist Lessons 291

Chapter 25: Ten Quotes to Live By 297

Appendix 301

Index 305