Return to Stillness

by Carolan, Trevor

• ISBN13: 9781569244876
• ISBN10: 1569244871
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2003-06-02
• Publisher: Da Capo Pr

Summary

Trevor Carolan studied tai chi, meditation, and traditional Chinese healing for twenty-three years under the guidance of the late Master Ng Ching-Por in Vancouver's Chinatown. Over his many years of practicing tai chi and learning from Ng Ching-Por, Carolan absorbed the wisdom that comes from studying so closely with a master teacher. Now he offers what the Japanese call "palm of the hand" tales: thirty brief chapters that explore the essential motivations that inspired him to adopt the path of tai chi and persevere in its practice. Among the subjects he addresses are the dynamics of Asian teacher-student relationships, contending with the competitive urges of oneself and others, the student's frustration at making little apparent progress, the humor and embarrassment often involved in cross-cultural learning exchanges, as well as more practical subjects, including the mechanics of breathing and Taoist and Buddhist meditation techniques. Carolan's easy mix of anecdote, insight, drawings, and teachings will appeal to novice and advanced tai chi enthusiasts alike.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xv
First Intimations	1	(10)
What It's All About	11	(6)
The Divinity Groove	17	(12)
The Spirit of Tao	29	(10)
Understanding Chi	39	(6)
Making It Soft	45	(6)
Moving Zen	51	(8)
What It's Really All About	59	(6)
Wild Medicine	65	(6)
Kowloon Sleight of Hand	71	(6)
Closing the Gates: Tai Chi As Self-Defense	77	(10)
The Four Pillars	87	(10)
Five Elements: The Web of Interconnection	97	(8)
What We Don't Think About in Tai Chi	105	(6)
Hanging Loose With Sifu	111	(10)
Where Three Dreams Cross	121	(6)
The Paradise Variations	127	(6)
Toy-Shou: Push-Hands	133	(8)
Critical-Moment Self-Defense	141	(12)
On Mastery	153	(6)
Down Inna Babylon	159	(10)
Inner-City Eden	169	(8)
Holding to the Course with Allen Ginsberg	177	(10)
Making the Spirit Sing	187	(8)
Tai Chi Sword: Sequence of Movements	195	(6)
Cloudy Hands	201	(4)
Down by the Bay	205	(6)
Wreck Beach Meditation	211	(6)
This Dewdrop World	217	(10)
Postscript	227	(6)
Acknowledgements	233	(4)
Permissions	237	(4)
Bibliography	241	(7)
About the Author	248