Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain: The Essence of Tai Ji

"I purchased this book when working with one of the author's students in learning T'ai Ji. Not only am I loving his approach to learning the movements, but his instructor, Chris Campbell from Chattanooga, is simply one of the best teachers of T'ai Ji I've had. I highly recommend the book and hope people will check out his instructors."
~ Written on 2008-06-02

"After reading the other reviews, I wanted to add that I can understand and appreciate the comments, both pro and con, based on reading the book alone.

I have a relevant experience and perspective that I would like to share. Several years ago (in the late 90s) when I lived in California, I had the opportunity to attend a half-day seminar presented by the author. I had been practicing and teaching Taiji and Qigong since '93 when I learned that Al Chung-Liang Huang would be in Los Angeles. In the 70s, I had practiced Shotokan Karate while living in Ohio, so I had been studying and practicing both 'hard' and 'soft' martial arts for quite some time.

What Mr. Huang brought to the party, as evidenced in the book Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain, was as one reviewer put it, the essence of Taiji. He represented the inner warrior as artisan and philosopher, a sensing, intuitive thinker, expressing his or her spiritual essence through energy movements, rooting and balance. The hidden paradox of Taiji, especially difficult for many action-oriented Westerners to internalize, is that the highest form of Taiji is no form, and the whole seminar embraced this concept. Bruce Lee also described his style of fighting as 'no form'.

I remember Mr. Huang as a totally genuine, highly intelligent and compassionate man, effortlessly blending Eastern and Western cultures, due to his accomplished background in dance, music, philosophy and calligraphy. His smile beamed throughout the day and he seemed to possess more than enough high-spirited energy for each individual in the seminar, and there must have been more than 50 of us in attendance.

We did some basic postures, movements and breathing together, as most of the seminar attendees had some background in taiji or yoga, and then he put on some music and turned us loose for a completely free form period where everyone moved spontaneously and intuitively, based on the energy within, around and between us. For a person trained and 'stuck' in only the Taijichuan or other martial art forms, this is a different concept and is actually an elevation from the rigidity of simply going through the motions.

I have continued to teach internal martial arts in Hawaii, and the principles, the essence, gained from reading this book and spending a few hours with the author many years ago are still with me. I always leave some time in my classes for free flowing expression, and encourage students to allow this for themselves when they are practicing at home. I have found that many students (I teach adult night classes) stop coming when they find that Taiji is all about learning a form with no deviation, no individual expression. Many of them get intimidated when they don't remember what comes next and so they freeze up or panic. This is in direct opposition to the relaxation effect intended when practicing Taiji and Qigong.

So by teaching these martial arts from the perspective of inner cultivation and opening energy channels that may have been blocked for many years, I have found that adults tend to get more out of it. As a martial art, every serious Taiji and Push Hands practitioner knows innately the power of this discipline --- we don't have to advertise it or take a position of prowess or superiority. We can still express it through a Yin more than Yang perspective and the point is always well taken by others, because we have captured the esence of embracing the tiger and returning to the mountain. Thank you for reading this, I hope it helps someone.

Stuart
www.innergycentre.com
Honolulu, HI"
~ Written on 2006-04-25

"I've practiced taijiquan for eight years now and have been readying Taoist books for longer than that and this book is one that I couldn't finish.

I enjoy discourses on the Tao, I enjoy philosophizing and I really value practical words on applying the taiji principles to life. I could not find any of this in this book.

I also didn't find anything for those interested in the physical side of taijiquan. So I can recommend this book only for those with a lot of time on their hands and nothing else to read. "
~ Written on 2006-02-17

"If you think there is anything to the reviews that rate this book less than 4 stars - then think again - the caption of the book says "Essence of Taiji" and not "Forms of Taiji Chuan" nor even "Essence of Taiji Chuan". This book does NOT give details of forms, motifs etc, but it gives you tremendous insight into the principles of Taiji. In fact it is one of the very few books available that teach you Taiji instead of Taiji Chuan or Taiji Qigong. Most of us use our Taiji form practice as a drug, i.e., we just do the practice everyday and forget all about it. But this book will teach you how to imbibe the subtle yet profound principles behind Taiji into your life. In short, this book teaches you a secret! So pick it up quietly before you miss the Chance! I have read many many books on Taiji, believe me, this is one book that doesn't cover the health or psychological or philosophical aspects of Taiji, instead it dwelves into the EXISTENTIAL, SPIRITUAL and INSPIRATIONAL aspects of this great art."
~ Written on 2004-01-07

"This book breaks away from the formal movements that we see so many people associating with Tai Ji. It actually explains the philosophy behind the movements and what each movement represents. It is not necessary to do the movements in any particular sequence and the reader is given the freedom to express themselves in an individual way. The ancient Tao text translations are excellent and awe inspiring. Al Huang himself is charismatic and has a wonderful, dramatic, and inspiring presence. I highly recomend this book."
~ Written on 2002-01-03