I was recently asked if I might review a book on the Yang Short Form and write a few lines on here.
The book is a nice quality large hardback and is clearly a labour of love, covering the Ch'eng Man Ch'ing short form (with the odd stylistic variation). What makes this book different from so many others is that it captures all the transition moves between postures so it is a useful guide for beginners. It also gives a colour coding for when to inhale and exhale. Most books show the postures and describe the movements but it is a great idea to provide a visual reference of the transitions.
The book is aimed at beginners and includes philosophy, a brief potted history and covers important points from the Tai Chi classics. It's the only beginner's book that I've seen which explains the five bows in the body and shows them in a photo, stressing the importance of the spinal bow which connects and leads the others.
Passages from the Tao Te Ching appear throughout the book to reflect Taoist philosophy. All in all this is a lovely book, well thought out and clearly presented and would be a useful aid to someone studying this form.
You can find the book on Amazon here
PS. I'm not being paid to write this review.
