Learn the forty-two essential principles of Tai Chi & Qi Gong This book is designed to teach the fundamentals that drive and underpin internal arts training at all levels and stages of development, not a form. Each of the 42 principles, portrayed as images and accompanied by brief explanations, are aimed at conveying how internal arts techniques function in ways that help you embed them and feel them come alive in your flesh - regardless of the specific systems, styles or forms you train. 'Paul Cavel is a gifted teacher who is able to embody the arts and break them down into easy-to-follow steps. I have seen him help others build extraordinary energetic foundations in their bodies. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn or deepen the internal principles that give shape to tai chi and qi gong forms.'-Tai Chi Master and author Bruce Frantzis'Metaphors, images and symbols are the language of our subconscious minds. They help to convey meaning to our consciousness and hence store in the memory quite easily and naturally. If they are chosen well, they are able to penetrate the deeper layers of our consciousness and trigger the deeply imprinted wisdom of our body. The images Paul offers can shorten the process of transmitting information, enhance our learning and awaken our bodily intelligence. This way of teaching requires a very deep level of understanding of the material and, indeed, of human nature itself. Paul obviously has both.'-From the Foreword by Dr Michael Mettner 'Paul Cavel is a gifted teacher who is able to embody the arts and break them down into easy-to-follow steps. I have seen him help others build extraordinary energetic foundations in their bodies. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking to learn or deepen the internal principles that give shape to tai chi and qi gong forms.'-Tai Chi Master and author Bruce Frantzis'Metaphors, images and symbols are the language of our subconscious minds. They help to convey meaning to our consciousness and hence store in the memory quite easily and naturally. If they are chosen well, they are able to penetrate the deeper layers of our consciousness and trigger the deeply imprinted wisdom of our body. The images Paul offers can shorten the process of transmitting information, enhance our learning and awaken our bodily intelligence. This way of teaching requires a very deep level of understanding of the material and, indeed, of human nature itself. Paul obviously has both.'-From the Foreword by Dr Michael Mettner Paul Cavel is the founder and principal of The Tai Chi Space, a London-based school established to teach Water method arts. Since 1987 Paul has studied Taoism, the I Ching, Five Element nei gong, medical qi gong, Yang and Wu style tai chi, Pre- and Post-birth bagua, yoga, tui na energy healing and Taoist meditation. Paul is a certified soft tissue and injury therapist (ITEC Level 4), editor of the Inner Quest journal and he holds a mechanical engineering certificate from London City and Guilds. He began teaching internal energy arts in 1995 with the encouragement of his primary teacher, after healing himself from a serious motorcycle accident. The Tai Chi Space How to Move in Tai Chi and Qi Gong By Paul Cavel Aeon Books Ltd Copyright © 2017 Paul Cavel All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-1-904658-98-6 Contents About the Author, About the Artist, Acknowledgements, Foreword by Michael Mettner, Introduction, Part 1 Fundamental Principles: Nuts and Bolts, Principle 1: Cultivate the Arts, Principle 2: The Rule of Thirds, Principle 3: Become Sung, Principle 4: Build the Pyramid of Giza, Principle 5: Breathe with the Diaphragm, Principle 6: The Mind's Focus, Principle 7: Grow Your Root, Principle 8: Moving in Three-Dimensional Space, Principle 9: Arms Are Led by Hands and Wrists, Principle 10: Create Circular Motion, Principle 11: Water Doesn't Flow through a Kinked Hose, Principle 12: Shifting Weight Is Like Walking Upstairs, Principle 13: The Body Turns Like a Revolving Door, Principle 14: The Down Creates the Up, Principle 15: Move Like a Puppet on a String, Principle 16: Don't Play the Juggler, The Five Primary Principles, Part 2 Internal Principles for Connectivity and Flow, Principle 17: Warm Up Body and Mind, Principle 18: The Body Operates Like the Powertrain of a Car, Principle 19: Soften to Close, Release to Open, Principle 20: The Body Makes Use of Anchors, Principle 21: Opposites Spread Open the Body, Principle 22: Grow Like a Tree, Principle 23: The Six Connections, Principle 24: Tune in to Heaven Above and Earth Below, Principle 25: Create Balanced Openings, Principle 26: The Continuum of Empty versus Full, Principle 27: All Body Parts Move Like a Swiss Clock, Principle 28: Balance Yin and Yang Energies, Principle 29: The Body Moves in Circles, Part 3 Deeper Principles for Fluidity and Energy Development, Principle 30: Generate Internal Momentum, Principle 31: Turbine Power Era