Tai Chi for Kids - Move with the Animals 9781591438502, 9781879181656, 2001043138

Table of contents :
Title Page
Dedication
Contents
Tai Chi Is for Children
A Story about Tai Chi
Come and Learn Tai Chi
How to Perform the Tai Chi Movements in This Book
1. Holding the Bird’s Tail
2. Snake Slithering Down
3. White Crane Cools Its Wings
4. Carry the Tiger Back to the Mountain
5. Dragon Plays in the Clouds
6. Wild Goose Flies Away
7. Chasing the Monkeys Away
8. Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg
About the Author
About Inner Traditions
Copyright

Citation preview

E ght s mple Ta Ch movements parents can teach the r ch ldren for health, mag nat on, and play Wr tten by Stuart Alve Olson Illustrated by Gregory Crawford Photography by Patr ck Gross Featur ng Lee J n Olson

Bear Cub Books Rochester, Vermont

To my Golden Rooster son, Lee J n. Thank you for show ng me how to teach ch ldren. Yow are unquest onably the greatest joy n my l fe.

L l’ Jonathan and Patr ck, th s book should f nally make Ta Ch fun and clear for both of you. When you both learn to play, mag nat on can become real ty.

Contents Ta Ch Is for Ch ldren A Story about Ta Ch Come and Learn Ta Ch How to Perform the Ta Ch Movements n Th s Book 1. Hold ng the B rd’s Ta l 2. Snake Sl ther ng Down 3. Wh te Crane Cools Its W ngs 4. Carry the T ger Back to the Mounta n 5. Dragon Plays n the Clouds 6. W ld Goose Fl es Away 7. Chas ng the Monkeys Away 8. Golden Rooster Stands on One Leg About the Author About Inner Trad t ons Copyr ght

Ta Ch ls for Ch ldren As a parent, I understand not only the des re but the need for my ch ld to play and use h s mag nat on. For ch ldren, play ng s a fun way of learn ng that helps them develop soc al and behav oral sk lls. Ta Ch —even for adults— s based on playfulness and mak ng full use of the mag nat on. Dur ng my many years of teach ng Ta Ch to adults, my students and other parents would ask me f I could teach the r ch ldren too, but I always sa d no. Not because I d dn’t want to, but because I thought teach ng ch ldren trad t onal d sc pl nes of Ta Ch would be just too bor ng for them. Th s all changed, however, when my three-year-old son taught me how to teach k ds. Th s happened follow ng an event at the 1996 Fest val of Nat ons n St. Paul, M nnesota, where several of my adult students and I were demonstrat ng Ta Ch . Just after we had f n shed and the aud ence began clapp ng, my young son, Lee J n, darted out beh nd us and began do ng a Ta Ch posture from the form Dragon Plays n the Clouds. Th s was a complete surpr se. I had never taught h m how to do th s, but there he was m m ck ng the movement perfectly, and, of course, he got a b gger round of applause than we d d. From that day on Lee J n wanted to learn more postures, not the form as a whole (all of the movements n the correct order), just nd v dual postures. My son’s ns stence on be ng taught n th s manner made me feel qu te fool sh, because, n fact, th s s exactly how Ta Ch f rst developed—w th e ght postures done separately, much l ke a kata n karate. How could I, w th my background and exper ence, have m ssed such an obv ous solut on to teach ng k ds Ta Ch ? S nce then, hav ng taught my son as well as many other ch ldren, I have learned four mportant lessons:

1. Ch ldren love the dea of play ng w th or pretend ng to be an mals. Because the Ta Ch movements are based on an mals, ch ldren are drawn to th s pract ce. G v ng k ds the opportun ty to express the movements of mag nary an mals helps them develop the r own creat v ty. 2. K ds love to show other ch ldren how to perform spec f c movements. Ch ldren love to teach what they’ve learned to others. It g ves them a true sense of self-conf dence and self-worth. 3. K ds laugh ncessantly wh le learn ng. Stud es have shown that ch ldren need to laugh, and healthy ch ldren do so about three hundred t mes a day. Ta Ch does not requ re ch ldren to be solemn and ser ous wh le they are learn ng the movements or wh le they are perform ng the r pract ce. Ta Ch can be very joyful and the learn ng of Ta Ch can be very fun. 4. Ch ldren really do crave d sc pl ned play, espec ally when the r parents help them. Parents should never underest mate how much the r k ds want them to learn and play along w th them—as long as the parent remembers to play and not d ctate grown-up percept ons of perfect on. Parents w ll be glad to know that pract c ng Ta Ch prov des numerous health, learn ng, and soc al benef ts. Im tat ng or mov ng w th the Ta Ch an mals w ll help your ch ld develop h s or her mag nat on and creat ve sk lls. A regular pract ce of Ta Ch develops ch ldren’s ab l ty to focus on what they are do ng, ncreas ng the r overall attent on span and ab l ty to concentrate. It also helps them enhance the r breath ng and motor sk lls. On a phys cal level, research has shown that Ta Ch strengthens equ l br um. Interest ngly, ch ldren and sen ors share the d ff cult es of an unstable sense of balance, and stud es done by the Amer can Assoc at on of Ret red Persons (AARP) prove that sen ors who pract ce Ta Ch develop a strong sense of balance. For ch ldren, pract c ng Ta Ch helps develop the r central equ l br um early on. Because Ta Ch mproves c rculat on, t can strengthen the mmune system and prevent osteoporos s. Ta Ch has been

shown by the Arthr t s Foundat on to be one of the best cures for arthr t s, a cond t on that can affect both ch ldren and adults. Cons der ng such proven health benef ts, there s no quest on that Ta Ch s equally as benef c al for ch ldren’s health as t s for adults. Ta Ch s low mpact, so parents need not worry about the r ch ld njur ng jo nts or muscles from the h gh- mpact act v ty of some other forms of exerc se. Although Ta Ch s ntended for self-defense, t s not the type of selfdefense normally assoc ated w th mart al arts. In Ta Ch , self-defense means “defense aga nst yourself.” Ta Ch supports the fact that n any s tuat on n wh ch you m ght get hurt, whether from an attack or by s mply fall ng, t s mportant not to further the njury through your own m stakes. “Defend ng aga nst the self” ranges n mean ng from not putt ng yourself n s tuat ons of harm n the f rst place to keep ng yourself from mak ng t worse when you do. In a world that s grow ng ever more v olent, our ch ldren are nundated w th mages of aggress veness, from telev s on wrestlers to the even ng news, as well as v deo games and cartoons. The answer to ensur ng that our ch ldren do not grow up w th v olent tendenc es l es not n teach ng them how to f ght but n teach ng them that they can protect themselves. Teach ng them to f ght only serves to conf rm n the r young m nds that v olence s acceptable. A better d rect on s found n teach ng them how not to get hurt, how to y eld, how to be aware of the r env ronment so that they have self-conf dence and understand ng that v olence s gnorance, and that real strength comes from an awareness of both themselves and the r surround ngs. L ke all good parents I want desperately for my ch ld to develop selfconf dence and a sense of self-worth that s tempered w th hum l ty. Ta Ch can prov de one huge step for your ch ld n that d rect on. It nst lls values of nonaggress on, playfulness, and hum l ty w th n ts pract ce and teach ng. Study ng and pract c ng Ta Ch w th your ch ld w ll also strengthen the r trust and fr endsh p w th you.

L ke most ch ldren’s books, th s book has as much value for the adult as for the ch ld. My s ncere hope s that th s book w ll teach ch ldren and adults how to play and mag ne. Young or old, we all need to exper ence our nner ch ld, to exerc se our mag nat on, and to just play. Good health s always rooted n a br ght sm le and laughter. May th s book br ng both to you and your ch ld.

A very long t me ago there was a Ch nese monk who loved nature. Because he l ved n some mounta ns that had three h gh peaks, he named h mself “Three Peaks Chang.” Every day he would take nature walks, study h s books, and s t very qu etly n med tat on, l sten ng to h s breath and the sounds of nature. One day, when Three Peaks Chang was s tt ng n h s small hut, he heard loud no ses outs de. It was a b rd squawk ng and a snake h ss ng. He got up, looked out, and saw that the b rd was try ng to catch the snake, and the snake was try ng to get away. Three Peaks Chang was cur ous to see how the snake would get away from the b rd, so he watched them carefully from just outs de h s hut. The b rd would swoop down at the snake, but every t me the snake would just w ggle and turn out of the way. When the b rd tr ed to peck the snake’s

ta l, the snake would chase the b rd away by str k ng w th ts head. When the b rd tr ed to peck the snake’s head, the ta l of the snake would push the b rd away. When the b rd tr ed to peck the m ddle of the snake, both the snake’s head and ta l would sw sh at the b rd. Th s went on for a long t me, and eventually the b rd got t red and flew away. The snake then slept n the sun. Three Peaks Chang was very mpressed by what he saw, and he thought how wonderful t would be f only he could be as relaxed and w ggly as the snake, then noth ng could hurt h m. After th nk ng about the movements of these two an mals for a wh le, Three Peaks Chang thought about the movements of other an mals as well, and he created e ght d fferent exerc ses, based on an mal movements and postures, wh ch he named “Ta Ch .” The amaz ng th ng he d scovered was that the more he d d the exerc ses the health er he became. Band ts he met n the mounta ns no longer bothered h m, and w ld an mals no longer attacked h m. Why do you th nk th s was? Well, t was because Ta Ch made h m soft and gentle, just l ke water. If you throw a rock nto the water, the rock just s nks and d sappears. Rocks cannot hurt water. Three Peaks Chang learned to hurt noth ng, and so noth ng would hurt h m. Th s s a wonderful th ng to know, and you can learn t too by do ng Ta Ch . Three Peaks Chang l ved a very long t me and was very healthy and happy, so much so that news spread about h m all over Ch na. The news was so great that the emperor wanted to g ve h m a job and learn Ta Ch from h m. But Three Peaks Chang refused. He just wanted to l ve n the mounta ns and do Ta Ch so he could rema n healthy and happy forever.

Come and Learn Ta Ch Ta Ch , pronounced “t e jee,” s a very old exerc se f rst nvented n Ch na. M ll ons of ch ldren and grown-ups pract ce Ta Ch every day. You can do Ta Ch anywhere— n your house, In your yard, n the park, or even when you’re wa t ng for the school bus. The e ght Ta Ch an mal forms In th s book are some of the most fun and healthy you can do. Even though Ta Ch s one of the mart al arts, Ta Ch s not used for f ght ng. Ta Ch teaches you how to get out of the way of trouble by be ng n control of your body In a gentle and relaxed way. People who l ke to f ght are l ke st cks—they get broken. People who are soft and relaxed just bend and turn and don’t get hurt. Th nk of a cat. A cat moves n a Ta Ch -l ke way— t looks relaxed and slow at t mes, but t s very alert and fast when t wants to be. Have you ever seen a cat catch a mouse or watched t play w th a ball of str ng? Cats are very fast, yet very relaxed. They are n control. Or th nk of a stream. Water Is the gentlest and yet strongest th ng n the world. Water flows around anyth ng that gets n ts way, but t never f ghts w th anyth ng. Ta Ch s l ke flow ng water. If you want to become really good at Ta Ch you must do t every day. Remember when you learned to brush your teeth or t e your shoes? You became really good at those th ngs because you d d them every day. To get really good at someth ng, you must repeat t every day. B rds fly so well because they do t every day. F sh sw m so well because they do t every day. So remember to do Ta Ch every day, and one day you w ll see that you are very good at t. When you are good at Ta Ch you’ll be very happy and healthy.

How to Perform the Ta Ch Movements n Th s Book Ta Ch movements are meant to be slow and flu d—l ke water. Although the photographs n th s book d v de the forms nto separate steps, your goal s not to “land” n a part cular pos t on, but rather to gl de from one step to another n one cont nuous mot on. You do Ta Ch slowly to feel calm and to make sure your feet and body are balanced, even as you sh ft we ght from one s de to another. If you go too fast you m ght lose your balance. The start ng pos t on for each posture s stand ng upr ght w th your feet apart and your arms hang ng down loose and relaxed at your s des. Before you beg n mov ng, breathe n and out several t mes to help you relax. As you beg n mov ng, cont nue to breathe naturally; don’t hold your breath or try to control the speed of your breath ng. If you just breathe n a gentle and normal way the Ta Ch movements w ll feel really natural and easy. Once you learn the movements you should repeat them over and over. It s best to repeat the postures at least e ght t mes. When you f n sh all the steps n the posture, move back to the neutral start ng pos t on and beg n all over aga n. Don’t stop between repet t ons, just keep mov ng n a flu d way unt l you have performed all the movements e ght t mes n a row. Later on, when you feel you can do the movements eas ly and not forget where to step and turn, you should teach yourself to do the postures start ng on the oppos te s de. For example, n Hold ng a B rd’s Ta l you f rst sh ft your we ght onto your LEFT leg and turn to the RIGHT. When you are ready to do the oppos te s de, you w ll sh ft on to your RIGHT leg and beg n turn ng LEFT. Once you have learned and mastered the postures as they are descr bed n th s book, t w ll be easy perform them on the oppos te s de. By do ng the postures on both s des, you bu ld a stronger, more energet c, and healthy body.

Do ng Ta Ch to mus c makes the movements much eas er to perform and a lot more fun too. Mus c can help us relax, focus, and slow down wh le do ng Ta Ch . There s a lot of good mus c that can complement the gentle rhythms of Ta Ch and even nsp re thoughts of the part cular an mals and gestures. You w ll have to exper ment to f nd the mus c you l ke best. When my son and I do Ta Ch together we l ke to use the theme song from the mov e THE LAST EMPEROR. Instrumental mus c s generally less d stract ng than vocal mus c, mak ng concentrat on and movement eas er.

You must be very gentle n order to hold a b rd m your hands. One hand must cup the front of the b rd’s chest, and the other hand must caress ts back and ta l. Can you mag ne you are hold ng a b rd so gently but stead ly that t cannot fly away?

Stand w th your feet apart and your arms hang ng down (step 1). Let your shoulders relax and feel the breath at the bottom of your stomach. Next, turn at the wa st to your RIGHT as you po nt your RIGHT foot. Sh ft all your we ght onto your RIGHT leg as you br ng your hands up to catch the b rd before t fl es away (step 2). Your RIGHT hand touches the top of the b rd’s head and your LEFT hand s underneath on the front of the b rd’s chest (step 3). You should feel l ke you are hold ng a b g ball n your hands. Now w th your LEFT foot, take one step out to the s de. Your we ght stays on your RIGHT foot and your body s st ll fac ng the RIGHT. At the same t me that you move your LEFT foot, ra se your LEFT hand and arm so that they are n front of your chest (step 4). Imag ne that you are p ck ng up the b rd as your LEFT arm moves up. You should feel l ke you are hold ng a b g ball to your chest w th your arm. As your LEFT hand moves up your RIGHT hand moves out to the s de and down as f you were sl d ng t down the b rd’s back to ts ta l (step 5). To f n sh, turn your wa st to the LEFT and s t down a l ttle b t so there s we ght also n your LEFT leg and hold the b rd. Your LEFT hand s embrac ng the b rd’s chest, and your RIGHT hand s hold ng the b rd’s ta l (step 6). Repeat e ght t mes on each s de.

Snakes are really qu et. When they sl de down a rock or h ll you can’t hear them. They are really w ggly and move slowly and gracefully. Can you sl de down and sl ther just l ke a snake?

Stand w th your feet apart and your arms hang ng down (step 1). Let your shoulders relax and feel the breath at the bottom of your stomach. Step way back w th your RIGHT foot and then s t down as low as you can, w th all your we ght on your RIGHT leg. At the same t me ra se your LEFT hand up and over n a c rcle unt l t s n front of your body w th your palm fac ng down and ra se your RIGHT arm out to the s de w th your f ngers curled downward l ke a snake’s ta l (step 2). Keep your RIGHT arm extended as your LEFT hand moves back and down to m tate the head of the snake. Turn your wa st and body to follow the movement of your LEFT arm, but keep your we ght on your RIGHT leg. Your LEFT hand moves down to your stomach level (step 3). Now turn your wa st and body to the RIGHT w th the we ght st ll on your your RIGHT leg. Sl de your LEFT arm forward unt l the back of your LEFT hand s on your nner th gh, m tat ng the head of the snake mov ng forward (step 4). Sh ft ng your we ght forward onto your LEFT leg, br ng your LEFT arm and hand sl ghtly upward, l ke a snake l ft ng ts head, unt l your f ngers po nt d agonally at the ground (step 5). Repeat ent re pattern e ght t mes on each s de.

Wh te cranes are b g beaut ful b rds. When they get too warm they open the r w ngs and flap them to cool off. Can you cool off l ke a wh te crane too?

Stand w th your feet apart and your arms hang ng down (step 1). Let your shoulders relax and feel the breath at the bottom of your stomach. Sh ft your we ght onto your RIGHT leg and br ng your LEFT hand over to touch the top of your RIGHT elbow (step 2). As you do th s, turn your wa st to the RIGHT. Next turn your wa st to the front and po nt your LEFT foot forward (step 3). At the same t me br ng your RIGHT arm over your LEFT arm and po nt your LEFT hand downward (step 4), just l ke a crane crosses ts w ngs before t spreads them w de open. Now spread your arms open w de. Your RIGHT hand goes up over your head w th your palm fac ng out. Your LEFT hand moves over to the LEFT s de of your body w th your palm fac ng down (step 5). You should feel l ke a crane br ng ng ts RIGHT w ng up and fann ng out ts LEFT w ng to cool tself. Repeat ent re pattern e ght t mes on each s de.

When a t ger comes down from a mounta n all the people worry and h de n the r houses. They want someone to take the t ger back to the mounta n where t l ves. Can you carry the t ger back to the mounta n?

Stand w th your feet apart and your arms hang ng down (step 1). Let your shoulders relax and feel the breath at the bottom of your stomach. Bend your LEFT knee sl ghtly, putt ng your we ght on your LEFT leg. Turn your wa st to the RIGHT and po nt your RIGHT foot forward (keep your we ght on your LEFT leg). At the same t me ra se your hands so they cross at the wr sts, po nt ng d agonally downward (step 2). W th your RIGHT foot step back on a d agonal and move your RIGHT hand back over your RIGHT leg w th your palm fac ng down. Your LEFT arm stretches out to the s de w th the palm fac ng up (step 3). If you started step 1 as though you were fac ng North, you would now be fac ng East. Lean nto your RIGHT leg. Sweep your LEFT hand n front of your body w th your palm fac ng down, as you br ng your RIGHT hand to your RIGHT h p w th the palm fac ng up (step 4). Imag ne p ck ng up the t ger’s h nd legs w th your RIGHT hand. The t ger’s front paws rest on top of your LEFT arm (step 5). To f n sh, r se off your LEFT leg putt ng all the we ght nto your RIGHT leg. You are now ready to start walk ng forward to take the t ger back to the mounta n. Instead, sl de your LEFT leg next to your RIGHT and lower your arms (as n step 1) so you can start the movements aga n from th s new pos t on. Repeat ent re pattern e ght t mes on each s de.

Dragons l ke to h de and play n the clouds, and they l ke to take r des n them too. The clouds are l ke b g soft p llows that they hold on to and roll around n. Can you be a dragon and hold a b g round b llowy cloud n your arms and play w th t l ke a ball?

Stand w th your feet apart and your arms hang ng down (step 1). Let your shoulders relax and feel the breath at the bottom of your stomach. Br ng your arms up, palms nward, so that your RIGHT arm s n front of your chest and your LEFT hand s n front of your stomach (step 2). Turn your wa st as far as you can to the RIGHT, and then turn the palms of your hands so they face each other (step 3) as you bend your knees. Pretend you are a dragon hold ng clouds w th n your claws. Next, turn to the front, turn ng your hands over so that your LEFT hand s now n front of your chest, your RIGHT hand n front of your stomach (step 4). To f n sh, turn your wa st as far as you can to the LEFT and turn the palms of your hands to face each other (step 5) as you bend your knees aga n. Keep rotat ng from s de to s de and turn ng your hands over; then you w ll be just l ke a dragon play ng n the clouds. Repeat ent re pattern e ght t mes.

Have you ever seen a goose fly away? Geese don’t just take off and fly stra ght up. No, they always flap the r w ngs and fly off at an angle, because they are so b g. They have to spread the r b g w ngs as much as poss ble and flap them hard to take off. Can you open your arms w de and pretend to fly off l ke a w ld goose?

Stand w th your feet apart and your arms hang ng down (step 1). Let your shoulders relax and feel the breath at the bottom of your stomach. Bend your LEFT knee and put your we ght on your LEFT leg wh le you move your RIGHT leg out and back for a w der stance. Place your RIGHT hand over your LEFT hand w th the palms fac ng each other, as f hold ng a small ball n front of you (step 2). Turn ng to the RIGHT from the wa st up, gently press your hands together (step 3). Sh ft ng all your we ght onto your RIGHT leg, open your arms l ke a goose spread ng ts w ngs to fly. Your RIGHT arm moves to the RIGHT, palm up, as your wa st turns to the RIGHT to follow your arm. Your LEFT hand moves back, palm down, to wa st level (step 4). To f n sh, squat down just sl ghtly l ke a w ld goose gett ng ready to fly away w th ts w ngs spread w de (step 5). Sl de your LEFT leg next to your RIGHT and lower your arms (as n step 1) so you can start the movements aga n from your new pos t on. Repeat ent re pattern e ght t mes on each s de.

Monkeys are very playful and cur ous, so they can somet mes be very naughty. They are very d ff cult to keep off you. But they are too w ly to catch, so somet mes t s better to just move back from them and brush them away. Can you chase the monkeys away?

Stand w th your feet apart and your arms hang ng down (step 1). Let your shoulders relax and feel the breath at the bottom of your stomach. Step back w th your RIGHT foot. Br ng your LEFT hand to the front w th the palm down, and br ng your RIGHT hand back w th the palm fac ng up. Turn your wa st sl ghtly to the RIGHT as you open your arms (step 2). Spread ng your arms w de makes you look b gger to the monkeys, so they want to run away. Your LEFT hand moves as f you were putt ng t on the head of a monkey n front of you wh le you move your RIGHT hand back to brush away another monkey beh nd you. Turn your wa st to the front and sh ft all your we ght onto your RIGHT leg. At the same t me bend your LEFT elbow to br ng your LEFT hand (palm up) back alongs de your LEFT h p, and br ng your RIGHT hand up and over your head to the front of your body w th your palm fac ng out (step 3). Imag ne that you are tell ng the monkeys to stop. To f n sh, r se up on your RIGHT foot, and at the same t me move your RIGHT hand out forward (step 4) to keep the monkey from com ng any closer. Repeat e ght t mes on each s de.

Roosters stand on one leg when they rest. They are so st ll and so qu et that you m ght th nk they are just statues. How do they do th s? F rst of all, they don’t lean backward, forward, or to the s de. The rooster lets ts foot be as relaxed as a wet mop and then lets ts whole body s nk. Can you stand on one leg as relaxed and qu et as a rooster?

Stand w th your feet apart and your arms hang ng down (step 1). Let your shoulders relax and feel the breath at the bottom of your stomach. Sh ft all your we ght onto your LEFT leg. Po nt your RIGHT foot forward and ra se your RIGHT arm to be even w th your RIGHT foot. Your f ngers should be po nt ng at the ground (step 2). Next, ra se your RIGHT leg so your th gh s parallel w th the ground. At the same t me ra se your RIGHT arm so your elbow s d rectly over your knee and your f ngers po nt stra ght up (step 3). Stand l ke th s and count to three, or maybe even ten. Now try to relax and stand very st ll, l ke a rooster rest ng on one leg. To f n sh, you can put your leg down and stand n the start ng pos t on (step 1 and also step 4) and do the same movement w th your LEFT leg and LEFT arm (steps 5 and 6), l ke a rooster chang ng legs to sleep on. Repeat e ght t mes on each s de.

About the Author

The author and h s son, Lee J n Olson. Stuart Alve Olson has stud ed Ta Ch , med tat on, and Ch nese language for more than twenty-f ve years. Cons dered one of the lead ng author t es on Ta Ch , Stuart has publ shed a number of books on the subject and has taught classes and worshops throughout the Un ted States, Canada, Hong Kong, and Indones a. He presently l ves n northern Cal forn a. Stuart can be reached by e-ma l at y tach @med aone.net or by ma l n care of the publ sher.

About Inner Trad t ons • Bear & Company Founded n 1975, Inner Trad t ons s a lead ng publ sher of books on nd genous cultures, perenn al ph losophy, v s onary art, sp r tual trad t ons of the East and West, sexual ty, hol st c health and heal ng, selfdevelopment, as well as record ngs of ethn c mus c and accompan ments for med tat on. In July 2000, Bear & Company jo ned w th Inner Trad t ons and moved from Santa Fe, New Mex co, where t was founded n 1980, to Rochester, Vermont. Together Inner Trad t ons • Bear & Company have eleven mpr nts: Inner Trad t ons, Bear & Company, Heal ng Arts Press, Dest ny Books, Park Street Press, B ndu Books, Bear Cub Books, Dest ny Record ngs, Dest ny Aud o Ed t ons, Inner Trad t ons en Español, and Inner Trad t ons Ind a. For more nformat on or to browse through our more than one thousand t tles n pr nt and ebook formats, v s t www.InnerTrad t ons.com. Become a part of the Inner Trad t ons commun ty to rece ve spec al offers and members-only d scounts.

Bear Cub Books One Park Street Rochester, Vermont 05767 www.InnerTrad t ons.com Bear Cub Books s a d v s on of Bear & Company Copyr ght © 2001 by Stuart Alve Olson All r ghts reserved. No part of th s book may be reproduced or ut l zed n any form or by any means, electron c or mechan cal, nclud ng photocopy ng, record ng, or by any nformat on storage and retr eval system, w thout perm ss on n wr t ng from the publ sher. L brary of Congress Catalog ng- n-Publ cat on Data Olson, Stuart Alve. Ta Ch for k ds : move w th the an mals : e ght s mple Ta Ch movements parents can teach the r ch ldren for health, mag nat on, and play / wr tten by Stuart Al ve Olson ; llustrat ons by Gregory Crawford. p. cm. Summary: Teaches the bas cs of the anc ent Ch nese exerc se of Ta Ch through a story, llustrat ons, and s mple, step-by-step d rect ons. ebook ISBN 978-1-591438-50-2 pr nt ISBN 978-1-879181-65-6 1. Ta ch for ch ldren—Juven le l terature. [ 1. Ta ch . 2. Mart al arts.] I. Crawford, Gregory, ll. II. T tle. GV504.6.C44 057 2001 613.7’148—dc21 2001043138