appendix b - author's suggested reading

Scroll down for this Appendix's videos, to go to other CIG Chapter's videos click on any Chapter #:            
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 22, APPENDIX: A, B, C

Below, author, Bill Douglas, explains why he chose some of the recommended reading in Appendix B, and how it relates to your T'ai Chi and QiGong life journey!  You'll find author's comments beneath some of the recommended books.  

BUT FIRST, an announcement about Bill's award winning Fiction and Inspiration books, as well as his NEWEST world acclaimed book, "The Tao of Tai Chi: The Making of a New Science," now available for order in both English and Spanish.

REVIEWS:

"This is an addition any serious student of Tai Chi should add to their collection! Tai  Chi is much larger than the martial applications, Bill's book tackles  more than the nuts and bolts and deals with what makes it work! This is a  book you can read again and again, one you can contemplate with!"
-- Dave Pickens, National Co-Chairman of Kung Fu AAU, previous National Chairman

Chinese Martial Arts Division United States Amateur Athletic Union 

"I just finished this book, and I cannot say how much I enjoyed  it. It is dead on with synchronicity--and a book like this has been a  long time coming--the Tai Chi world has needed a book like this for a  long time!"
-- Dr. Pete Gryffin, University of  Florida Alumni Fellow, author of "Tai Chi Therapy: The Science of  Metarobics," founder of the MetarobicInstitute


"Bill  Douglas, founder of World Tai Chi Day, has written a  revealing, heartfelt book about his personal journey and its universal  implications. Delving into the worlds of science, spirituality and  martial arts ...There are many valuable lessons to be learned from this  illuminating book."
-- Barry Strugatz, director of the documentary,
THE PROFESSOR: TAI CHI'S JOURNEY WEST 

 Bach, Richard. - Jonathan Livingston Seagull
* CIG author's note: All of Richard Bach's novels are mind expanding, uplifting and brilliant. I chose this one, because it is about coming to terms with the fact that our potential is much greater than we realize, and T'ai Chi and QiGong were designed to help us understand that, to take flight into endless realms of possibility, even as the world around us may cause us to doubt who we really are. I remember as a young man being timid about practicing Tai Chi and Qigong at work during breaks, worried about what people might "think of me." Eventually I took flight, and now do Tai Chi in front of 100s of people almost every week :-)  Jonathan Livingston Seagull was a great inspiration to me at the beginning of my Tai Chi journey.

Badgley, Laurence, M.D. Healing AIDS Naturally.
 

Batmanghelidj, F., M.D. The Body's Many Cries for Water.
 

Benson, Herbert, M.D. The Relaxation Response.
* Author's note:  This  is a MUST read for every T'ai Chi or QiGong teacher or practitioner.  Although it is about research on the Transcendental Meditation  technique's profound benefits, it also shows how mind-body arts in  general can and should be an integral part of modern healthcare. 

Booth, Jennifer. Wind Blowing Lotus Leaf: The Way of Enlightened Action.  
* Author's note:  Jais Booth is my T'ai Chi and QiGong teacher. She is a rare treasure  in this world, and her teaching opened whole new worlds for me, and in  some ways through my books and organizing World Tai Chi & Qigong Day, her teaching has affected the entire planet. All I've done, I could  not have done had I not been luck enough to stumble into her class 30  years ago. I still study with Jennifer whenever I can. 

Borysenko, Joan, Ph.D., and Miroslav Borysenko, Ph.D. The Power of the Mind to Heal.
 

Capra, Fritjof (author of The Tao of Physics). The Web of Life. 

* Author's note: Both, The Tao of Physics and The Web of Life, are must reads. This author  introduced me to the realization that science and spirituality are both  dedicated to the same goal - truth - and that by exploring our inner  nature, we can explore the basic physics of the universe as well. 

Chen Pan Ling. Chen Pan Ling’s Original Tai Chi Chuan Textbook.
 

Chopra, Deepak. Ageless Body, Timeless Mind. 

* Author's note:  Deepak Chopra is a gift to humanity. Read EVERYTHING he writes! 

 Cohen, Kenneth S. The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing.  

* Author's note:   Ken  Cohen married western medical research with eastern wisdom, and his work  has effected the world. Any T'ai Chi or QiGong teacher who hasn't read  this book, should immediately order it, to help him/her explain these  tools in a scientific way. 

Diller, Lawrence H., M.D. Running on Ritalin: A Physician Reflects on Children, Society, and Performance in a Pill.
 

Douglas, Bill. A Conspiracy of Spirits (T’ai Chi novel). 

* Author's note: This is my second mind-body thriller, who's heroine is a T'ai Chi master. Pulitzer nominated author/reviewer, David W. Menefee wrote of it, "One of the most remarkable novels of our generation ... on a par with Charles Dickens."

My novel's have been called visionary-fiction, and I weave mind-body science into thrill ride stories where characters from the breadth of humanity come together for a common purpose - to support life on this planet. In each of my novels I paint a vision of the hope and possibility for humanity.   

 Douglas, Bill. 2012 The Awakening.

* Author's note:  This  is my second mind-body thriller, who's heroine is a T'ai Chi master. It  was selected BEST FICTION of the YEAR by Spiritual Enlightenment  Magazine. Deepak Chopra called it "A Gift!" 

Gerber, Richard, M.D. Vibrational Medicine.
 

Greene, Brian. The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory. 

 * Author's note:  Some may wonder, "Physics, in a Tai Chi book?!" As we play with our energetic nature in Tai Chi and Qigong, it can be very entertaining, exciting, and helpful to understand the energetic nature of the universe we are part of.
 

Lasorso, Vincent J. Jr. Immortal’s Gift: A Parable for the Soul.
 

Lipton, Bruce, Ph.D. Biology of Belief.
* Author's note:  Bruce Lipton's cutting edge work and insights in cellular biology are profound.
 

Luk, Charles. Taoist Yoga, Alchemy and Immortality.
 

Mann, Felix, M.B., L.M.C.C. Acupuncture: The Ancient Chinese Art of Healing.
 

Mayer, Michael. Secrets to Living Younger Longer: The Self Healing Path of Qigong, Standing Meditation and Tai Chi.
 

McGaa, Ed (Eagle Man). Mother Earth Spirituality—Native American Paths to Healing Ourselves and Our World.
 

Moyers, Bill. Healing and the Mind.
 

Rothstein, Larry, Ed.D., Lyle H. Miller, Ph.D., and Alma Dell Smith, Ph.D. The Stress Solution.
 

Sandifer, Jon. Acupressure for Health, Vitality and First Aid.
 

Sang, Larry. The Principles of Feng Shui.
 

Shanor,  Karen Nesbitt, Ph.D. The Emerging Mind: New Research into the Meaning  of Consciousness, Based on the Smithsonian Institution Lecture Series.
 

Sheldrake, Rupert. A New Science of Life: Morphic Resonance. 

* Author's note:  After  you read Lao Tse's philosophic poetry, this is a good next step, as  Sheldrake shows how we indeed are a part of a flowing wave of life's  energy, or the Tao as Lao tse would write. Understanding our connection to all of life is profoundly important to a T'ai Chi and QiGong journey. 

 Star, Jonathan, trans. Rumi: In the Arms of the Beloved.  

* Author's note:   My  T'ai Chi and QiGong journey of 30 years has shown me that great wisdom  lies in all corners of humanity. Rumi was a Persian poet whose writing  is a historic Muslim's version of Lao Tse, with a gift of seeing into  the heart of humanity, our beauty, and our compassion. Highly  recommended. 

 Talbot, Michael. The Holographic Universe. 

* Author's note:  In the CIG to Tai Chi I write about our connection with the universe that a daily immersion in the field of Qi produces. This book gives a profound intellectual understanding of this concept.

Watts, Alan. The Way of Zen.  

* Author's note: Alan Watts was a western pioneer in truly understanding Zen meditation, which  came from Chinese arts. He explains them in a way so "we can get it."  All of Alan Watts books are highly recommended. 

Weil, Andrew, M.D. Healthy Aging: A Lifelong Guide to Your Physical and Spiritual Well-Being.
 

Dr. Andrew Weil. Spontaneous Healing.
 

Williams, Tom, Ph.D. The Complete Illustrated Guide to Chinese Medicine.
 

Yang, Dr. Jwing-Ming. Taijiquan, Classical Yang Style: The Complete Form and Qigong.
 

Yu-Cheng Huang. Change the Picture.
 

Yutang, Lin. The Wisdom of Laotse.

 * Author's note:  If  you do, or teach T'ai Chi, and have not read the Tao te Ching's  translations - you are missing out on a glimpse into the essence of what  these arts are about.