Sports and Recreation

The life of Miyamoto Musashi (1584-1645), Japan's greatest samurai swordsman, is chronicled in this first authoritative, "lively and balanced" ("Library Journal"), English-language biography of the impressive warrior. Included is original artwork by Musashi plus Glossary, map, and Appendices.

This collection of parables written by an eighteenth-century samurai is a classic of martial arts literature. The tales are concerned with themes such as perception of conflict, self-transformation, the cultivation of chi (life energy), and understanding yin and yang. Some of the parables seem light and fanciful, but they offer the reader valuable lessons on the fundamental principles of the marti

Here is a collection of ancient Chinese maxims on strategy, battlefield tactics, and deception—in the spirit of such classics as The Art of War and The Book of Five Rings—made fresh and relevant with contemporary examples and explanation. The origin of The 36 Strategies of the Martial Arts is unknown; however, the text is a synthesis of various military principles, political expressions, and even

Collectively, these activists are de-colonising their bodies and minds via whole-foods veganism. By kicking junk-food habits, the more than thirty contributors all show the way toward longer, stronger and healthier lives. Suffering from type-2 diabetes, hypertension, high blood pressure and overweight need not be the way women of colour are doomed to be victimised and live out their mature lives.

A cancer survivor, an Ironman Triathlete and widely decorated marathon runner, Ruth Heidrich has long been a role model to athletes of all ages. But over the years even Ruth herself has encountered the various, commonly held misbeliefs about running, from "women shouldn't run" to "you need to change your diet to run," that prevent people from lacing up their shoes and getting off the couch. In thi

A comprehensive guide to the art of belly dancing • Covers the origins, mythology, and history of the Middle Eastern dance, including its physical and mental health benefits • Contains practical instructions with easy-to-follow photographs • Includes recipes for perfumes, cosmetic creams, and food from the Middle East Belly dance is pure sensuousness and has enchanted humans sin

Techniques for preparing and using the Golden Elixir to achieve optimum health and spiritual vitality •Includes practical exercises and postures to produce regenerative effects in one´s own saliva •Reveals how combining saliva with the hormonal fluids released during sexual practices creates the Elixir of Immortality Golden Elixir is the fountain or water of life. It is th

From the Taoist point of view, good health depends upon the free flow of chi - healthy life-force energy - throughout the body. Taoists refer to healthy chi as good wind. When energy is trapped in the body it stagnates and becomes negative, manifesting in the symptoms of physical or emotional illness. Taoists call this negative energy sick or evil wind. The advanced Chi Nei Tsang practices focus o

An introduction to the ancient Taoist exercise system of Tao Yin • Includes 45 fully illustrated exercises that promote flexibility, strength, and balance in one´s physical, mental, and spiritual energy • Addresses the health needs of the musculoskeletal system and the unique physical stresses of a modern urban lifestyle In the Western world, exercise focuses mainly on physical fitnes

The techniques of Chi Nei Tsang evolved in Asia during an era when few physicians were available and people had to know how to heal themselves. Many people today have symptoms that modern medicine is not able to cure because a physical source for the problem is not easily found. The energies of negative emotions, stress, and tension--all common in modern life--and the weight of past illness accumu

Long before the advent of firearms, Iron Shirt Chi Kung, a form of Kung Fu, built powerful bodies able to withstand hand-to-hand combat. Even then, however, martial use was only one aspect of Iron Shirt Chi Kung, and today its other aspects remain vitally significant for anyone seeking better health, a sound mind, and spiritual growth. In Iron Shirt Chi KungMaster Mantak Chia introduces this ancie

Most Westerners believe that a daily physical exercise program helps slow the aging process. Yet those whose bodies appear most physically fit on the outside often enjoy only the same life span as the average nonathletic person. It is the internal organs and glands that nourish every function of the body, and it is the bone marrow that nourishes and rejuvenates the organs and glands through the pr

Healthy tendons are the foundation of true strength in the body. Strong and supple tendons and open joints allow more space to store raw energy, which can then be transformed into higher creative and spiritual energy. The eight postures of Tendon Nei Kung are specifically designed to open the joints and fortify and grow all the tendons in the body, strengthening them as a unit. Like the practice o

The great teacher Bodhidharma is credited with the creation of Shaolin Temple qi gong and kung fu in the 6th century CE. Motivated by the terrible physical condition of the monks who spent all their time meditating or copying scrolls, his two-part system promoted physical as well as spiritual fitness and became the basis for all the martial and meditative arts taught in the Shaolin Temple. These a

· Explains how to collect energy within and discharge it for self-defence as well as healing· Explores how to counter the natural instinct to resist force with force and develop yielding softness through the 13 Original Movements of Tai Chi· Illustrates routines for the partner practice of "Push Hands" (Tui Shou)Fa Jin, an advanced yang style of Tai Chi, complements the physical, mental and spirit

· Details the 8 core forms of Wu-Style Tai Chi with fully illustrated instructions· Ideal for older practitioners as well as those with health disabilities due to the “small frame” primary stance, slower and smaller movements and conservation of energy· Explains how Wu Style provides a natural introduction to martial arts boxing· Reveals how Wu Style eases stiffness, relieves back pain and reduces

There is perhaps no more potent symbol of the samurai era than the sword. By the seventeenth century in Japan, the art of swordsmanship had begun to take on an almost cult-like popularity.

The seminal treatise on the code of the samurai--now available as a Shambhala Pocket Classic.      Hagakure is a treatise on the samurai code written by Yamamoto Tsunetomo, an eighteenth-century samurai. It's a guide, organized as a loose collection of thoughts, on how samurai should conduct themselves. This philosophy--bushido, or "the way of the samurai"--is, according

The New Camp Cookbook is for day trippers, adventurers, campers, and anyone who enjoys cooking outdoors. You’ll find organizational advice and cooking techniques, from planning your meals, packing a cooler, and stocking a camp pantry to building a fire, grilling in foil packs, and maintaining heat in a dutch oven. There’s nothing quite like waking up in the woods and making breakfast in the open

What's the appeal of pitching a tent and sleeping under the stars? Tried it yourself and felt inadequate and underprepared? The campers in this book can show you how to pitch up in style.From intrepid woodsmen with enviable survival skills, to low-key surfers chasing the perfect wave; solo travellers in single-person hammocks, to family groups in extravagant bell tent setups – for these aficionado