Sports and Recreation

The inspiration for the Major Motion Picture Directed by George Clooney-exclusively in theaters December 25, 2023! The #1 New York Times bestselling true story about the American rowing triumph of the 1936 Olympics in Berlin-from the author of Facing the Mountain For readers of Unbroken, out of the depths of the Depression comes an irresistible story about beating the odds and finding hope in the

Pi gu is an ancient Taoist method of fasting for spiritual and healing purposes. Unlike traditional fasting, you do not need to stop eating when practicing pi gu. Used by ancient Taoist masters during their months or years of solitary retreat in pursuit of enlightenment, the practice centres on a simple diet of fruits, teas, nuts and eggs paired with special chewing techniques and chi kung exercis

MINDFULNESS AND SURFING casts a fresh perspective on this popular sport, and explores how riding the waves can be the ultimate meditation. Engaging author Sam Bleakley takes us on a soulful journey across the tideline of his personal and philosophical travels. Through lunar cycles and river surfing to the Taoism of nature, he reveals an acute awareness of what the oceans can tell us about our plac

Cycling is about more than competitive racing, lycra and physical endurance - it's about joy, meditative wonder and spiritual enrichment.MINDFUL THOUGHTS FOR CYCLISTS presents a series of focused meditations on why and how cycling can be a powerful practice of mindful awareness. From the pleasure of riding down a hill, to finding the upsides of a flat, Nick Moore steers us on an enlightening journ

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

· 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.

A martial arts biography of the legednary founder of judo, Jigoro Kano, and the colorful coterie of disciples who wanted to carry on his legacy   Kodokan judo, one of the most well-known martial arts in the world today, was originated by Jigoro Kano (1860–1938), a martial artist and career educator who developed the art after studying several types of jujutsu, sumo, and Western wrestl

A longtime teacher and Harvard researcher presents the latest science on the benefits of T´ai Chi as well as a practical daily program for practitioners of all ages   Conventional medical science on the Chinese art of T´ai Chi now shows what T´ai Chi masters have known for centuries: regular practice leads to more vigor and flexibility, better balance and mobility, and a sense of well-