Tai Chi - 24 Forms DVD By Dr. Paul Lam****UPDATED!!!****

I bought this DVD after having a lesson with a local Tai Chi teacher who was ok but not really that good. As no-one else was available I had no choice but to use a DVD, which I thought would be difficult. But this DVD is excellent - far better than my local teacher and also better than a day course I did a few years ago. Not only is it clear and easy to follow (allowing for how difficult a subject this is), but Paul Lam manages the very difficult feat of being clear to the complete beginner and also indicating the energy flows for someone like me who has little Tai Chi experience but can feel the flow through meditation experiences. Expressing all of that clearly and straightforwardly is the sign of a master teacher. This DVD is worth more than its weight in gold.

Old , but great details explained very well. Its well worth the money

This is an excellent DVD, especially if you are attending a class that is learning the 24 forms as it is useful to practice them at home. The movements are well described and clearly demonstrated by Dr. Lam and his assistants and my only minor niggle is that I have a little difficulty navigating back through the DVD to easily get to the previous sections (this may be my DVD player!), but otherwise it is great.

have trouble understanding fully though it is a good informitive dvd.

2011 version Five years ago, I tried a Tai Chi class. I found it very frustrating. Tai Chi has a lot of right and left brain action going on at the same time with the legs and arms. Think of a drummer that has to do 4 separate beats with both arms and both legs, in some ways Tai Chi is like this. I struggled to grasp the moves straight away so I fell behind in class. Meanwhile the class moved on and the teacher couldn't focus on me as I was slower than the other students. I felt very alienated so I ended up quitting. Recently, I stumbled upon lesson 1 on youtube. I liked it so I decided to try this dvd. So far, I'm loving it. The DVD is packed with breathing exercises, fundamental movements and of course the 24 form pattern. The dvd moves very slowly, which is perfect for me. Some days I focus on the just the breathing exercises, sometimes I just work on practicing the seven foundational movements and of course some days I work slowly on the 24 form version. I love the fact that each movement is repeated 3 times and that we get a front and back view at the same time. That is very helpful. My mission is to take my time, learn the 24 forms at home slowly and once I've got it, then I'll go and join a class. I'm looking forward to one day taking on the 72 form dvd but small steps first! Overall I'm enjoying this and each day I do a little. Trust me, it's much harder than what it seems! :) Finally, the dvd arrived 36 hours after I had ordered it! Class!

Far superior to Dr Lam's older DVD of The 24 Forms, which was still brilliant. I am a newly qualified Tai Chi For Health Instructor, and, having learnt Tai Chi for Beginners, learning the rest of 24 Forms sequence makes sense. For the past few months I've been using the 2001 version of this DVD; this 2011 edition is much easier to follow. The forms are broken down into more manageable steps, and each step is repeated several times before being joined together to complete the form. Furthemore, The 2011 24 Forms is broken up into 4 sections, which has a 'Run Through' section so that you can practice 1/4 of the sequence once you've gone through each form individually. Other improvements include: 1. Doubling the run time of the DVD from 2 hours to 4 hours (mainly due to repeating each of the steps several times, which helps the nervous system learn the movements). 2. The angles: each of the forms is shown from the front and back on views, using fellow tai chi teachers. 3. The abilty to practise one form, or several forms, at a time, that is, the sectioning off of the various forms, which enables the user to go straight to the desired section/form, and just do 10 or 20 minutes in one go, should he or she be short on time. Thank you Dr Lam and everyone else involved in the creating this DVD and The Tai Chi for Health Institute.

The DVD was speedily delivered, a good price, and is excellent and full of information. I am learning tai chi 24-form chuan style, and am very glad to see the movements carefully carried out and explained in the video. The instructor is very thorough, the filming is very clear, and the DVD is very good value. I needed it to try to understand and to perfect my tai chi chuan 24-form movements. Just what i wanted. Thank you.

Although some people complained in the review section, I think this DVD teaches step by steps instruction which is very clear to me. It achieves its purpose without a doubt. I can at least do the 24 forms and start feeling the chi flowing thru my body... I do feel stronger and healthier day by day. Compared to sitting at home tired after work and stuck to my couch, I now get up and do some tai chi movements and sleep like a little sheep at night... A note, this tai chi dvd is for health benefits rather than fighting application...

On a happy note: This is the latest release (2011 printed on back of DVD) and not May 2009 as shown in item info. I guess it means video quality has been improved as it matches his YouTube video. This review has to be an essay (sorry!) to cover all of what’s included. Seriously, the amount of material included could actually fit 2 DVDs thanks to its whopping 4 hours’ worth of detailed info, modifications, breath, posture, and so much more. I watched all of Dr. Paul Lam’s YouTube videos before investing in this DVD - he has such a gentle and encouraging manner of instruction and speaks in a clear, easy-to-understand accent. It’s truly motivating to know he learned Tai Chi because of developing arthritis after graduating from medical school in the early 70s. Watching his superb form; a result of decades of practice convinced me! Even though I’m learning in class (24 Yang Style Tai Chi Forms - 1 x week for 11 weeks) with an excellent teacher, this DVD – clearly, a work of love & dedication - has made a huge difference as a beginner. What helped me:  Dos & don’ts mentioned in “Stay safe” and in commentary all through the program  Includes warm-up & cool-down exercises  Front & back views of entire sequence (24 Forms) for daily practice – I do it to the point of my last class but watch the remaining part to make the next class easier  Close-ups of foot placement incl. a diagram (plan) that flashes on screen to help – so useful when footwork in later forms becomes more complicated  Each Form is broken down into several parts to help master the move correctly. Ex: Stroking Bird’s Tail; a 4-part Form that initially befuddled me. And now? Easy-peasy!  Commentary on how energy moves, breathing, Dantien breathing, Yin-Yang and so much more  Each form is first shown by Dr. Lam (front), then, by him pointing how-to as his student does it and followed by a mirror image with him shown from the back and his student from the front. This side-by-side demo. helps overcome the left-right confusion  Most importantly, his constant suggestions on how to modify as per your current capacity – this prevents any possible injuries from over-reaching/ stretching, etc. Love his “visualize it as if perfect in your mind but only move as per your level” idea!  Initially in class, I found it hard to co-ordinate when my arms, hands needed to stay or arrive in the pose. His demo of “Parting Wild Horse’s Mane” was a game-changer! From that point on, I had no more thoughts of quitting because “I’ll never get this right”. DVD Playlist (Total: 240 mins):  How to use this program  Intro  Stay safe  Warm-up exercises: Walking around, Stretches, Neck bend & turn, Shoulder roll & gathering Qi, Spine reach up, down & turn, Hip forward, backward, side stretch, Knee stretch forward, step backward, ankle tap, turn in & out.  Cool-down exercises: Punching thighs, tense & relax, gathering Qi.  Qigong exercises (6 Forms): Postures of Infinity, Tai Chi, Open & Close, Yin-Yang Harmony, Up & Down (Yang Style), Play the Lute  Foundational Movements (77 mins): Stepping Forward, Parting Wild Horse’s Mane, Brush Knee, Stepping Backward, Repulse Monkey, Stroking Bird’s Tail & Kicks  24 Forms – Step-by-step instructions (69 mins): Divided into 4 sections; Section 1: Forms 1 to 5, Section 2: Forms 6 to 9, Section 3: Forms 10 to 15 & Section 4: Forms 16 to 24. At the end of each section is a “run through” that demos all its included forms. Very helpful to break it down in this way!  Demo by Dr. Lam – front (all 24 Yang Style Forms in sequence)  Demo by Dr. Lam – back (all 24 Yang Style Forms in sequence)  Previews  Credits I noticed how I ‘feel’ the flow of the move when he demos it as opposed to just ‘think’ about it. While daily practice is key to mastering Tai Chi, there’s no way any in-class instruction could cover all of what’s included in this DVD. It has encouraged me to keep going and the confidence to continue on my own after class ends. Highly recommended! FYI: I also got Simplified Tai Chi for Beginners - 24 Form [Import ] & Tai Chi for Women [Import ] by Helen Liang.

The best instruction would come from an instructor that you like. I have a neurological problem (ataxia) that precludes my using any classes. I have a balance problem and would end up knocking down others like bowling pins. Dr Lam's video is packed with warmup and cool down exercises. He breaks down each of the forms their individual parts and shows you how to do them and then put them together. I tried for a long time looking at YouTube and never quite got it. A week of his dvd and I could at least execute three forms. They need refinement, but I can do them. He speaks slowly, but very understandable. I watched a set of instructions on YouTube. Very good video but hard to understand the teacher. I still don't know what an "aerbol" is. One kind of funny part is when he demos the 4 or 5 forms he just went through. He faces his students and starts execution. He is facing the students and they are facing him. He ends up going left and the students to the right. After a minute or two, not much left on the screen. This is still one of the best instructional videos I have used. I would recommend this as an only source or for use to assist if you are attending a class.

Die CD eignet sich wirklich sehr für das Training zu Hause. Die englischen Anweisungen von Dr. Paul Lam sind sehr verständlich.

Facile da seguire perchè va passo passo e anche se è in inglese si capisce bene.

Excellently done. Easy to understand, shown through steps very slowly and methodically. When trying to learn this from a dvd, it’s imperative that the instructor does it the same way you do it. Otherwise, it’s mirrored and almost impossible. The doctors do a great job in presenting this. It’s excellent also for beginners. Go slowly as he says and be patient...it brings good health & happiness 💁🏻. Janice