About the Book

What if everything you’ve been taught about learning Tai Chi is backwards? After eleven years of frustrating practice in the American South, China, and Mexico, William Broughton Burt abandoned formal Tai Chi—and immediately discovered his body performing it perfectly. This breakthrough revealed a profound truth: authentic Tai Chi emerges from understanding principles, not memorizing choreography.

Tai Chi: Moving at the Speed of Truth presents forty-nine fundamental principles that unlock this ancient art’s transformative power. From “Eighty Percent Effort” to “Audacity,” each principle builds toward a practice that’s uniquely yours. Burt’s journey—from karate black belt seeking “magic” to discovering the “inner glow” of chi energy—illuminates a path accessible to any Western practitioner.

With irreverent humor and uncompromising honesty, Burt exposes why traditional teaching methods fail Western students, why the Chinese government stripped Tai Chi of its spiritual essence, and how you can reclaim this powerful technology for consciousness evolution. Whether you’re a frustrated practitioner, a curious beginner, or someone seeking gentle healing movement, this book offers the conceptual overview that makes genuine transformation possible.