Product Review: Eight Verses of Brocade Tai Chi and Chiropractic The Way of Regaining Power By John Gearon     Here is my testimonial on how Master Peter Hill’s Tai Chi program was indispensable to my back injury recovery. After sustaining a back injury to the L5-S1 vertebrae, I was examined by my doctor and a specialist. The specialist determined that, in his opinion, surgery was the only option available. I told him that I’d try a program of chiropractic and Tai Chi (Qigong) for 30 days and revisit him. If he did not see a substantial improvement and a trend toward recovery, I would elect surgery.     For the next 30 days, I made visits to the chiropractor and started practicing the Eight Verses of Brocade. The chiropractic treatment kept my spine in alignment and reduced the pain, while the 8 Verses allowed me to stay flexible without causing further injury. The first step was to start slowly. The advantage of this set (and all sets) is that you can gauge your progress daily by how much progress you make on each movement. The * Verses include the following: support the sky, shoot the bow, splitting palms, chi pack/massage, tiger sits on rock, blowing bellows, hit the tree/split the sky, and connect the core.     I started by customizing the 8 verses to my specific needs. You can do the set in the order that suits your situation. I started with movements that allowed me to move up and down while maintaining good posture. These moves are support the sky, splitting palms and energy pack. This was important since any movement done incorrectly at this point in my recovery could cause further injury.     After gaining strength in these moves, I added the movements that would strengthen my upper back. These included shoot the bow and hit the tree/split the sky. These two sets strengthened my back and allowed me to add more strenuous exercises like tiger sits on rock which enabled me to gain strength and flexibility in my legs.     Lastly, I added the movement that allowed me to bend over – blowing bellows and then the relaxation/dispersal exercise, connect the core. All through the program, I increased the number or repetitions and length of each “stretch” to the extent that I could. This, along with the focused breathing,  enabled me to very carefully recover from this injury without the risk of surgery.     Upon revisiting the specialist, I was dismissed from his care. He remarked at the measurable improvement in strength and flexibility. Specifically, he initially thought I had very little chance of recovering without surgery. After I explained my method of rehab myself, he said it was a sound method and to continue the program to reduce the chances of re-injury.