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Tai Chi Store

Nothing to do. Nowhere to go (Paperback)

Nothing to do. Nowhere to go (Paperback)

£14.99 GBP
£0.00 GBP £14.99 GBP
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*Price includes book + online course + extra materials

A visual retelling of the classic Book of the Way - The Tao Te Ching. Told though the eyes of a contemporary Tai Chi wanderer, carrying muddy boots, a warm flask, and the quiet knowing that nothing lasts.

No jargon. No judgement. Just breath, stillness, and the gentle art of letting go. 

***** "This version is grounded, clear, and refreshingly modern. The language flows like Tai Chi—simple, balanced, and unforced. It doesn’t try to impress, just to be. If you practice Tai Chi or lean toward the Taoist path, this version feels like it was made for you."

What is the Tao? Have you noticed how slippery a bar of soap is in the shower? That’s what the Tao is like—the harder you grasp, the faster it slips away.

Where is the Tao? The Tao isn’t hidden in mountaintops or grand ideas. It’s in the creak of a floorboard, the weight of your breath, the pause between thoughts.

This book doesn’t chase the Tao. It leans towards it—with simple metaphors, soft illustrations, and everyday moments where the elusive often rests.

Applying the Tao: Reading and doing are different skills. So the pages draw on Tai Chi—where philosophy moves, roots, balances, and breathes.

Nothing to Do, Nowhere to Go is a quiet celebration of living lightly, listening deeply, and standing still—especially when everyone else is shouting.

Less a guidebook, more a refuge. A 21st-century reimagining of the Tao Te Ching, drawn in soft lines and vanishing steps.

***** I’ve been waiting with bated breath. Ever since Paul announced this I have been waiting patiently. I am not disappointed.

BONUS CONTENT

All orders get access to: 

  • Audio recording of book, chapter by chapter released monthly. 
  • The Art of going Nowhere (slideshow)

AVAILABILITY:

If ordering from USA and certain other countries you will need to order direct from publisher below

BOOK DETAILS

  • Pages: 267
  • 81 illustrations
  • Weight 518g

EMAIL LINKS

Please let me know if the automated mail to notify you of additional training material does not reach you within 24 hours  - then I will manually forward this to you. 

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Customer Reviews

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J
Jerry Gray
Intuitive, relevant and humorous in the Tea Pot Monk's inimitable style.

I wish that I still had my dog-eared old first edition of Gia-Fu's and Jane English's Tao Te Ching for this picture, but it never came back the last time I loaned it out. I was introduced to Tai Chi by a student of Gia-Fu's and then by Gia-Fu himself briefly in Manitou Springs and once in the Wet Mountains. I can't say that i knew him at all from those brief encounters and I have no right to say this, but I believe that he would approve. These go well together.

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I'm humbled by your associations Jerry. I am fortunate that I still have my dog-eared copy of the Gia-Fu and Jane English edition. And it has only deepend my interest in the tao over time. Thanks for your comments 🙏

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Darryl
It’s obvious that…

It’s obvious from the text that Paul is no mystic genius, just an ordinary bloke. But what could be better? In his hands the Tao takes on something of that ordinariness, and becomes more approachable. 5 stars.

Darryl - thank you for your comment, one that encompasses the simplicity of the tao itself. 🙏

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Rick Robb
A wonderful new interpretation of the old classic.

What a wonderful interpretation of the Tao Te Ching by a longtime practitioner of Tai Chi! Read's writing has always steered away from rigidity and toeing the line of tradition; a "Free-Range Taoist" as he is know to some. This book is no different. Plus, it has a nice, clean, easy-to-read layout with lovely illustrations.
Practitioners of Tai Chi will appreciate the allusions to the practice as each chapter ties in Taoist thought with Tai Chi practice.
I've had to force myself to approach the book a short chapter at a time so as to absorb the message in each, so I haven't completely read it.
I'm a fan of the TTC interpretations by Ursula LeGuin, Ron Hogan, and William Martin. Paul Read's Nothing To Do. Nowhere to Go will take it's place along side those for regular reading.
As I am looking to imminent retirement in a few days, the title seems especially apropos 🙂.

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Stephen Finney

I have multiple versions of the Tao Te Ching and this is by far my favourite.