Andrew Townsend is a retired college professor and an instructor of Taijiquan. He has been practicing taijiquan for thirty-five years and was certified as a Tai Chi Instructor by Grandmaster Jesse Tsao in 2005. Mr. Townsend became a disciple of Dr. Tsao in 2016. Under his teacher, he is a 13th generation lineage holder in the Chen family system of taijiquan. In 2025, Andrew received his 7th duan belt ranking in taijiquan. Andrew is the author of fourteen books on the art of Taijiquan, including Tai Chi Essentials, The Tai Chi Teacher’s Handbook, The Art of Taijiquan, and The Principles and Practice of Taijiquan series.

Andrew is also a lifelong meditator and was certified as a teacher of Transcendental Meditation (TM) in 1975. He has also studied Vipassana meditation and Taoist meditation and is the author of The Tao of Mindfulness, Wu Wei – The Tao of Non-Doing, and The How of Now.

Andrew and his wife, Deya, who appears in this and his other books on taijiquan, live and teach in Flager Beach, Florida. In addition to practicing and teaching taijiquan, qigong, and meditation, he is an avid surfer and a veteran traveler. He can be contacted via email at andrewtownsendbooks@gmail.com