This is the 10th book in Castaneda's opus, and unlike the previous 9 books, it is more of an instruction manual than a narrative. The book starts with an observation how Carlos saw Don Juan cracking his joints and stretching his arms and body so often in the past, but Don Juan never really explained what it was he was doing. Here he explains that the "spirit" gave different physical movements to different sorcerers in the past in order to keep them in top physical shape, so they can continue the spiritual practices into old age. Even though these movements/passes are given to individuals, and each individual (from the Castaneda sorcerers band) had only two or three max, here Castaneda gathers all the passes which were received by anyone he knew, cleaned them of personalizations and is presenting them here as a group.
The passes are divided in several groups, according to their purpose, and resemble a vigorous Tai Chi practice. There are rumors that Castaneda actually learned the passes from a traveling Chinese teacher, but there are so many rumors about Castaneda, it is best to ignore them and just enjoy his work.
Each group of passes starts with an introduction about the group, what function they serve and some anecdotes from Castanedas training with Don Juan that are relevant. The passes are illustrated by simple monochromatic images and in-depth text descriptions. It is questionable whether the practice of the passes could bring about the energetic renaissance that Castaneda is talking about, but they are definitely good for the body.
