Qigong Books

Yes, I am enough of a feminist to want empowerment and when this book was offered to me I thought it sounded somewhat interesting although I'm not big on Eastern philosophy. Pleasantly, I found that much of what Yanling suggested was plain ole' common sense. We all know that we need exercise, diet, positive thinking. She adds some Asian herbs and accupuncture to the mix. While I think some of the food choices are not appetizing to me, we know that vegetable proteins are more healthful...I just happen to love my steak! But the idea of qigong is to balance your life and body, so I figure I can fit a steak in once in a while. Some of the "old Chinese proverbs" sound suspiciously like the ones quoted in "Poor Richard's Almanac"...maybe that's where old Ben found them. Anyway, they are tried and true...and that's my biggest complaint about the book: I've heard all this before. Still, it is an easy read and if you're into Chinese eating, meditation, exercise and healing, then this one offers some ideas you might want to explore.

Qigong is the fine art of relaxation through movement and meditation, offering women the potential for holistic fitness even if they face a busy workday with only a few minutes' time. This manual tells how to heal injuries and illnesses, cope with depression and aging, and how to apply qigong to many situations.

This work introduces a qigong medical style created around five decades ago (by one of author`s teachers), aimed towards beginners. This seems to have been created specifically for targeting specific health problems, and actually the exercises are targeted to specific organs (5 of them; actually 10 - in the Chinese medicine internal organs are paired, e.g. lungs and large intestine); there is also another one for an pseudo organs translated as "Triple Burner", Triple Heater" ot "Triple Warmer", which Chinese doctors consider to be important in balancing energies of the body and preventing illnesses. I've learned from Dr. Jwing-Ming Yang's "Eight pieces of brocade" DVD - targeted for beginners too - that usually in qigong one exhales when moving the arms towards the body, but for medical styles this is usually opposite. Well, the style described in this book fits that description.
The book begins by talking about what is qigong, its history in China, and reasons to practice it. One somewhat unique feature of the style presented here is that various but specific sounds are used during exhalation - each sound being "connected" to a pair of internal organs. Since ancient times, there are six healing sounds in the Taoist tradition (for the five organ pairs and one for the Triple Burner) - and this modern style created specific exercises to enhance the power of the sounds. According to the author, this qigong style speeds up the heat exchange from the different organs, moving the heat through the digestive system and then allowing it to escape from the mouth as a sound.
The author then touches about the importance of relaxing ("regulating") the mind, body and breath for an efficient practice, and presents the basic postures of Qigong. He then talks about breathing, which is something absolutely essential to our well being. In this style, during breathing you also use tongue and PC muscles (those that can stop urine stream). There is a chapter on minor but yet important issues, such as preparation, where to practice, when and when not to practice (this includes specific advice for women; there are very few qigong books introducing different advices for men and women - traditionally, it was a men's practice, but since last century women have started training and some female specific effects are yet to be found). Master Mark advices how much to practice as a beginner, and about normal effects of qigong (indicating progress) and abnormal (showing the technique is incorrect).
The main chapter describes the 6 exercises (5 organ pairs plus the Triple Heater), plus an exercise to be done and the beginning of the set, at the end, and between the organ exercises. Although there are some places where more explanations are to be desired, generally the text is very clear, and there are lots of pictures, showing the flow. Again, difference between men and women is emphasized for some aspects of the execution. For each exercise, in addition to movements and sounds, there is a table presenting the association of the organ in Chinese tradition (e.g heart: small intestine/South/fire/red/bitter etc. - see the book), and it ends with a description (and picture) of the acupuncture meridian of that organ, also telling at what time of that is that organ most active. The five organ pairs are: heart/small intestine, liver/gall bladder, lungs/large intestine, kidneys/bladder, spleen/stomach.
The book also presents additional exercises - some of them available in other books - but here the exhale is also using the sounds.
Finally, the last chapter talks about how energy (Qi) travels in the body, about the two most important channels (vessels) - which are the base of acupuncture - and how through persistent practice one can open them. As a conclusion, Master Mark tells us that Qigong can heal ailments, and this style is particularly suited for that purpose.
All in all, this is a good book - it's practical and has a lot of pictures - but doesn't go too deep in explaining the theory behind, which is probably a good thing for beginners.

My Beijing born doctor of oriental medicine recommends this book as a"Western friendly" authentic overview of Chinese medicine. It covers not only accupuncture, but many more aspects of traditional Chinese medicine. Lots of pictures and easy to comprehend explanations of the mysteries of Chinese holistic treatment.

This is a typically workman-like product of the Chinese Foreign Languages Press, that has been putting out textbooks for many years. It is comprehensive and well-produced.

The reaons for the four stars rather than five is this: although the techniques can indeed be used by an individual as part of a self care program, this book requires a fair amount of knowledge about finding specific acupuncture points. Though they are illustrated, it can be hard to find some of them from the pictures. Secondly most contemporary Chinese acupuncturists acknowledge that although some acupuncture points are always in pretty much the same place, the positions of some of the points are not precise, and have to be found by palpation. If a person hasn't been shown how to do that, they may miss the spot, and then it is less likely that the treatment will be effective.

So the main audience for this book will be acupuncturists who want to give their patients some homework. And for that it is first rate.

This is a classic book written by someone who knows their Chi Kung. A word of warning is appropriate. There are lots of choices so its hard to figure out which set to start on. Also, the usual caveat when it comes to learning from a book without a 'hands on' Master who can usually correct errors which can cause harm. A good book for learning all about a number of Chi Kung forms for the practioner who already has access to a teacher outside of Mainland China.

Books on qi gong tend to have two flaws: being overly practical (move this way) or burying the beginner in theory. This book picks a nice middle ground, where theroy and practical concerns are mixed. The authors attempt to put qi qong in relations to modern science (not badly done) and religions (totally misunderstands Christianity). Practice advice is given for the beginner and a fair bit of theory (in readable terms). It's a good book and one I'd recommend to a beginner. A less silted writing styles and more illustrations would be nice but its definitely worth the money.

Ken Cohen tapes are easy to listen to and understand. Through them the listener gaines a working knowledge of a complex philosophy. The breathing tapes are extremely helpful as are the meditations included in one volume. If you are looking for a very good introduction to Qigong this three volume set is the perfect place to start. However there is one caveate to be aware of. This set is a compilation of three individual tapes he released in previous years. If you buy this set, there is no need to order the others as individuals. This is not necessarily made clear in the description of the tapes and one could find himself duplicating his order.

I don't think I would agree with all the analysis of Chinese government and politics in the book. But I was amazed by the amount of details the author was able to collect and clearly presented about the Qigong related events in China's recent history. Much of these were very informative for Chinese and foreigners alike. Since Qigong is a significant part of Chinese culture and heritage from their more than 5 thousand years history, I think this book is valuable for those who are interested in China and Chinese culture.

Having trained with Master Ou myself, I can attest to the fact that he is a very high level qigong master. He has cured many of diseases, has body-sensing ability, and can do long-distance healing across thousands of miles. Though this qigong is simple in form, the results are much better if you learn from Master Ou or one of his instructors in person. This is because they actually send you qi during the training to speed your progress. This book makes a great companion to learning the form in person, though I would not use it alone.

It's a wonderful book. It explained the profound Qigong theory in a simple way and introduced a simple but effecient method to improve one's health and energy (Qi) level.
In a nutshell, it really works right away!

This is a pretty awful book for any person who either casually or seriously wants to persue fitness, health or even the spiritual aspects of Taiji or Qigong. I'ts the best example of "snake oil" I have seen in a long time. There are other examples of course. The more people become aware of Qigong, the more the "Do-it-yourself Masters" get out there and publish their "Own Family Secret Qigong". Maybe I should do that too. No prior knowledge of Taiji or Qigong required. This book is a good example of this and is a complete waste of time following the practice and spending the money. Yoga, Pilates, Taiji will do the trick.

Words, Words, Words,....... Love, Love, Love,.........Self promotion, Self promotion, Self promotion.
Absolutely and completely a waste of money. A childish routine that for sure won't hurt anyone but very easy to sell if packed with newage/mistical/oriental/pacefull package. Looks like the manifest of a scientific church (of course to practice correctly and teach you must belong to the "church" or you get lost from the correct pat). Anyway,IN MY OPINION, if you are looking for something (very easy, without any effort, absolutely not demanding) that will keep you in a temporary and false "state of grace" like whatever synthetic commercial new age practice with an nice Oriental flavor, this is the book for you.
If on the contrary you are really looking for knowing Qi Gong,well there are a lot of serious and exaustive Books to buy.

At first I had good feelings about this book, but as I got into it I discovered that it is very shallow in theory and spent a lot of time promoting the author and his products. The forms used in the book are good when practiced daily and would be a nice addition to a more complete Qigong workout, but by themselves they lack completeness. I was especially turned off when the author stated that if you practiced certain things without his approval it could injure you. The particular exercise he was talking about, at the level he was teaching is totally safe and deserves better treatment.

A must have book if you are interested in Yang style Taijiquan, at any level (novice to advanced), and for whichever reason (health and/or martial art). Ideal if accompanied by the corresponding dvd by the same title. Not a substitute for person to person classes, but an excellent source of additional insight and reinforcement. I have personally noticed great improvement in my practice and so have my instructors and fellow classmates. I am advancing much quicker since I bought the book and dvd.

This book is a little too ambitious in trying to cover a lot of ground: history of Chinese martial arts and taijiquan, what is qigong, what is taijiquan, photographs of the Yang long form, a few applications, and more. Unfortunately it is rambling with a lot of digressions of the author's own opinions on how taijiquan is "spiritual" - a little bit too long winded to be of practical benefit. Several reviewers mentioned the book draws on some of the author's other books so perhaps that explains this effect. Good basic content, but better editing would have made the book more organized and easier to read and study. There are some good practical tips on actual practice spruced throughout but they can be hard to spot. Overall, a more concise book focused on these tips would be much more beneficial. There are also too many self-serving references to the author's other books, which I found a little annoying. It seems he is more interested in selling a lot of different books than in writing one really good one. However, the photographs are of very high quality and the pages and binding seemed fine to me.

The bottom line:
If you are BRAND NEW to the art and want to read a lot of context and commentary surrounding taijiquan, this book may be worthwhile for you. If you have been studying for a while and are looking mainly for practical tips on principles, this may not be the best book for you. There are other excellent books you should check out such as Fu Zhongwen's Mastering Yang Style Taijiquan.

As a novice I have collected most of Dr. Yang's writings on Qigong and Taijiquan, as well as some tapes and dvd's. His background is well worth looking into, particularly the 25-page account in the Journal of Asian Martial Arts (Michael A. DeMarco, interviewer, Vol 12, Number 2, 2003) currently available on the YMAA website.

In this book Dr. Yang recaps the high points of his earlier foundation books on Qigong (Chi Kung), so that this text can be considered complete by itself. However, while those books go into more detail and have more Qi training exercises, Dr. Yang adds new content here.

At a glance, pages 66 to 76 contain completely original material. He also cites "The Body Electric" by Robert O. Becker, the man who healed "hopeless" fractures with subtle electrical currents. The first 100 pages deal with background, historical surveys, and anecdotes.

Published literature has contention over what the real Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) is and should be. Whether a flowery dance, a health-giving exercise, or the ultimate form of moving meditation aimed at enlightenment.

The gist of Dr. Yang's argument is that authentic Taijiquan has both spiritual and martial roots. That proper theoretical perspective, combined with disciplined practice, leads to the deep levels of Taiji. Simply, he sees Taijiquan (Tai Chi Chuan) as a sophisticated progression of Qi (Chi) exercises.

However, saying and doing are two separate things. Another 80 pages are devoted to fundamental stances and Taiji Qigong exercises, all illustrated with photographs and arrow lines showing movement. The final 120 pages go to the 113 posture long sequence itself. (These two sections contain 489 photographs of Dr. Yang demonstrating the movements.)

Three considerations. First, the numbering system and page layout of the photographs can be a pain, so be ready with a pencil. Second, the printing and binding of this book could be better, so think of it as a training manual and get on with your practice. Third, Dr. Yang's writing style reads as "thought in Chinese and diagrams, written in English." Sometimes it takes effort and time to reach the deeper meaning of his writing.

The companion DVD and book make an exceptional combination. While the printing and binding of the book rates slightly below standard, the production quality of the DVD gets superior marks.

Basically, if you don't already have Dr. Yang's previous books on qigong, you won't be bothered by the repetition of old material of which most of this book consists. Also, it contains a (the?) entire long form of yang style tai chi. However, I am puzzled as to what this form has to do or how it is connected to Yang Ban Hou, especially as this book is sold by suggesting that this is his form - he isn't even featured in the index, there is no information on him in the book, and I was under the impression that he performed a small frame of tai chi, unlike the form portrayed in this book. Lastly, there is no explicit mention of any fast movements (fajing), which is also one of the selling points on the corresponding website, nor does it have a step by step explanation of how fajing is to be performed. Overall, it is my impression that this book has been hastily put together and perhaps in a future edition, these deficits will be corrected.

My humble opinion,

Alex van Deelen

I have developed a deeper interest in martial arts, especially Taijiquan and Baguazhang, only recently. Dr. Yang's book answered many of my questions about the religious, philosophical, and spiritual roots of Taijiquan. I appreciate the time and effort spent in teaching this background information in the clear and understandible form in which it is presented. I recommend this book as excellent supplemental reading for Taijiquan history, philosophy, and understanding while studying the art itself.