Qigong Books

This book clearly explains the root of arthritis, and tells how the Chinese have dealt with it through self-healing for centuries. It is simple, anyone can do it, and I only wish I had found this book sooner! I recommend it to anyone, for healing, or especially prevention!

This book has about 2 good essays, which are about 5 pages each. There are some exercises which most people with arthritis could not perform. I work with elderly people and teach Qi gong to them. Most of the exercises are not specific to arthritis any more than T'ai Chi or any other Qi gong style would be.
I have many fine books from the author, this is not one of them.

Though this was my first experience in Qigong, I found the tapes clear and easy to follow. A good source of meditation material for self-help as well as for teaching others.

I had to re-wind a few sections to get down the instructions for the qigong exercises right. It may be better if there was a diagram to show what you should really be doing. Not for the audio-impaired learner or for the visual-learner, but it is quite interesting and I think I'm starting to get the hang of it! It might just be easier to practice yoga or go to the gym to energize your body, but I believe activating your qi is far more beneficial, provided that you're able to follow the instructions and don't fall asleep while listening to the tape.

This is more a testimonial to the Tibetan Qigong of Master Zi Sheng Wang than a narrative or biography. If one is considering studying Qigong or seeking relief from a health complication it would be wise to read this book and decide for ones self.

I've gone to one of Master Wang's workshops and find his approach to healing to be unique. This book is not by him, but by a follower, and so doesn't have much theory. Still, it helps explain the experience of being treated by Wang, and how it improves health.

Master Wang is one of China's great energy healers and a fascinating personality who has visited America for several years to teach Taoist & Tibetan Qigong. I have attended a dozen of his healing workshops and recommended several acupuncture patients to attend, & he gets results. So I would like to give this book high rating but that's not possible. Although it gives basic background and presents some interviews of people who benefit from treatments, it really misses the chance to present either a portrait of a wonderful, fascinating healer or an in-depth examination of an extraordinary healing modality. This is more like an advertising document, descriptions of workshops are lifted from the healing brochure, and most of the details could be heard by anyone who attends a couple of workshops. In a day and age when there exists a substantial body of excellent literature on Qigong, Taoism, Budhhism & Tibetan studies, this book still preaches on the tired theme that the West doesn't understand Eastern philosophy. Still, anyone who reads this is encouraged to attend Master Wang's healings & workshops, and you can easily get your own ideas beyond what is offered here.

If any reader had purchased or read any of Yang's other books on qigong, they would have easily extracted the very same information without having to read through this vapid rehashed material presented as possibly something new in the treatment of back illnesses and injuries. Yang does have over 30 schools around the world with thousands of loyal students who love show support for him by highly-rating his works whether the work is worthy or not. Buyer beware or ratings.

Now in a revised second edition, Back Pain Relief is a user-friendly guide to using Qigong, an alternative medicinal treatments originating in China, to help with chronic back pain. Definitions, diagrams, Qigong exercises and philosophy explained in-depth, and much more fill this practical guide. Author Yang, Jwing-Ming Ph.D. is a skilled martial arts and Qigong teacher of over thirty-five years' experience, and his wisdom shows through in plain terms readily accessible to the lay reader. Back Pain Relief is very highly recommended reading, especially for anyone who has run up against the limits of traditional Western medicine in an attempt to cope with recurring back pain.

The author of this book seemed a little fruity to me at first, which only became reinforced the further into this book I got. His idea of healthy exercise is childishly ridiculous. One example of this is his deer exercise in which you simply mimic a deer by putting extended palms next to your ears to simulate antlers, and then prance about like a ballerina (pgs 137-141). This is supposedly done to help with problems with the kidneys, but he never explains how he figured that one out - as is the case with all the supposed physiological benefits of his exercises. Then his claims of the existence of "fajing" and "Qi balls" (pgs 172-180) only undermine his credibility even more, especially with his pathetic attempt to prove the existence of Qi balls with the obviously staged photos he took of this in action (pgs 176-178).

For a person with a Phd, I would expect him to at least have a clue what Tai Chi or Qigong is all about, but he clearly does not (see my review of Pain Free by Pete Egoscue). I know of many people who have practiced Tai Chi and Qigong and they all brag about how it has made them FEEL younger and FEEL more fit, but the real life 24-step Tai Chi method requires too much room for use in limited spaces (like for practicing at home), so I thought that standing meditation might be an alternative. I should have known from the title that this was New Age nonsense from the start and I recommend that no one waste their time to buy or read this book if they are serious about these kind of exercises.

Dr. Mayer brings numerous perspectives (Western psychologist, storyteller, student of Greek civilization) to his 30+ years of practice of Qigong to deliver an easy-to-read guide to this Chinese method of healing. His broad learning allows Dr. Mayer to share insights and ideas that help both novice and experienced practitioner obtain a deeper experience of the stances and movements that he clearly describes (with accompanying photos). His academic training shows through the logical and systematic development of ideas and exercises in the book. Overall, it was really easy to read, and also easy to use as a guide to various "sets" of Qigong methods for "bodymind healing". The appendices which give a guide to exercises for self-healing and research are useful for quick reference, as well. A great buy.

This book gives some background, and a good deal of introductory information, on the Chinese art of QiGong. It is well illustrated, and it's small, pocket size makes it ideal for when you're on the go. It is by no means a be-all, end-all book on QiGong, and I would not even recommend it as the first book you should pick up if you're new to QiGong, but it does serve as an adequate introduction.

There are a few things I dislike about this book. For starters, they spend a lot of time (and pages) on a long White Crane form, instead of introducing readers to simpler, more approachable exercies such as The Eight Pieces of Brocade. Also, having all of the models in this book dress alike makes them look like cult members (the chick with the crew cut doesn't help)!

If you're new to QiGong, I recommend "The Way Of QiGong" by Kenneth Cohen instead.

What is qi? What is the flow of Qi? Where and what is the qi in your body? Mis-interpretation of qi has blocked Chinese logic thinking and medicine development for quite a while. "The flow of qi" means "the flow of blood", also means "the flow of force/energy". What has caused the flow of blood? The force from the vibration of heart causes the flow of blood. "You feel the flow of qi" means "you feel the flow of blood in your body". With a relaxed body and mind, your hands may feel the flow of something within your body, this is called qi by ancient chinese. Author is trying to tell certain truth about qi and qigong from scientific point of view. I think it is worth to read if you are seeking the truth.

Lin Zixin et al's new book "Qigong: Chinese Medicine orPseudoscience?" is among the few Qigong books that tried to conduct some scientific exploration of the Qigong essence. If you are seriously looking for Qigong's scientific background, or planning to conduct some scientific research on Qigong and its applications, this book will definitely be helpful to avoid you from taking all Qigong as granted truth, and from simplifying the research design. >> The book consists of five chapters: 1. Traditional Chinese Medicine and Qigong, started with the glorious history of Qigong, it reveals the ancient origin of Qigong, some important methods, facts about Qigong and the benefits of Qigong practice. 2. External Qigong, it basically denies the very existence of external Qigong and criticizes some famous research on external Qigong done in the 1980s. Authors claimed the essence of Qigong is mind activities or psychological effects. 3. Itinerant Quackery, completely denied the possibility that Qigong may be used to diagnose diseases, and revealed how some street quackery used the name of "Qigong super abilities" to cheat patients. 4. The Debate on Human Extraordinary Ability vs. Qigong (Inner Kung Fu), it discloses some fake Qigong demonstrations and the reality of unsuccessful efforts to examine the human extraordinary ability, and criticizes four famous Chinese Qigongists. 5. Qigong and Ultra Deviation, it explains the major symptoms of so-called "ultra deviation" (Zhou Huo Ru Mo) in Qigong practice, why it occurs, and how to avoid it. It is not hard to see what attitude the authors possess in terms of scientific nature of Qigong. >> Unfortunately it is a cruel fact that there are much more fake Qigong masters out there than real honest Qigong masters, both in China and in the United States, and these fake Qigong masters brought more harm or disturbance than good or benefit in promoting Qigong and Qigong research. Lin Zixin's book will non-doubt help readers to identify some major quackeries of fake Qigong masters or medical Qigong practitioners who lack of knowledge of Qigong essence. >> The book was coauthored by six Chinese scholars, some of them are popular debunkers of pseudoscience, and all of them have publicly criticized the research of external Qigong in China. As one of the many academic perspectives about Qigong research, there is nothing wrong for them to state their perspectives publicly. However, the timing of its publication with some out-of-date research data make readers suspect its political motivation and possible government sponsorship. Some of the authors are supposed to be serious scientists; but the way they presented data, and the conclusions they reached based on very limited observations really lack of objectivity and scientific seriousness... END

This book is an obvious attempt by governmental authorities in the PRC to "poo-poo" the whole notion of chi. Certainly, there are charlatans everywhere and China has more than its share of them but the "experiments" conducted alleged "scientists" leave me wondering about the credibility of the entire book.
All in all, the book is a terrible disappointment and a waste of time. I'd much rather read some serious research data conducted by qualified scientists-

The author appears to know a lot about Tai Chi and QiGong. Unfortunately the book is not easy to read thanks to poor grammer, style, and general writing skilling.

examples:

1)The Chinese government sponsored a research group to study the effects that QiGong creates in the body. It is through this type of effort that our Western desire to have data will be satisfied.

2) Jim, after having been a runner for many years, was finding that although running was a joy and a passion, it was not helping his overall mobility.