Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Spirit (Shing-ling-mei Wudang Qigong as taught by Master Qing Chuan Wang) [Paperback]

Katherine Orr (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2005

For millennia, the Chinese have practiced qigong to enhance body, mind and spirit. They understood that the key to good health and well-being resides within heart and mind. By using heart and mind to direct energy - qi - we can learn to balance our body and our life. Master Qing Chuan Wang is a qigong grandmaster, a gifted healer and 18th patriarch of the Wudang Qigong lineage. He brings you Shing-ling-mei Wudang qigong, an effective and uplifting practice that promotes health, healing and happiness. "Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Spirit" is written by Master Wang's wife, Katherine, who is also one of his most advanced students. Through anecdotes, personal history and clearly articulated philosophical principles, this book holds your interest. It presents an overview of the qigong tradition and thorough explanation of the form of qigong taught by Master Wang. You learn what qigong is and how it works, as well as its benefits and applications. A well-illustrated, detailed practice section provides everything needed to develop an effective practice at home. Shing-ling-mei Wudang qigong is a safe, gentle and effective practice for all ages. A companion DVD, purchased separately, features the six moving exercises illustrated in the book.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: DragonGate Publishing (March 9, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976517809
• ISBN-13: 978-0976517801
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,014,839 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A true gem waiting to be discovered., September 15, 2005

By 

Taryn Tanimoto "Grateful" (Honolulu, HI, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Spirit (Shing-ling-mei Wudang Qigong as taught by Master Qing Chuan Wang) (Paperback)

If you've stumbled across this book while doing a search, consider it no accident. As there is apparently no big marketing push to thrust this book upon you, it seems to simply be awaiting one's readiness to receive it before making itself known. In "Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Spirit" Katherine Orr has distilled the basic principles of a modern master's teachings of Wudang Qigong and conveyed them with lucid simplicity. I found something very fresh and sincere being communicated here - there was no sprinkling of over-used quotes and aphorisms of past sages; Orr's communication of Master Qing Chuan Wang's teachings stands on its own and flowed seamlessly. She covered a lot of ground, weaving a story of Wudang Qigong - a bit of its historical roots in China as it relates to this master's lifework, its philosophical principles, its scientific and medical aspects, its powerful potential to heal and transform, as well as the practical aspects of how to get started incorporating it into one's life.

Finally someone has communicated, in terms we can understand, - and literally FEEL - how to connect with this seemingly mysterious force called "qi" (pronounced "chee" - life force energy) and how to establish a life-long relationship with it through a gentle daily practice. While there is much to read about and reflect on in content, what this book does so well, with each chapter, is paint a picture of what "qi" is and what it feels like through the sensitivity of this master. Beyond any visual image or mental concept that might be conjured up, this picture is a feeling - the very essence of something subtle yet powerful, something ever-changing, vibrant and alive - as life itself. This is not a picture easily painted but Katherine Orr does it with grace - her writing the very embodiment of this art form itself.

Yes, the easy-to-follow movements in the book are pleasurable and centering (and even easier to follow with the companion DVD), however, what I found most profound about the practices - which are like fluid moving meditations - is their ability to take me beyond mind, to both calm and lift the spirit, to transport and transform. There are so many wonderful and powerful truths presented in this book - read it, experience it for yourself and you will feel yourself tapping in to qi - and to a whole "new," yet ever-present, reality.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Genuinely Valuable Addition to the Qigong Literature, January 28, 2006

By 

Dr. Richard G. Petty (Atlanta) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Spirit (Shing-ling-mei Wudang Qigong as taught by Master Qing Chuan Wang) (Paperback)

There are a lot of books that have been written by folk with little practical experience of qigong or knowledge of the fact that it is a comprehensive way of leading your life, rather than just a set of breathing exercises and meditations.

It is clear from the very beginning that this is someone who "walks the talk." Not only does it ring true, but there is also something else that speaks to the authenticity of the book: I was taught many of the exercises by a qigong Master in Nanjing, China, in 1991. And to my knowledge, they have never been published anywhere else.

The book is a fascinating narrative, as well as a set of practices. It does not attempt to provide details of some of the very interesting research that is being done into qigong, so it will not convince a sceptic. Unless he or she will give it a try!

Enjoyable and empowering!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars clear and organized and practical, August 5, 2007

By 

Cynthia (Mariposa, CA, United States) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Beautiful Heart, Beautiful Spirit (Shing-ling-mei Wudang Qigong as taught by Master Qing Chuan Wang) (Paperback)

The book is well organized and offers practical information for someone trying to begin or enhance practice. I did not experience any of this text as esoteric. The exercise instruction is very clear. In the exercise section, the pictures are simple and amazingly instructive. After reading this book, I felt confident I had learned a valuable practice. Put another way, I was not confused, overwhelmed, or left wondering. This book is well worth its cost, indeed worth more.