Customer Reviews

Chi Kung: The Chinese Art of Mastering Energy

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read other books on the introductory level about Chi Kung, including the one by Stanley Wilson. This book by Y Requena is so far one of the best. It is well organised and detailised for more in-deepth understanding of Chi Kung. It made sense for the movements I follow through when practicing.

This book goes into very good depth on all of the topics covered. The section on Standing Meditation goes into a much greater level of explanation on what you should do with the various parts of your body to get the most out of the meditation. If you have not discovered Standing Meditation, also known as Zhan Zhuang, you are missing out!! I also highly recommend the "Way of Energy", by Master Lam Kam-Chuen, ISBN 0671736450 as a starting point for Standing Meditation.

This book includes two basic forms of qi gong: standing-still qigong and moving qigong. Excellent explanation about the very detailed points of a standing-still qigong "embracing the tree." Also provides, in an efficient manner, the how-to-do of the "8 pieces of brocade" which is a famous moving qigong.

This book has excellent, but not definitive, explanations of the eight brocades set as well as the embracing the tree standing meditation. While the book has clear pointers, I have found that the eight brocades has wide variation in its practice, so that it would be wise to take the author's guidelines only as one possible way to do this form. Having been taught the embracing the tree posture by a teacher who learned it in China, I can say that there are aspects of doing this posture that probably can only be learned from someone with significant experience in China. Otherwise, this is a very clear and helpful introduction.

I was very disappointed in this book, since I ordered it based on a 5 star rating from one other reviewer. The sketches showing the various positions of the body are primitive and disconcerting, and ugly. They were so distracting I could not focus on the writing.