Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong: A Miracle Health System for Developing Chi [Paperback]

Bruce Frantzis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 23, 2010 | ISBN-10: 1556439210 | ISBN-13: 978-1556439216 | Edition: 1

Practiced by millions in China to release stress and maintain robust health, Dragon and Tiger qigong is also used to help prevent and heal cancer and to mitigate the effects of radiation and chemotherapy. Frantzis chose Dragon and Tiger from among several hundred sets he researched because its seven simple movements are easy to learn and offer about 80 percent of the health benefits found in the more complex sets of 50–100 movements.

Dragon and Tiger qigong uses simple body movements to accomplish the same chi balancing as acupuncture. Each movement is designed to stimulate not just a single meridian but groups of meridians. In Chinese medicine, the tiger is a metaphor for a strong, healthy liver and powerful muscles, and the dragon is a metaphor for healthy and strong lungs. The Dragon and Tiger form accomplishes three major changes in the body necessary for healing: it releases stagnant chi energy; increases the speed, strength, and evenness of the circulation of chi, blood, and other fluids; and quickly raises the body’s energy levels to boost its natural healing capacities. With over 150 illustrations accompanying clear, thorough instructions, Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong offers an accessible and effective path to health and healing.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong gives people a powerful way to take charge of their health and well-being.”
—Kenneth Lossing, DO, Member of the Board of Governors of the American Academy of Osteopathy
 
“In this book, Bruce Frantzis maps out vital self-healing practices, with over 650 illustrations, showing you how to boost your immune system and cultivate your body’s capacity to heal.”
—Michael Reed Gach, PhD, founder of the Acupressure Institute and the author of Acupressure’s Potent Points
 
“Because Dragon and Tiger is a simple and effective qigong practice, it is taught to students at the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine. Tracing the meridian lines helps our students to become more sensitive to both their own and their patients’ chi and enables them to become better acupuncturists.”
—John and Angela Hicks, Joint Principals, College of Integrated Chinese Medicine, Reading, England, and coauthors of Five Element Constitutional Acupuncture

About the Author

Bruce Frantzis is a Taoist Lineage Master with over 40 years of experience in Eastern healing systems. He has taught Taoist energy arts to more than 20,000 students. The author of eight books, including Tao of Letting Go and Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body, he lives in San Anselmo, CA.

Product Details

• Paperback: 262 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books; 1 edition (November 23, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556439210
• ISBN-13: 978-1556439216
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 0.6 x 9.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,062 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #33 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Exercise & Fitness > Tai Chi & Qi Gong

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great book for those with no teacher in which to learn from., February 27, 2011

By 

RB (Rocky Mountains, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong: A Miracle Health System for Developing Chi (Paperback)

Of the Qigong books I have looked at or read (about 15), I feel this is the most clear for those without the benefit of having a teacher. Combining it with the DVD series would be wise, for reasons mentioned by the other reviewer, Robert Hughes. However, I wouldn't say the DVDs were absolutely necessary for everyone, particularly for those who have some degree of coordination in hand and foot movements from studying other types of Qigong or the martial arts. For those people, supplementing this book with the Youtube videos might be all they'd need to get decent gain. To paraphrase the author, "the beauty of Dragon & Tiger is that even an approximation of the movements will give the practitioner benefits".

Also, like the aforementioned reviewer, I wouldn't say learning it well is "easy". However, it's certainly far easier than some of the other styles of Qigong and not difficult for those with the patience and willingness to follow a slow and methodical step by step process, especially with a full height mirror to watch.

Now for my gripe. I would have gladly given this book 5 stars had all the moves been presented together in the back. Instead, Energy Arts wants you to buy that for $14.95 additional in the form of a poster. While the poster would be much more convenient than flipping through a few pages, I believe the complete set of moves should have been part of the book. The poster could have still been sold separately for its convenience.

In summary, other than the above gripe, this is a great detailed step by step book with no language related barriers.

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it's in the details, February 7, 2011

By 

Robert Hughes (Post Falls, Idaho, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong: A Miracle Health System for Developing Chi (Paperback)

I've been studying this material for about 3 or 4 months.
Both this book and the DVDs are necessary to get the most out of the awesome Dragon and Tiger form.
But make no mistake about it, although it's a short 7-movement form, it's not easy to perform correctly.
The most important feature of this book is the sections for each movement that show how to "Coordinate Breathing with the Movements" and the "Integration and Practice." These sections include a graphic showing when to begin inhaling, when to finish inhaling, when to begin exhaling and when to finish exhaling.
Detail?
For example, take Movement 4 (Tiger Separates Her Cubs): In Step 3 (Coordinate Breathing with the Movements) we see that you should inhale during 80% of your outgoing arm movement and then exhale during the last 20% as you extend your palm out.
So what?
This detail is crucial to its detoxifying effect on your heart--or as Bruce puts it, "bringing peace, compassion and balance into your heart."
And when you coordinate such "flicks" with the folding and unfolding of the groin (kwa) as in Movement-2, it becomes even more powerful.
These details then can be applied to all movements of any style of Tai Chi Quan.
This book is a treasure for the highly dedicated practitioner of Qigong.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dragon and Tiger: Another excellent Bruce Frantiz work, January 2, 2011

By 

John A. Joerg - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Dragon and Tiger Medical Qigong: A Miracle Health System for Developing Chi (Paperback)

Bruce Jumar Frantiz, as a practicing Taoist and as a lineage master, is always on target in whatever he writes, and it's so nice that his first language is English. On the basic level, Dragon and Tiger is straight forward and clear. It's a good, interesting book with good, solid information. That said, it's a part of a larger work, so it doesn't stand alone. He also has a 2 volume DVD set that belongs with the book. Both the book and the DVD set are outstanding works on the ancient Taoist Water Method of Qigong. We're quite fortunate to have a work like this released.
It's quite exciting!