Qi Dao - Tibetan Shamanic Qigong: The Art of Being in the Flow [Paperback]

Lama Somananda Tantrapa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 23, 2007

In this ground-breaking book, Lama Somananda Tantrapashares the ancient wisdom of Tibetan Shamanic Qigong in a simple and practicalway. Discovering, testing and applying its principles will remarkably enhanceyour vitality with greater attentiveness, awareness and presence. It will helpyou transform and enlighten your life by developing a culture of movement thatis naturally graceful and harmonious. It will also provide you with profoundpsychological and spiritual insights into the true nature of health,relationships and other issues that teach you to approach life challenges aslearning opportunities rather than problems. By practicing Qi Dao, you will unifyyour body, mind and spirit, empowering your whole being to live in harmony withthe flow of the entire universe.Click here to order the companion DVD

Editorial Reviews

Review

This book is the first in an intended series by Lama Somananda Tantrapa. It is comprehensive, detailed and thorough. I learned a lot from reading it, and became aware of subtleties, aspects and dimensions I had previously missed, or had not paid attention to. In this book he opens new windows, doors, pictures and dimensions to peer through. These are not just sets of good practices and exercises, which are sensible for anybody to do in order to develop their 6th sense, which he calls Kinesthetic Awareness, but there is so much more. The book is peppered and spiced with quotations and stories from the classics, which, like the Zen Master's bamboo stick, kept waking me back up as to why we practice Qigong. Doing these practices will certainly help make you fitter, more flexible, healthier and happier. I certainly recommend reading it, and doing the practices. And he provides DVD's to follow up with. --James McRitchie, the Founder of the National Qigong Association, author of Chi Kung: Energy for Life: An Introduction to the art of cultivating your energy

Lama Tantrapa has shared his precious family tradition revealing the connection between the way you hold yourself and your culture of movement. Experiencing these teachings will help you release Qi blockages through creative and personal movement practice. It will stimulate you to reveal and manifest innate life dreams as you establish a new paradigm of consciousness for yourself. The most profound dream experiences happened to me after reading this book on more than one occasion. Many doors were opened to deeper and deeper layers of awareness and insight into the intricacies of my subconscious. I feel different as a result. The experiences helped me understand something about myself energetically and gave me a new awareness of the code of my being on this earth. I certainly hope you will delve into this wonderful book to find greater healing, peace and joy in your life. --Shoshanna Katzman, Former President of the National Qigong Association, author of Qigong for Staying Young: A Simple 20-Minute Workout to Culitivate Your Vital Energy

In this book, Lama Tantrapa goes straight to the essence of Qi Dao teachings that self-realization is synonymous with being in the flow. In doing so, Lama Tantrapa bridges the multiple traditions he has studied Buddhism, Daoism, Dzogchen with the pre-Buddhist, Shamanic tradition of the Tibetan peoples called Bon. His message is simple but not easy that the different forms of practice point to a single, essential shift in personal identity. This critical shift is from the usual way of seeing ourselves as separate from the goings-on of the universal life energy. This shift is an awakening to the realization that one's individual life path is inseparable with the flow of the universal life force. Lama Tantrapa is a constantly inviting each of us to step into that flow of universal life. His book contains both timeless wisdom, and daily practice instructions to help you on your way. The illustrations are some of the finest in print. --Bonnitta Roy, Former President of the National Qigong Association, Founding Editor of The Journal of Qigong in America --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Publisher

There is NOTHING like this method anywhere... period. No other system of Qigong or other Energy Arts offers the full spectrum of skills and applications developed in this tradition by the generations of enlightened masters. The power and sophistication of the Internal Martial Arts unified with the spiritual potential of Yoga and Zen meditation... less the repetitive routines of daily meditation or holding poses. And the best thing about learning Qi Dao is its applicability to virtually any sphere of life: from peacemaking to lovemaking to moneymaking (except mixing the latter two).

Developing your kinesthetic, body and energy awareness may require a certain amount of perseverance and motivation, for which Qi Dao DVD can be EXTREMELY helpful.The benefits of Qi Dao Coaching include, but are not limited to the following: * Quickly and effortlessly enter the Qigong state of profoundly deep (and very pleasant) meditative trance * Become more relaxed, centered, peaceful, and connected to others * Manage and prevent stress by increasing your ability to deal calmly and clearly with whatever life throws your way * Enhance your learning ability, memory, intuition, creativity, and your clarity, focus and concentration * Enjoy remarkable improvements in your physical health and wellness, healing the areas that have stubbornly resisted change with other approaches * Increase your production of vital hormones responsible for your longevity, well-being, and quality of life * Take a quantum leap in your personal growth and self-realization.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: AuthorHouse (August 23, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1434320278
• ISBN-13: 978-1434320278
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,192,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Nothing New Here, January 18, 2009

By 

docchalk (Toronto On) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Art of Being in the Flow (Qi Dao - Tibetan Shamanic Qigong) (Kindle Edition)

The Art of Being in the Flow tries to pass itself off as something secretive and different or better yet Chi Gong. I bought this book and the Dvd with the understanding you would learn a somewhat formless form. Deep spiritual and Physical healings. In other words you would create your own way of moving in the flow by learning these moves.
After completing the book and Dvd I found this to be very misleading. The content is good enough, you can learn about proper alignment. You can learn some descent strikes. But there is nothing new here whatsoever. And it certainly doesn't teach you how to create your own flow. It's okay but not nearly worth the praises it has received. You want proper alignment or flow then read some works by Tai Chi masters Ben Lo , William CC Chen (and his daughter Tiffany) or Cheng Man Ching.

18 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Something to be learned, May 4, 2008

By 

t (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Qi Dao - Tibetan Shamanic Qigong: The Art of Being in the Flow (Paperback)

Having read through the qigong literature for some years now, I find nothing particularly "groundbreaking" in this writing. The erudition of the writing is light; without a single citation for the sources the author quotes. Go to any park in Beijing and you'll see people doing warm-up exercises for their taijiquan or gongfu practice. These have been re-packaged as "harmonious culture of movement" or "earth kicks" and the "holding patterns" are reminiscent of Lowen's Bioenergetics. Nevertheless, the explanation of the mechanics of the movements or psychological source of the holding patterns are well done and offer some useful tidbits of insight. The written explanations of the "six directional movements" and martial applications are difficult to understand, perhaps needing the DVD to better complete the explanation.

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Graceful Presence, April 23, 2008

By 

Arthur Mitchell (Hillsboro, OR) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Qi Dao - Tibetan Shamanic Qigong: The Art of Being in the Flow (Paperback)

Lama Tantrapa's "The Art of Being in the Flow," as expressed by his Qi Dao from Tibetan Qigong, and which he refers to as the "Harmonious Culture Movement," the student is awakened to the Body-Mind-Spirit connection and how they behave as unified force within the energy flow of movement.
The flow of the movements are executed to defend the integrity of one's space from violation.
The self realization manifested by the flowing positions reach a spiritual plane parallel to meditation, and in the case of Qi Dao, a wonderful & simultaneous physical payoff; but is more than an endorphin elevation: One is fully in a graceful presence
Lama Tantrapa's book is a well-spring of discovery and potential of "Being." Simple, yet elegant writing explores the deeper truths of our spiritual nature.
The DVD is an essential companion, as it concentrates on how to perform the movements necessary for success. In addition, the DVD has an entire part on body conditioning for maximum performance. You'll want to enlist a partner for the best results.
Arthur Mitchell