Customer Reviews

The Secret Art of Seamm Jasani: 58 Movements for Eternal Youth from Ancient Tibet

5 star:		(29)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Don't judge a book by a hokey title. This is the real thing. The exercises work, and fast. I found myself coughing and (hopefully) cleansing my lungs after the first time trying the book's basic breathing exercise. I started adding the physical movements. The effect is more profound than that of any other system I've tried. It's hard to describe. Yoga leaves me feeling strong and calm. Tai chi leaves me feeling centered and powerful and grounded. Seamm-Jasani leaves me feeling healthy but also incredibly clear-headed, as if my ability to see into situations and things has been markedly improved, my anxiety relieved, my ability to get things done dramatically enhanced. I also strongly recommend The Five Tibetans. Bottom line: this book is worthwhile, to say the least. It's authentic, highly effective, and fascinating. The explanations are clear and the movements are graduated so the early ones are particularly gentle (but supply quite a workout) and suitable for just about anyone, of any age or gender. I particularly recommend this book for people who are elderly or frail and looking for a system to help restore them to health.

I ordered the Seamm Jasani book from simple curiosity. After one session of trying just the first few exercises, I knew I'd found "a pearl of great price". The energy washed over me in warm and gentle, yet powerful, waves, as though some kind of gate were unlocked. It felt so good. It has liberated something in me and I cannot thank this author enough.

I have extensive experience in energy and movement systems (including nei gong/qi gong, Zen meditation, kundalini meditation, taijiquan, baguazhang, xingyiquan, various forms of Yoga, etc. After pondering the differences and similarities in movement among all of them, I have concluded that this one (Seamm Jasani) may be the original "root" system, from which the others derived various fragments over time. It seems to me that those other adopters then modified their fragments of this material for their own special purposes and created the various better-known systems. It's all a bit mysterious, but I can't argue with results.

I've always been searching for a system that delivers the most "Bang" (pure energy) for the absolute least "Buck" (time investment, training process, special equipment, physical prerequisites, etc.) By this cost/benefit metric, Seamm Jasani takes "Win, Place, and Show" over any system or method known to me.

I've done various exercise systems over the years and I'd say this one is far beyond all others in terms of giving a workout to the fingers and wrists, major sources of stress in the computer age. It is also a very methodical system, going step by step; for example, one exercise involves the legs, the next adds arm movements, and then another integrates breathing and visualization.

It seems to me that there are several key questions when trying to learn exercises from a book:

1. Are the exercises beneficial?
2. Are they explained clearly enough thru static images and words?
3. Are they presented in a way that encourages the learner to continue practicing them regularly?

I just completed the 12-week program in the Chart of Pedagogy and enthusiastically answer YES to all three questions. The system provides a thorough workout, carefully and compassionately filled with reminders not to push oneself. I found the reminders helpful because my initial stance was nowhere nearly as wide as that shown in the cover photo, but it increased as time went on. I should mention here that I'm over 50 years old.

The book has only a few minor flaws:

a. typo on page 68 (exercise 28 was already introduced in Week 3, so Week 4 should refer to exercise 35 instead)
b. exercise 11 on page 98 would be clearer if the arrow arc on the left side was swapped with the one on the right side
c. exercise 33 on page 126 has impossible arrows, which would make sense if the left and right ones were switched.

But the exercises constitute only about 100 pages of this 200-page book. If it focused exclusively on them, I'd rate it a 4 plus.

Before reaching the experiential part, the reader must wade thru more than 60 pages of background info, including an Introduction in which Asanaro portrays himself as a rebellious Prometheus who decided to teach against the advice of his guide. There is also the hype about Eternal Youth and the Art being 10,000 years old, as well as repetition of the urban legend that humans only use 10% of our brains. All this theory and preparation is chatty, but smooth narrative flow is not sufficient evidence of truth.

I suppose that having a school of meditation compels a teacher to explain how the exercises fit into broader goals, but Asanaro comes across as merely teasing: first hinting about advanced practices, then saying "That part of the art is secret and can't be taught through books." Then why mention it? In my opinion, keeping the book focused on the exercises would have been a clearer and cleaner approach, exuding the confident recognition that those who want more info will ask for it.

By the way, has anyone noticed a strong correlation in the feedback from fellow customers regarding whether a review is "helpful"? It seems that a review that gives this book 4 or 5 stars will get 90% "helpful" votes but any review that gives the book less than 4 stars gets under 50% "helpful" votes and is rebutted in a subsequent review. If someone feels disturbed by the few critical remarks I've made here, perhaps he or she should read my review of Halevi's book School of the Soul.

This book is fantastic and has just captivated me. I found it searching for simple and effective body-mind-spirit techniques to increase my healing power, stamina and body wisdom. Illness and emotional problems happen when our energy is blocked, but we all have inside the power to heal ourselves, and I have verified that these exercises are excellent to unblock stuck energy.

Most of the times we are so absorbed in what we are doing that we forget to move or even to breathe, with serious consequences to our health until we realize we need to change our habits.

The book explains through clear and easy to follow drawings and instructions 58 simple and effective exercises of breathing and movements, which now I know are essential for the free flow of energy through the body, producing immediate balance, health and well-being; of course that you need to be constant and follow the program given by the author.

I'm so happy to have discovered it! The practices have worked very good for me, proving once again that living a positive lifestyle can make a difference. Besides, the author has a corky sense of humor that really made me laugh.

I've become vital and healthy through these simple but powerful exercises, and they have absolutely given me a boost. An incredible energy practice!

When I first encountered this book I was a bit skeptical. I had never heard of Seamm Jasani, and that raised my curiosity quite a bit. 10,000 years seemed quite old to me, a lot older than anything else I'd ever heard of. But in reading through the book and starting to practice its exercises, I quickly realized that this was the real deal, authentic and effective. From the author's attitude, which is light yet direct, to the diversity of the movements, and the results I've seen in practicing them, I've never encountered anything quite like it! My physical health has improved in both obvious and subtle ways. My lungs are stronger, I feel more balanced and more flexible, simply more alive. I don't drown in laziness anymore, because now I have the physical energy to get things done. This has also improved my concentration to the point where I can follow through consistently on the things that I want, whether in my work or personal life.

Along with this concentration I've become calmer in all of my activities, no matter the situation. Before, when I got frustrated or upset I'd lose my temper and quickly ruin any prospects for righting the situation. Now, as I stay calm I can see into a situation, and change it for myself from something negative or frustrating into something positive, or at least prevent any negative consequences. I can't say I know exactly how it happened... but it did, and for that alone I can't recommend Seamm Jasani enough.

I bought this book because I became curious after reading the various posted reviews. I do Yoga occasionally, and I was lucky enough to find an excellent book when I was 14 (over 25 years ago...), which was written by a Briton who was extremely balanced, pleasant, and clear in his writing. I cannot say that this book had the same effect on me. I found the author of the secret art rather pompous and arrogant and, in the circumstances, this made it harder for me to take seriously the whole book. While the movements make a nice workout, which I have no doubt can be healthy and cleansing of both mind and body, the messenger is not a very good advertisement. Making fun and speaking with such superiority about everything that is not the secret art, and accusing just about everybody of being superficial and stupid (unless, of course, one practices the art) suggests to me that the art in question has not really worked its magic on this teacher. Giving advice about being tolerant and well-disposed towards others sounds pretty moot, coming from this source. I gave the book two stars because of the practical part, even though I found some of the explanations of the movements rather wanting, although overall clear enough.

I have been practicing the movements for about 8 months and it has become a habit for me to start the day this way. The greatest benefit for me is that in order to perform the movenents correctly - especially in the second part of the book - your mind has to be really focused. The movements might look simple but, in fact, they are challenging since you have to co-ordinate them with your breathing. By the way, the breathing system might seem a little complicated - especially in conjunction with the movements - but the results in the long run are stunning. My lung capacity has improved immensely and the effects are obvious in my everyday activities.
The overall effect is that I have been able to contol more effectively the movements of my mind as well. Our mind, in its average function, resembles a crazy monkey which jumps from branch to branch following its whims. Practicing the movements in the right way demands discipline of your whole being, something which, in the long run could become your second nature.
This relates to what Asanaro says in the beginning of the book that the vast majority of people are creatures of habit in the sense that their life is based on assumptions imposed upon it by a predetermined environment.
Finishing I would like to mention that by adhering to this pattern of exercises your attitude becomes more positive, jovial, which makes it easier to bring more often the spontaneous smile on your face. This might be the ultimate secret of Eternal youth: your whole being to be suffused with waves of positive energy!

Founding and first reading this book really challenged me. When I ordered it I thought it could be a sort of Nei Gung, but after practicing the exercises I soon discovered it has nothing to do with it. Seamm Jasani has forced me to think a lot, and despite the occasional difficulty of that, I've really enjoyed it! My reflections upon myself and the world have improved, meaning that I'm more clear, more sure, and more precise in my analysis of the world around me, and of myself.

My lungs are much stronger from the breathing, and I've been able to apply the techniques of stress-reduction to my daily life as well. They're simple enough to apply easily and generally, yet complicated enough to require, as I said, a lot of thought.

I've studied various things in my life, and I know that the sort of centeredness that I've gained doesn't come easily, it takes time, reflection, and concentration. What this book has done for me, above anything else, is that it's helped me to ask myself the right questions, to think productive and positive thoughts, while giving me exercises to practice this. I've found that the movements help this thinking along in a positive and efficient way, so that I'm looking forward to the things I'll think about when I'm doing the movements, and to the feeling of clear headedness and centeredness that comes from practicing. It's really been great to incorporate these exercises into my daily life!

This has been one of the best gifts I have been given lately. I am a person that, because of many reasons, has been extremely stressed lately, and therefore, I started doing the exercises a few weeks after I got it.

To me, this book didn't mean magic, and I didn't assume that just by reading it my ulcers would cure, my mood would improve, or everything would suddenly change; the first time I read it, I understood I had to be disciplined, constant, and patient, very patient. Most of us expect things to happen in a few hours, but since it deals with motion, breathing, and the body... it would mean work, and for someone that works, a lot of patience!

The book istelf is divided into 8 main stages: the introduction, at first, sounds a bit strange, but when I read it the second time, I understood it meant more than the words say: it can sound simplistic to some, magic to others, but to me it meant the reflection of someone's own experiences, maybe the author's... I don't know. I just know that I have learnt to have an open mind, and to listen to what people have to say. I would have liked to experience this Art through a teacher.

The First Stage gives a series of advices, among other things, which I considered very accurate. Maybe the writer and I share the same ideas, I do not know, but I thought it was funny listening to things that I think written by someone else.

The Second Stage can be summarized with what I believe is true: "every action brings a reaction".

The Third Stage explains more about this Art, and its different parts.

The Fourth Stage continues deepening into explanations, which actually clear many things.

The Fifth Stage talks about a Chart that tells how to follow the course, how to take it to practice.

The Sixth Stage is the Chart itself, which to me was very easy to follow, very clear, and also gives a few recommendations, which actually are simple things, but that I had not thought about.

The Seventh Stage is the First Part of the class, which I won't describe here... It is for everyone to discover on its own.

The Eighth Stage includes some meditation forms, and also the Second Part of the class, which are the relaxation movements, and some very good coordinations and patterns.

Then, the book ends with something that I thought was very clever: comments of actual students, which to me meant a lot. I could see myself reflected in some of those experiences, especially because of their ages and problems. I just hope to get as much as they have from this system. For this, I would like to thank both the writer as well as the people who wrote this comments.

Thanks for this book, Mr. Writer, for it means to me going back to the simple things: exercising and spending time with family, especially my grand-children, and having an open mind to take the good things out of something (like from this book).

This book has helped me a lot. I had an accident a while ago, and I was suffering terrible pains in both my knees, for they were severely damaged in that accident: my therapist recommended me to read this book, and to try some of the movements, which I have followed just as the book explains, bit by bit, and they have really helped me.

The good thing about this book is that compared to other books that I have read in the past, it was very clear and understandable. The drawings came with this very clear explanations, so it really leaves no place for doubts.

After a while, my mother and some of my relatives have started doing the exercises as well, for the book is 'accomplishable' by everyone.