Customer Reviews

T'ai Chi & QiGong: The Prescription for the Future (Volume 1) [VHS]

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

 

 

I bought this video because of new interest in QiGong. The movements I had been doing left me feeling that my body was glad I was being gentle with it. Now, after going through this video several times, I can only descripe the effect of the QiGong movements by saying that they leave my body feeling in bliss. The depth of the relaxation encouraged by the movements and Bill Douglas's lack of competitiveness is profound. Because of the success of this, I have even started the T'ai Chi movements, something I had not intended to do. The videos group a small numnber of the T'ai Chi movements together in one lesson, and breaks them down into small pieces which are repeated several times. The process seems to be working, things are starting to flow. I find the book (The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & QiGong) and the video complement each other nicely.

Unlike many videos, this one doesn't expect you to be a rubber spined gymnist. In fact the only requirement this video series demands, is that you "relax" "breathe deeply" and "have some fun!" while playing T'ai Chi.

There is no rigid, austere, somber, critical instruction to make you feel inept, clumsy, and stressed out. The focus is to help you feel "at home" in your body, realizing that you are PERFECT now, even as T'ai Chi & Qigong help you become more and more perfect.

Having said that, it follows the same in depth approach to learning these profound mind and body health tools as in the related book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong. In reviews on the book, Top T'ai Chi masters lauded this approach because it takes complex Chinese Medical concepts of effortless flow of Qi, and makes them simple and tangible to both novice and expert using modern cultural metaphors and concepts including cutting edge discoveries in physics and medicine.

A quite unique approach. I think you'll like it.

This video was actually much better than I expected! I do not have classes locally and my work schedule does not allow me to attend classes if there were any around here. I am VERY pleased with the video and stongly recommend that you also buy the book written by the producer of the video. Although you certainly don't need the book to learn Tai Chi, I found it enjoyable to read and very informative. The video is slow enough even a dual left footer like me can follow the movements. My comlpiments to Bill Douglas, excellent job and very easy to follow and understand! My stress level always goes down during my Tai Chi sessions. If you are thinking about learning Tai Chi and don't have classes nearby or like me can't attend on a regular basis then you will like these videos. He repeats the "tricky" parts and breaks the whole thing down into small "bite size" pieces. No, he's not a "movie star" but just a 20 year veteran of Tai Chi instruction that explains it in "plain english" and slow enough so that even I could figure it out easily. Add up the cost of classes and figure in gas and time and the videos are really a deal! I don't recommend many books or videos (actually first video I've ever recommended) but I would not hesitate to buy this video or recommend it to my friends and family. Two Thumbs UP! (more if I had them)

I was really impressed to the detail and content of this video. I am looking forward to the next one; but it will take me a while to absorb this one; as a student of Sil Lum, Kung Fu; and Tai Chi, Yang long form; I was not easy to impress. Thanks for a good learning tool... :)

While Bill Douglas has the best of intentions, this video just does not give enough information to practice Tai Chi safely. I have been a Tai Chi player for over 30 years, and I have seen students get hurt from the "non-instruction" school of teaching. I think it is time for everyone truly interested in advancing the art of Tai Chi to take responsibility for their students welfare, instead of saying "If it feels right, it MUST be right!" This is the easy way out. In this day and age, it is crucial for all good Tai Chi instructors to have in-depth knowledge of human anatomy and physiology, physics, including force vectors, energy flow, health benefits for each and every movement, etc. - and both the video and the book do not express any knowledge whatsoever of these crucial aspects of Tai Chi. This is a superficial exploration at best.

I like this video. Bill has a very quiet and calm style of teaching that immediately makes you feel like he's chatting with you and you alone.

He also looks like an average joe in sweats -- not some overmuscled hunk that makes you feel intimidated immediately -- he looks like me!

The sitting Qi Gong meditation was a nice introduction to my own Buddhist meditations and the Qi Gong warm-up exercises are very good. I use both in preparation for my morning walk -- it makes it so much more fun.

My only complaint is that there was only a small section of this first video dedicated to T'ai Chi (my main reason for buying it in the first place). The one good routine leaves me wanting more -- I need to get the other videos to learn the rest of the '64 moves' that he Bill teaches. I assume that is why this video is so cheap compared to volumes 2 and 3, nevertheless it's a good starting point.

Half the video is *wasted* on breathing and relaxing... ok, so there's some "exquisite nature footage", but you're supposed to have your eyes closed while concentrating, right? What's the use of a video that tells you to close your eyes and listen? Ok, breathing and meditating is essential to Tai Chi, but waste *HALF* the video on it?

The rest of the video is some very basic, and i do mean very basic stretching... not stretching as you'd do before playing a vigorous sport, but just the kind of stretching to get your clothes a bit loose on your body. Then about 5 minutes of actual Tai Chi. Yes, about 5 minutes learning the first 12 moves... 12 moves out of 64... if you want to know the rest, you gotta buy the next video.

And multiple camera angles? I guess they're talking about multiple camera angles during the scenic views, because during the stretching and the first few moves, there is just one "static" camera angle. I expected various camera angles to show you what it looked like from different angles, zooms, etc, but no, just the front view.

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I have viewed several videos on T'ai Chi and I like vol. 1 the best. The presenter Bill Douglas does a good job of taking the mystery out of this ancient practice , instead of worrying about exact form I feel like I am allowed to enjoy the art and movement and recieve immediate benifit. One morning I was rushing through the exercise that is on vol.1 and realized that by not spending time with the energy & warm up exercises I was not able to fully enjoy the T'ai Chi movements. I am looking forward to Volumes 2&3