Unlike other Chinese martial arts, pakua has been shrouded in mystery in the West. Now there is growing interest in this gentle martial discipline, often called the Art of Walking the Circlesaid to increase vitality and promote well-being. This new manual by a martial arts expert explains the basic pakua form and how to practice it.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Intelligent book on meditative Pakua,
By
This review is from: Walking Meditation: Pakua-The Martial Art of the I Ching (Paperback)
This may be one of Paul Crompton's best books. He writes about the meditative and health aspects from a perspective of many years of experience in martial arts. The book is well researched and contains some diagrams which appear to have come from his friends book published in the late eighties. Unfortunately the nuances of the physical conditioning and cerebral pulse work will only be grasped by those who really spend a lot of time circle walking. This book is rare because it only addresses the transformational and health aspects of Pakua. But this is a very important and overlooked subject. It is also an effective way to introduce Pakua to a broader audience of normal people seeking the yoga of walking. Pakua is an art that could easily surpass Tai Chi Chuan as an effective alternative exercise and health tool. Serious practioners of the art should take a closer look at this book as a means of expanding the popularity of this incrediable art. The book provides some great history and information that will be beneficial to all people interested in internal arts.
16 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not as impressive as I was hoping...,
By
This review is from: Walking Meditation: Pakua-The Martial Art of the I Ching (Paperback)
The title says it all... this book is primarily about the meditative aspects of BaGuaZhang and touches only briefly on the martial aspects. I found his explanations of the history of BaGua very interesting, but his attempted explanations of the health benefits of BaGua to be somewhat suspect. For example, many other sources have somehow tried to tie in the effects of cerebrospinal fluid to sexual and physical health, mostly with unsuccessful results... I think his viewpoints on craniosacral therapy is no different. Certainly craniosacral therapy has not reached mainstream approval in the medical community. BaGuaZhang was initially created to be a very effective martial art, and has been likened to a "graduate school course" for people who have already reached proficiency in another external or internal martial art. None of this really comes through in Paul Crompton's book. His tone reminds me of many T'ai Chi books that concentrate on chakras, relaxation, and "being one with the universe", but completely gloss over the fact that T'ai Chi was initially created as a method of self-defense (and a very effective one, at that!) I much preferred Park Bok Nam's series over this one, which gave basic training tips, good diagrams for moves, and had excellent tips for power generation and stance stability. Keep it in mind if you are interested in broadening your horizons on the esoterics of BaGua, but think twice about buying it if you are looking for books that aid with significant real-life principles and applications of this martial art...
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Clear View of The Fundamentals of Pakua Forms,
By A Customer
This review is from: Walking Meditation: Pakua-The Martial Art of the I Ching (Paperback)
Walking Mediation Pakua The Martial Art Of The I Ching is an excellent book for any beginning student seeking to explore this soft martial art. It is well written by an experienced martial art teacher and author. The book covers the history, the health benefits of practicing Pakua, the circle walking steps, a touch of Taoist philosophy, and the relationship of Pakua to the I Ching. There are sufficient illustrations of the Pakua movements that the reader will not have any difficulty following. The author has included the spinning step that is rarely found in other Pakua Chang books. There is a section for self defense application which may be useful for those seeking Pakua as a fighting art.
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