The Way of Energy: Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Kung Exercise (A Gaia Original) (Paperback)

by Master Lam Kam-Chuen (Author) "The Zhan Zhuang system begins with two basic standing exercises..." (more)
Key Phrases: Zhan Zhuang, Tan Tien, Chi Kung (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

For centuries, the Chinese exercise system called Chi Kung has been shrouded in secrecy. The Way of Energy is the first comprehensive guide to the most powerful form of Chi Kung ever developed -- "standing like a tree".

A gentle, yet profoundly beneficial form of exercise, which requires very little movement, this form of Chi Kung unlocks deep reserves of energy builds internal stamina, strengthens immunity, relieves chronic illness, and promotes the natural regeneration of the nervous system.

Using step-by-step instructions and more than 100 drawings and full-color photographs, The Way of Energy tells how to:
* perform the entire sequence of rejuvenating positions
* combat stress by practicing Chi Kung while standing, sitting, working, playing, and even sleeping
* prevent and treat a wide range of common ailments

Continuing our best-selling series of books for mind and body which includes The Sivananda Companion to Yoga, The Dance Workshop, and The Book of Stress Survival, The Way of Energy will help you achieve physical fitness, mental clarity, and a profound inner strength and vitality.

About the Author
Master Lam Kam Chuen is a specialist in Chi Kung, a recognized master of Tai Chi Chuan, and a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Inc. (November 15, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671736450
• ISBN-13: 978-0671736453
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,231 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #20 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Tai Chi & Qi Gong
  #58 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Energy Healing
  #76 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Injuries & Rehabilitation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

124 of 127 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Way of Energy vis a vis Energy Gates Chi Gung, March 25, 2005

By	Anon: "palinurus" (Cambridge, MA USA) - See all my reviews

If you've heard about Zhan Zhang (or Jan Juang) and want to begin practicing it, you're fortunate. You've also come to the right place. Dr. Lam's book is one of only two books I've found that explains "standing like a stake" in a clear, straigtforward manner. The other is "Opening the Energy Gates of your Body by Bruce Kumar Frantzis (BKF). If you decide invest the time to practice Zhan Zhang, the amount of additional time it'll take you to read both of these fine and inexpensive books is trivial and will repay you many times over. Both books provide wise counsel from a master teacher.

As an Energy Gates practitioner I find a deep level of agreement between the two systems. There are differences in emphasis, but nothing in Dr. Lam's book and his I Chuan system (also see The Way of Power) strikes me as wildly different than what you'd get from BKF. Both books are incredibly clear and helpful. Both would enable a beginner working without a teacher to learn basic standing and obtain a great deal of benefit. However, at a certain point, everybody needs a teacher. Trying to learn and practice everything in the EG book and everything in both of Dr. Lam books by yourself would be very difficult. IMO, The odds of a beginner pulling it off are almost nil.

But, with Zhan Zhang, alone, the odds are much higher. Why? For the same reason it's kind of a magic bullet (albeit an incredibly slow moving magic bullet) for movement artists who study Tai Chi, Ba Gua and Hsing I. Even a beginner in Zhan Zhang can precisely align his or her body and achieve great relaxation and energy flow in a very short time compared to attaining this level while practicing a complex form. And, inevitably, your standing practice will flow into all your arts and daily life. In short, you might find yourself progressing much faster than your fellow students who spend much more time just practicing the form.

Differences:

1. BKF focusses on alignments much more than Dr. Lam, even at the beginning level. Dr. Lam in the book is basically trying to get people practicing, and presumably their teacher will give corrections later. Per Dr. Lam, you can practice with your eyes open or closed. You can listen to music if that helps. You can even practice with the TV on!

The thought of BKF telling someone that they can practice standing with the TV on strikes me as hilarious. OTOH I often stand aligned while watching a sporting event on TV and do other exercises, so Dr. Lam is probably offering some sound advice. Bottom line, learning more about alignments is one of the best reasons for somebody reading The Way of Energy to also read Energy Gates.

2. Energy Gates has a strong emphasis on what BFK calls dissolving (i.e. freeing blocked chi). This is only mentioned in passing in Dr. Lam's book. It's probably something that he considers best left to the teacher. Also note that the more advanced level of dissolving presented in EG (inner dissolving of the individual Energy Gates) is not really a beginning practice - not that it would cause harm.

3. Energy Gates standing tries to establish the downward flow of Energy very strongly, which BKF considers the safest way for a beginner to approach Chi Gung (or Nei Gung, to be more exact, working all the energy in your body simultaneously). Thus, the Energy Gates practitioner always stands in the Wu Chi posture.

Dr. Lam on the other hand introduces more advanced postures that work the upward flow of energy once the student has been standing for half a year or more. This is one of the most attactive reasons for the EG practitioner to read the Way of Energy. Because unless he's had the opportunity to learn BKF's Spiralling Energy Body Chi Gung, he hasn't been taught anything about these other postures. I'm strongly attracted to working with Dr. Lam's sequence and plan to try working with them when my basic standing time is a bit longer than it is now.

4. Dr. Lam suggests warming up before you stand, which in an ideal world is a very good idea. He presents some simple warm-ups and then for the experienced student he teaches Ba Duan Jin (8 brocades, Chi Gung). This section alone is worth the price of the book. BKF implicitly presents EG as the warmup to your Tai Chi or Ba Gua practice.

5. The Way of Energy focusses on standing alone (plus the warm-up). The EG book presents a complete Chi Gung set including some movement exercises; Cloud Hands, the Swings and a spine stretch exercise. Again, it would be quite hard for a beginner to learn these from a book without introducing distortions. For example, the 3rd. swing isn't even taught in my school until the student is in the 3rd. level of Energy Gates and the exercise has been described by my teacher as "the hardest thing we teach". Just reading the book, you wouldn't assume that there's much
difference between the third swing and the second.

6. BKF comes down strongly against visualizations. I Chuan typically uses them. But this difference is more apparent than real. The visualizations of I Chuan are all easily imagined bodily actions and feeling that help you learn to put your intent into your body. For instance, it's not hard to imagine holding a large ball, and doing that gives you some insight into what you should be feeling in a certain posture. By the same token, Bruce is getting you deep into your body, but what he's teaching you (the energetic model of your body) is so different from your current model that you're probably going to be visualizing rather than feeling it to some extent anyway. For example, Bruce might tell you to increase the space in your midriff, specifically in the two cavities of your midriff on your side channels. An I Chuan teacher might tell you to imagine simultaneously sitting down and getting up out of a chair. Both of them are helping you to learn to feel the same thing deep inside your body that's not familiar to you yet. Both are valuable. Also, a key technique of
what BKF calls outer dissolving (feeling your tension move from solid to liquid to gas) is basically as much a visualization technique as most of the stuff in I Chuan.

If you're doing Jan Juang, buy both "The Way of Energy" and "The Way of Power" and also check out BKFs books, especially "Opening the Energy Gates..."

53 of 55 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Finaly a book on Zhan Zhaung that is safe for beginners!, October 20, 1998

By	W. Lambdin "Two Bears" (Ellensburg, WA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I have read several books dealimg with Zhan Zhaung (pronounced Jan Jong), and I have recommended some of them, but with a disclaimer "Not safe for beginners". "The Way of Energy" IS safe for beginners, if the authors advice is heeded. Do listen to the signals your body sends you. This book has a safe and effective exercize system called Ba Duan Jin. to loosen the joints, muscles and tendons. On first glance you may assume that standing in one pose for a few minutes is extremely easy, but don't let that fool you. Zhan Zhaung is one of the most demanding forms of exercize ever developed. In my opinion standing in the second position "Holdinng the balloon" for 15 minutes will give you more of a workout than power walking for 3 miles. It will deffinately build your endurance! With dedicated practise it isn't unrealistic to build your endurance to where you can hold one pose for an hour or more. I like Zhan Zhaung because it doesn't abuse the body the way most exercizes do, and I meditate during my Zhan Zhaung sessions. This way I don't have to make time for exercize and meditation. I am not entirely happy with this book because it doesn't have a drawing showing where the meridians occur on the body, or teach how to lead chi along the meridians to clear blockages. If you think Zhan Zhaung is too easy, there are several ways to increase the difficulty. a. increase the difficulty of the pose by widening the stance, bending the knees more, or holding the arms higher. b. increase the time spent in Zhan Zhaung c. hold weights.

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beginner's golden guide, January 9, 2000

By	"xingteacher1" (Hilton, NY) - See all my reviews

This book has become a "golden guide" to beginning qigong (energy-work) training and the simple but powerful standing exercises developed by the great Internal Arts master Wang Zhang Zhai at the beginning of the last century. It is not only easy to follow and learn but the exercises are safe to practice if following author guidelines. It is also a historical find for students of "stake standing" (Zhan Zhuang-JAN-JOONG)since it recaps efforts in this direction for centuries. I have used this book and recommended it to classes of martial arts students and health enthusiasts since it's publication. One of the best buys in paperback in the entire field.