The Way of Qigong (Hardcover)

by Kenneth S. Cohen (Author) "QI is the Chinese word for "life energy..." (more)
Key Phrases: qigong philosophy, qigong diet, qigong visualization, Taiji Quan, United States, Lao Zi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
Qigong (ch'i kung) is the modern incarnation of a Chinese energy art that goes back over 2,000 years. With superior scholarship and scientific acumen, The Way of Qigong covers the entire range of theory and practice, including relaxation, meditation, massage, therapeutic touch, and postures. Qi (ch'i) means "life energy," and the goal of qigong, master and Chinese scholar Ken Cohen tells us, is "to train the mind to send qi where it is needed." In this encyclopedic work, Cohen teaches us not only how to do qigong, but what it means and how it benefits us, from what kind of tea is best in the summer to how to have better sex. Cohen is at his best when reducing arcane Chinese theories to plain English, and as a result, The Way of Qigong is as interesting as it is useful. --Brian Bruya

From Booklist
As much a "why-to" as a how-to, this is the most comprehensive recently issued book on the Chinese healing art, qigong. Related to t'ai chi, qigong is a series of movements designed to bring qi, or life-force, into the body and encourage it to flow without blockage. Cohen meticulously defines the philosophy that inspired this ancient practice, but his engaged and engaging tone keeps the mass of material he presents from becoming ponderous. He well covers the experimental scientific evidence of qigong's beneficial effect, and the lengthy, illustrated section of exercises he includes shows how qigong can be used for emotional and spiritual as well as physical healing. However many other qigong books are in your library, add this definitive volume. Patricia Monaghan

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 427 pages
• Publisher: Ballantine Books; 1st edition (April 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0345395298
• ISBN-13: 978-0345395290
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (28 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #100,477 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good introduction, February 2, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing (Paperback)

Note: I've had this book for about 4 years now and just now getting around to write a review of it.

This a good book if you are new to qigong. Cohen steps the beginner through theory and then the various qigong exercises. This includes color and organ meditation, healing sounds, Big Dipper, External practices, diet, etc. He also includues some moving meditation such as the Eight brocades and Five Animals frolics.

Pluses:
* Covers a lot of material.
* Well footnoted and indexed.
* Has suggested routines for a student to practice.
* Gives adviced on the dangers of wrong qi practice. Which is quite important but neglected in some texts.

Minuses:
* No illustrations for meridians or acpuncture points. These would help explain and guide a student. Especially with the excerises like Microcosmic orbit. I found it odd that a Qigong expert like Cohen would neglect to include this.
* The moving meditations are done by drawings - I found them impossible to follow. Photos would have been much better.
* Some of the qigong exercises listed are watered down and much simplified for instance the color light meditation. It's still somewhat useful but only about a third of the exercise is
there and you don't get the full effect. I don't know why Cohen
does not tell the reader why he watered some qigong methods down.

Overall a decent introduction, as most of the material is very basic. This makes it good for the beginner but be prepared to buy other books if you want to do other methods like Microcosmic
orbit or learn about meridians and acupuncture points. This also goes for trying to learn the moving meditations from this book - a beginner with no experience with this material will be lost. It will keep a dedicated beginner busy for two years or so. Once beyond that the reader is advised to seek out formal instruction or check out other texts that do include more intermediate methods.

If you want to do moving qigong work look elsewhere, this is not a stong point of this text. Books like Wen Mei Yu's WIld Goose Qigong or Meridian Qigong.

Other books that would complement this one include:
Qigong Empowerment by Liang Shou-yu
Meridian Qigong by Li Ding - hard to get but some online stores specializing in Qigong carry it.
Wild Goose Qigong by Wen Mei Yu

40 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Beginner Introduction, April 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing (Paperback)

Ken Cohen's book wil serve as a great way to introduce chi kung to someone who has little knowledge of it. It may also be interesting reading for those who have had some exposure to a particular form and are looking to explore other types of chi kung. The author does a good job of making potentially complex and mystifying practices intelligible to the average western reader.This book is mix of basic thoery with specific chi kung exercises and routines. Note the word basic in regard to the theory. The routines also are not very complete. But they do serve their purpose: to act as a sampler for beginners. The reader is able to try out parts Five Animal Frolics, Taiji Ruler,and other chi kung sets relating to breathng, sexual chi kung, and more. Some sets are presented completely but only on the basic physical level. They have been done in much greater detail in other books. The Eight Brocade s a good example. All eight parts are given, but the explaination is not as detailed as in Yang jwing ming's book for example. Still, someone curious about the eight brocade, could learn if the set is something they would want to invest more time in from reading this book. Same for the other sets.The discussion on Breathing is very valuable and the author is up to date on much of the new research coming out of East Europe (Buteyko) on hyperventilation. The section on tea got me started on a new hobby and was well done.Everything is well documented with any pages of foot notes.This book is not as in depth or advanced as Qigong Empowerment or The Root of Chinese Chi Kung, but is more readable and about half the price. Definite bargainI definetely recommend this book for beginners and others looking to expand their practice.

23 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable reading, September 6, 2003

By	Massimo Maddaloni "Maddmax1" (Bozeman, MT United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Way of Qigong: The Art and Science of Chinese Energy Healing (Paperback)

This is a good introductory book. It shall serve you well in getting framed into the topic of Qi Gong. Dietary principles of Tao are very well explained and the chapters about tea are a true gem. The theory of the elements is clearly presented. It is a good starting point. A few paragraphs lure the reader into the use of body energy in different cultures. This topic is dropped too fast (bibliography is quoted should the reader be interested).
Cleansing Chi Gung is presented very clearly.

However ChiGung standing practices (which are the very foundation of the whole businesss) are presented in a rather bland manner. In my opinion "Opening the Energy Gates of your Body" by B.K. Frantzis is infinitely better in this respect. Buy the "Gates" first.