The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & QiGong (Paperback)

~ (Author) "T'ai Chi is practiced by 20 percent of the world's population and is fast becoming the most popular exercise in the world today..." (more)
Key Phrases: clan tien, dan tien, sighing exhale, T'ai Chi, Sage Sifu Says, Mulan Quan (more...)

Product Details

• Paperback: 1 pages
• Publisher: Alpha (January 1, 2002)
• ISBN-10: 0028642643
• ISBN-13: 978-0028642642
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #529,153 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good book for beginners, November 17, 2002

By	Douglas Henry (Hayward, Ca) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I picked up this book in hopes of improving my teaching abilities. While it didn't really contribute to this, it's a good book for beginners, despite some misstatements (A. The people you see in other tai chi books aren't models, they're usually model students, B. David Carradine didn't do Tai Chi in the 'Kung fu' TV series, he did Tai Chi Praying Mantis, which is a hybrid art, and C. the cover claims 'Highly Illustrated instuction on the major Tai Chi styles', whereupon the only illustrated instruction is in the Kuang Ping and Mulan styles). Otherwise, Mr. Douglas covers his subject pretty well, and is fairly well-informed. Great book for beginners, albeit a little too 'New Agey'.

50 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Well written, well illustrated, and fun to read, August 22, 2004

By	Alan Hummel (The Seven Seas of Rhye) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Before I begin with my review, let me share a brief anecdote on tai chi: about a year ago, I was at a town watch meeting and met a retired gentleman who lives in my neighborhood. I am a qigong practicioner, and he practices tai chi. He told me that, for 20 years, he had chronic back pain. Then he began to practice tai chi, and within a few months he no longer had this back pain that he'd suffered every day for 20 years.

Now, you can accept the traditional chinese rationale for this relief, or you can rationalize it any other way you like, but the fact remains that many people, like this neighbor of mine, have benefited from tai chi and qigong. You can too.

Anyway, back to the book. This 2nd edition is of a larger format than the standard "Idiot's" books, and is well illustrated to show the various stances and movements in tai chi. Mr. Douglas' writing style is entertaining, and I found the book to be informative.

On the negative side, there were a few things I disagreed with. For example, the name of the taoist master Lao Tzu is pronounced, according to Mr. Douglas, as "Lao Dzoo". However, fellow taoist and qigong master Ken Cohen, who is fluent in Mandarin Chinese, says it is pronounced "Lao Dzuh". I'm inclined to go with Master Cohen on this one, as he is a fluent speaker of Mandarin Chinese. Also, Mr. Douglas says in this book that the I Ching is a "game", which it most certainly is not.

However, despite these misgivings, I found the information related to tai chi and qigong to be well-written and helpful, and this book is a worthy addition to my bookshelf. If you are interested in qigong only, I would recommend "The Way Of Qigong", by the aforementioned Ken Cohen.

34 of 37 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The BEST!!!!!!, August 10, 2002

By	Seeking Health "baker55" (CALIFORNIA) - See all my reviews

I have been interested in Tai Chi and QiGong for many years. I found all of the books interesting but just could not get myself to follow through. This book is fun to read, very motivating and you REALLY do feel a difference. I have found the Sitting QiGong a wonder after work. I wish I could give it more stars!!!!! Hope he writes more books.