Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body: Chi Gung for Lifelong Health (The Tao of Energy Enhancement) (Paperback)

~ Bruce Frantzis (Author) "Chi Gung works strongly on the body fluids, including blood, lymph, and the synovial and cerebro-spinal fluids..." (more)
Key Phrases: lower tantien, minor gates, chi development, Chi Gung, Nei Gung, Tai Chi (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“This extraordinary book, written by one of the West’s greatest living masters, offers nothing less than a course in the miracle of our own energy field. Bruce Frantzis has translated ancient Taoist practices into a modern program that manages to be both highly accessible and transformational, affording us all the opportunity to experience the wonder of the Tao firsthand.” —Lynne McTaggart, author of The Field and What Doctors Don’t Tell You

“A must for those who are new to chi gung, those who are already practitioners, and anyone interested in complementary medicine or self-help.” —Angela Hicks, Co-founder of the College of Integrated Chinese Medicine, Reading, England, and author of The Acupuncture Handbook

“This remarkable book has become a classic. Mr. Frantzis’ biography alone is worth the price of admission.” —Stephen E. Langer M.D., Berkeley, California, President of the American Nutritional Medical Association and author of Solved: The Riddle of Illness --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Description

Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body introduces the key concepts of chi gung in a manner both accessible and understandable to Westerners. With fascinating insights gained from years of training in Asia as a warrior, healer, and priest, Bruce Frantzis demystifies the concept of "chi," the body’s vital energy life force, and shows why this 3000-year-old system of self-healing works. The book provides a set of enjoyable, low impact exercises that readers can learn on their own, including standing chi gung, a core exercise that effectively boosts performance for martial artists, athletes, business people, and others. Body alignments and Taoist breathing, fundamentals that are the foundation of all Taoist energy practices, are also taught, with special alignments that benefit those who must sit for long periods of time. The book also reveals how chi gung can enhance other forms of exercise, from yoga and Pilates to golf and basketball. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: North Atlantic Books; 2nd edition (January 3, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1556431643
• ISBN-13: 978-1556431647
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #66,555 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #36 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Tai Chi & Qi Gong
  #61 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Alternative Medicine > Energy Healing
  #96 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Exercise & Fitness > Injuries & Rehabilitation

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

100 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars highly recommended, April 8, 2002

By	kaioatey (Awatovi, AZ) - See all my reviews

In this book, Frantzis Kumar describes techniques which are essential for all energy work as well as a precondition for practicing internal martial arts; that is, he gives detailed instructions on opening the channels that control the flow of chi ("the energy gates"). By following the instructions step-by-step the practitioner learns to generate an uninterrupted flow of chi through the major meridians and dan-tiens. Any dedicated practitioner of aikido, tai-chi, chi-kung, capoeira and other martial arts knows that this is not an easy thing to do - learning to manipulate chi takes years of practice and one has to be lucky to have instructors who are willing to impart this knowledge. Internal energy techniques used to be (and still are) rather secret in China and it is rare to encounter a Chinese master who is willing to teach these to non-Chinese disciples. That's why we're lucky to have this book written by a Westerner for a Western audience.

Kumar starts from the beginning, with techniques designed to dissolve energy "knots". He then describes all the major points on the meridians where stale energy is wont to accumulate and introduces a simple Cloud Hands practice, which is an optimal way to open the shoulder blades and the pelvic girdle (stretch them darn psoas muscles!). He ends with teaching a simple spinal stretch method (which reminds me of Feldenkreis).

The book is filled with helpful hints and admonitions. It is also well written, unlike many other similar manuals which tend to suffer from mistranslations and bad grammer. Written text of course is no substitute for a live teacher, whose help is crucial so that we learn to correct the warped micro-postures and subconscious mis-alignements that tend to plague our steps into the wonderful world of energy work. As a supplement, however, i think Kumar's book is very useful and i recommend it highly.

102 of 107 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely useful if used with an open mind, June 17, 2002

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

I bought this book reluctantly as it sounded, well, a bit new-agey and filled with BS. When everyone's talking Quigong and Taijiquan, etc. what's one more book about our Chi, energy bodies, etc.?

In this case, this is a book that is no-BS, gets down to business, and gets the job done.

Forget new-agey claptrap and people who sound like they've seen too much Dragonball Z. The author's history is presented, a quick guide to Chi and other energy issues, then straight into the exercises. There's no bragging (though the part on the author that was written by someone else gets a tad grandiose), no pointless buzzwords, just instructions on a useful series of exercises for health and well-being.

To add to this delightful book, it has advice any good master would give his students - warnings of what not to do and reminders that self-development is something that takes months to get off the ground. The author fully believes (and perhaps demonstrates) the mystical powers of Quigong, but he admits that one can harm themselves if they're not careful and warns that there's no substitute for hard work.

I'm not even through all of the exercises completely, and I've noticed significant improvements in my health and well-being. As a person with a sceptical nature, I'm convicned this book is 100% worth it.

59 of 63 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, March 12, 2003

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

I practice Aikido and over the years I heard an awful lot of meaningless bla-bla about KI. In my opinion the author is able to formalize concepts and convey his knowledge to the reader. Moreover, I began practicing the core exercises that he precisely explains in the book. As far as I can tell, all what he says in this book is true, and I feel the benefits. This apply not only to my back (that was injured a couple of years ago), but also to my Aikido training. I have the clear feeling of currents of energy flowing through my body. I am still a beginner in this field, but I know where I want to go, now.
This book (first printed in 1993 and still ranking 15000 on Amazon) is worth its weight in gold. It's a shame that the author did't follow through his promise of publishing similar books about "Dragon and Tiger", "Joining of Heaven and Hearth", "Bend the Bow and shoot the Arrow", "Spiraling Energy Body" and Gods playing in the Clouds". Instead he has been writing a bunch of mediocre books about clueless mumbo-jumbo Chi Gung ... stuff.
As for the new, expanded 2006 edition, it's certainly worth the few more dollars it costs. Disolving process is better explained and the procedure is more clearly detailed. All the steps of the three swings and the spinal stretch are explained more clearly and with greater details. I am glad I bought this last edition to update the old one.