Qigong Meditation: Embryonic Breathing (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Throughout human history, we have been wondering at the how and why of our existence..." (more)
Key Phrases: central energy line, pill palace, cyclic heaven, Embryonic Breathing, Real Lower Dan Tian, Upper Dan Tian (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

AWARD FINALIST

The Root of Spiritual Enlightenment

Chinese Qigong can be generally categorized into External Elixir (Wai Dan) and Internal Elixir (Nei Dan) Qigong. The first step of practicing Internal Elixir Qigong has been known as Small Cyclic Heaven (Small Circulation or Microcosmic Meditation). After completing Small Cyclic Heaven, a practitioner will learn Grand Cyclic Heaven (Grand Circulation or Macrocosmic Meditation). The purpose of Grand Cyclic Heaven is to re-open the Heaven Eye (Third Eye) to unite the natural spirit and human spirit. This is the ultimate goal of spiritual enlightenment in both Daoism (Taoism) and Buddhism. Although these kinds of meditations are popular, very few scientific books or documents are available to the public.

The Foundation of Internal Elixir Cultivation

In order to reach the goal of longevity and spiritual enlightenment, the Qigong practitioner must learn Internal Elixir Qigong. The first step to learning is to understand the theory and the method of Embryonic Breathing. Practicing this breathing technique will help you to establish your central energy system, conserve your energy, and store this energy to abundant levels. Once you have established this foundation, you will be able to practice Small Cyclic Heaven (Small Circulation or Microcosmic Orbit) and Grand Cyclic Heaven (Grand Circulation of Macrocosmic Orbit) effectively. It is understood that without this foundation, the root of spiritual enlightenment will not be established and the study and the practice of spiritual enlightenment, through meditation, will be in vain.

* Embryonic Breathing theory and techniques were kept secret in Buddhist and Daoist (Taoist) monasteries.
* Dr. Yang discusses most of the available documents, translates and comments upon them.

* Scientific analysis and summary of the practice methods.

* A comprehensive, straightforward way to understand and practice Embryonic Breathing.

From the Publisher

FINALIST for Book of the Year Award: Health, 2003
(sponsored by Foreword Magazine)

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Product Details

• Paperback: 389 pages
• Publisher: YMAA Publication Center; Bilingual edition (November 25, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886969736
• ISBN-13: 978-1886969735
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #157,213 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Truly deep book about breathing and energy, January 9, 2007

By	Korpo (Bayern) - See all my reviews

I hesitated quite some time buying "Qigong Meditation - Embryonic Breathing". I wondered whether it would be worth reading (and paying money for the privilege to do so). Everything I read _about_ it seemed generic and uninformative, but the book itself is marvellous, as I know now.

I have read other reviews and came to the conclusion this book is not for everyone, some reviewers even cited sentences next to the key sentences and complained about it lacking detail. It does not. Some things are simply hard to convey and describe...

Today, thanks to the publishing of a lot of books suggesting that you apply techniques early on that may have been esoteric, inner circle and hidden knowledge, a lot of people think that they are in the know. In fact, in terms of real written knowledge they may be. Small Circulation / Microcosmic Orbit meditation seems to be easy enough.

The problem is that key techniques need some time to develop and need to be developed properly. Guiding Qi without being able to properly sense its whereabouts, concentration and impact may or may not benefit and may or may not do damage. Fact is, you simply may not know that you put "fire to the devil" when you practise incorrectly as you have no way to measure or determine your progress.

So when you practise such techniques without actually being able to properly judge how well you are doing them, this book seems to contain bad advice and little help. In fact it is only tailored to a more advanced, perhaps early-intermediate reader that has mastered the early stages of the practise, how to begin to regulate body/posture, breath, emotion and mind to a certain degree, can keep concentration, and can sense movement and stagnation of Chi. Without this a lot of the stuff written herein seems theoretical or lacking detail.

The realm you enter with the practise of Embryonic Breathing is the one of inner self-awareness, starting out from body awareness. It is a crucial skill, not developed easily, not a simple subject. Anyone interested to developing this before tackling this book should try a book like Bruce Frantzis' "Opening the Energy Gates of Your Body" first. Yang's book only gives you strong hints about it, but is focused on the theory, framework, context and practise of Embryonic Breathing - no surprise there.

If you know the basic skills, this book delivers everything you need to know to go on. On which points/cavities/nodes to concentrate, how to locate those, with which techniques to manipulate them, and what end result to produce, and what this end result means in the overall context of longevity and enlightenment meditation and different Qigong schools.

It is first book (I know about) that discusses something I wondered about in Qigong exercises - is the Lower Dantian at the navel on the Conception Vessel (the Qi reservoir running down from tongue root, frontal chest navel to Huiyin/Perineum), or is it located within the body's center inside the lower abdomen. Qigong literature is very unspecific about this, and depending on context names one or the other as the Lower Dantian.

Yang clarifies that the navel location is the "False Dantian", which can store some but not much Qi, and helps store some in the real one at the center of gravity. He gives full anatomical and self-awareness instructions where to locate which and how they are most likely constructed anatomically in the body (the bio-battery concept of layers of conductors (muscles/tendons) and isolators (fat/fasciae) is introduced here for the lower abdomen). Yang's discussion of bioelectricity and a possible working of the Qi / bioelectricity system in the body is well-written, most-interesting and intriguing.

Yang introduces deeper knowledge about the inner layers and details of the Qi circuit, such as the Yang core in the center of the Sea of Yin (in the center of the Real Lower Dantian) and the Yin Spiritual Center (in the center of the brain / Upper Dantian, where important glands reside). He relates this knowledge back to the Taiji symbol and shows yet another way for it to symbolize an important concept.

First you develop the ability to locate and feel the places mentioned, to concentrate and how to lead Qi, and the breathing techniques. Then you train the technique and practise it to achieve the given goal, for example storing ample Qi for a later step. And then you can advance to the next practise. Nothing is missing here. It's just so that this book does not repeat all preliminary skills necessary, and I for one do not demand that from it. I prefer a book with depth such as this over one with breadth, since those are available in reasonable numbers to satisfy anyone.

Breathing is of course discussed thoroughly, and how its different techniques should be trained and can be applied to achieving certain goals. Breathing becomes a tool and the way for achieving different stages of practise, a context lined out really well during the middle part of the book, with a lot of detail of a complete "religiously" Daoist / Buddhist meditation program for achieving enlightenment.

A lot of books have been written about meditation and breathing, but this practise and its intricate placement within context and theory makes this book a treasure. If you read carefully you may have answered enough about your questions about breathing and Qi to be sure you are practising properly and be able to monitor your progress.

These techniques may be the key tools for experienced meditators to put in the missing pieces into their practise, and for novice meditators to lay a sound foundation for their future practise. (Novices to sitting meditation maybe, but surely not to Qigong...)

It is one of the few books that leaves you with the feeling that there is a roadmap for practise and you don't have to stumble about in your search. It relies on many sources instead of citing a single master.

One especially rare treasure is the section containing translations of selected Chinese texts about the topic. As Dr. Yang points out, one needs a strong understanding of the context of Qigong, of Chinese culture, Taoist philosophy and technical terms to be able to comprehend and translate without loss of meaning such original sources. Else the output could be flowery and incomprehensible poems obscuring the real content (possibly with intent) hidden within.

I can truly recommend this book to everyone interested in deeper energy meditation practise and Nei Gong. You won't regret, I'm sure. The writing can sometimes be redundant, dry and lengthy, but the knowledge is better given in a most detailed way instead of the most entertaining. Depending on your predisposition you may prefer Yang's writing style over others, don't take my or anyone other's word for it.

24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 1st-class guide for energetic Qigong students, June 4, 2006

By	The_Mage_Lestat - See all my reviews

Having entered popular Western consciousness, the subject of Qigong is currently awash with fluffy, vacuous verbiage from pompous self-styled experts whose only real interest is cashing in on a lucrative New-Age trend. This volume, although dense and difficult, reveals much authentic and vital knowledge to those who have had some experience of Qi and are not afraid of patient study and experiment. Dr. Yang is one of a handful of authors in this field who is both qualified and willing to share significant teachings that have heretofore been kept secret or deliberately obscure. His material is presented in a format that, while extremely concise, assiduously avoids being cryptic. If you are a lazy dabbler interested in yet another mealy-mouthed, feel-good text weighted down with pseudo-exotica, promising everything and delivering nothing, avoid this book. But if you have perceived a little of the reality of internal Qi and desire to systematically expand your practice and understanding, you will probably find this volume unusually rewarding.

31 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The missing key to Buddha's enlightenment, October 22, 2003

By A Customer

"Pay attention to your breath".

So often, this sentence is the only guidance given regarding the importance of the breath during relaxation and meditation practice, especially in the West.

In his new book, Qigong Meditation, Dr. Yang explodes this sentence, as he instructs Embryonic Breathing, the missing key to modern mediation practice. These Qigong breathing techniques and Qi energy circulation practices are an essential part of sitting meditation, as it was taught in ancient times. This important information was passed down by Buddha, and by subsequent masters over the centuries, but has nearly been lost due to language barriers and the difficulty of understanding the deeper aspects of the training.

When meditation travelled out of India and China, and especially as it made it's way into western societies, this essential key has often been neglected, and new schools of thought developed. Some people have had success in re-opening the third eye and attaining enlightentment with other methods, but traditionally those who achieved this were Qigong masters.

Thank you Master Yang for translating most of the available ancient documents on this training - their profound content is now available to so many more people, and your excellent commentary is invaluable. I share your hope that more people strive to continue this research so that we may gain a modern scientific understanding of the Human Body, Mind and Spirit, and of the universe we inhabit.

As the word 'enlightenment' gets thrown around more and more casually in the West, it is important that we truly seek the roots of this precious learning, which has been passed down to all of us, with humble and open minds.