The Gigong Year

by Michael Bruney

Book Overview

Closely related to the popular Chinese martial art Tai Chi, Qigong (pronounced "chee gong") is an ancient self-healing art that combines movement and meditation in holistic workouts that simultaneously develop body and spirit, promoting overall health and vitality. Practiced by millions of Chinese for thousands of years, Qigong is now gaining popularity throughout the world. The program of exercises, movements, breathing techniques, and visualizations...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580174434
• ISBN13: 9781580174435
• Release Date: May 2002
• Publisher: Storey Books
• Length: 255 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.8" x 5.8"

Customer Reviews

Usefulness is Wonderful

I have a few books on qigong and this one is the one I rec'd to others, both beginners and experienced. Excellent with the basic and more advanced forms.

A Solid Intro to QiGong

Check out the fittest people in any gym, and you will usually note that flexibility is a key component of their program. Check any truly spiritually centered person, and notice the glow of serenity than surrounds them. Combine both, and you understand why Western thinking is scurrying to latch onto QiGong.Combining gentle, flexible movement with breathing and visual meditation, Qi Gong is difficult to learn by book alone. Having said that, I found "The QiGong Year" to be the most helpful of texts in introducing this method of movement which promotes positive qi (energy), healing, and a healthy mind. Mr, Bruney breaks his introduction to the phases of QiGong down on a month-by-month basis, and writes in easy to follow prose, focusing on the Ba Duan Jin (8 Fine exercises). Some poems, meditations and Taoist traditions help explain the value of the program. And the illustrations,paper and colors used in publishing this book were very carefully chosen to maintain harmony with the theme of the writing, something rarely promoted in Western literature.Obviously, the best way to learn QiGong is through work with an expert. Barring that, The qiGong Year makes for a very acceptable substitute.