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Current Qhi Gong book I’m studying: Heal Yourself with QIGong, Gentle Practices to Increase Energy, Restore Health, and Relax the Mind, by Suzanne B. Friedman, L.AC., DMA (China)

This book begins with a couple delightful stories about people coming into contact with QiGong. (By the way, the Chinese pronounciation is “Chee Kung” altho it can be spelled a number of different ways! I guess there are 3 major schools of whatever they call it, transliteration.)

Then it has a simple introduction to Qigong. Unlike most books or videos that show a routine, Suzanne divides the main portion of the book into 4 sections, each elaborating a number of routines for dealing with specific healing: Instant Energy Boosters, Restoring Physical Vitality, Balancing Your Emotions, and Calming Your Spirit.

So instead of learning a whole routine of postures, you can just pick and choose according to what you feel you need. Personally, I like doing the 8 Brocade sequence (Eight Fine Exercises) if I don’t have much time, or a longer 25 minute routine if I do. Then perhaps I can fit in a particular routine from her book is the idea, I think!

My favorite Chi Gong book: The Way of Energy, Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Kung Exercise, by Master Lam Kam Chuen

This book is the one I use for the 8 Pieces of Brocade routine, and often use the stationary standing routines to counter act chronic fatigue. He teaches a form of QiGong called “Zhan Zhuang” pronouced “zoo zoo”–not! Actually it’s pronounced “Jan Jong” or if in southern China, “Jam Jong.”

is here: http://mychigong.wordpress.com/

It depends on the translators! I believe it sounds like “chee” but can be spelled either as chi or qi. “Chi Kung” means the same as “Qi Gong” for what it’s worth.

Also, Chi Kung postures/routines eventually became more elaborate and evolved into a set of moving postures that are better known as “Tai Chi.” There are also a lot of varieties of Tai Chi.

This book, by Master Lam Kam Chuen, is subtitled “Mastering the Chinese Art of Internal Strength with Chi Kung Exercise.”

The way I research books is first off by going to Amazon.com and seeing which topical books/dvds rate well. This book has 42 reviews and a rating of 39/42 with 5 stars–that’s pretty impressive.

Personally, I have chronic fatigue, so I was looking for an exercise that’s easy to do. This particular style is based on standing in 5 different positions, so even when I don’t have much energy, I can stand up for 10-15 minutes (listening to the radio as well or watching tv).

After doing the 5 standing exercises for some time, I did start to feel some energy so I have also started to do another set of poses, notably the “8 Fine Exercises.” There are, it seems, a million variations on this ancient routine, which was created around 1200 AD/CE in China. I like this variation because you do just 8 exercises, each one eight times. Simple! The simpler it is, the more likely I am to start and finish them. And when I get bored of one set, I can do a different routine. I can do them in about 10 minutes.

Another part of my discipline is writing down short-hand names for each of the routines, sometimes with short explanations, so I can eventually put them on a piece of paper with me when I go outside to practice.

The book is 191 pages, with nice illustrations and pictures as well. There are a number of sections to The Way of Energy: An intro detailing it’s origins in Chi, the basic standing exercises, the “Fine 8 Exercises”, more advanced postures and chapters after the exercises dealing with more esoteric energy.

Here’s the link to the book on Amazon.

I just received the dvd in the mail today. Chris Pei, for whom English is a second language, has a very benign, relaxing, and well-produced dvd on the traditional Chinese 8 Pieces of Brocade routine. The main video demonstrates  pose the 8 exercises, with 3 extra meditative poses on the bonus section, such as the Hugging a Tree stance. He is filmed in a translucent white silk outfit, which shows his limbs slightly underneath. I wish Chinese instructors would simply wear tight fitting clothes so you can really see what they’re doing structurally, rather than the traditional loose fitting clothes.

He is filmed doing the poses on a small, flowing river, and the water shots throughout the video are very relaxing. Overall, a delightful, and easy to do variation on this Qi Gong classic routine.

I bought the dvd from Amazon for $9.95, which is a very good price.  Sometimes you can rent dvds from Netflix, which is also a good way to view the dvds of exercises you’re interested in, without having to put down a lot of money upfront.

I added a new header image, featuring men and women performing Qi Gong taken from Chi Kung drawings in an ancient silk book (Method of Inducing Free Flow of Chi) from the Han dynasty, circa 206 BCE to 24CE.

These movements were codified by General Yeuh Fei (1177CE-1279CE) into 12, then 8 movements. Even today, visitors to the Shaolin Temple in China will see statues performing these exercises. The illustrations are from The Way of Energy, by Master Lam Kam Chuen, page 81.

The Chinese call the exercise routine “Ba Duan Jin,” translated as “Eight Strands of Brocade” or “Eight Fine Exercises.” I’m going to call the routine 8 Poetry Moves, cuz who knows what brocade is anyway? I’m saying they’re poems because Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming refers to them as poems/songs as they were anciently recorded:  “the most important thing that will come from the regular practice of Qigong is your discovery of the inner world of your body’s energy.” Is that poetry in motion or what?!

QiGong Exercises

oh hold on the phone, waiting waiting waiting… hours trying to add a 60 minute card to my cellphone.

Breathe. This can be a moment of conductivity.

8 Silken Movements or 8 Pieces of Brocade or 8 Simple QiGong Exercises for Health

To conclude, you must practice perseveringly and patiently. You need a strong will and a great deal of patience and self-discipline. You may have already found that there are many different versions of the Eight Pieces of Brocade available on the market. Do not be confused by all these versions. You should understand that it does not matter which version you practice, the basic theory and principles remain the same. The most important thing of all is to understand the poems and songs which have been passed down through generations. These poems and songs are the root of the training, so please study them carefully.

from 8 Simple QiGong Exercises for Health, by Dr. Jwing-Ming Yang, page 27

There are so many forms and styles and teachers! Oh my. I get bored with one and go to another just for variety. I like Dr. Yang’s style of having a book and video, so you can watch the movements, then go to the book when you need more technical information. –Michael Harings