Qigong – Reviews
From our book
Bypassing Bypass, published in 2002 |
|
There is enough medical proof
concerning the cardiovascular benefits of Qigong (and its little
brother, Tai Chi) to fill this book [Bypassing Bypass], and
many more. There is a focus (in this edition) on the scientific
studies concerning Transcendental Meditation. Instead of trying to
convince you of Qigong’s benefits, we’re going to review some of the
books, videos, and practitioners available to you.
Qigong has many translations.
For our purpose here, we will call it simply, “Energy Work.” Our
bodies are much more than organs, tissue, blood, and bone. We are
energetic bodies as well. Ten years ago, Dr Bill Mannahan stated in
a lecture I attended: “Energy medicine is the medicine of the
future.”
The future has arrived. Today we
have well over 10,000 practitioners of Qigong in the Twin Cities
area alone. By practitioner, we mean, individuals who practice
Qigong exercises.
For a good introduction to
Qigong and some powerful, simple exercises, including a Qigong
massage and Qigong meditation, visit:
Qigong.
We will begin our reviews with a
look at a video we received from Dr Roger Jahnke, OMD. Roger is one
of those pioneers who has done as much as anyone to bring Qigong to
America. He studied in China, he returns often, and he writes
volumes on using Qigong to heal. As a writer, he is fluent,
uncomplicated, and brilliant. I have often felt very peaceful
reading his words. If you search the web for information on Qigong,
much of what is written there was written by Dr Jahnke. He has a new
book out called, The Healing Promise of Qi. His best seller The
Healer Within is one of my favorite books on Qigong.
Dr Jahnke sent us his QIGONG
- CHI KUNG video (with a sub title: Awakening and Mastering the
Medicine Within You.) The video takes you on a tour of China
visiting some beautiful and remarkable sites. The exercises Dr
Jahnke demonstrates are quite simple and very powerful. He explains
the benefits of each and discusses their internal effects too. He
teaches us how to gather energy from our surroundings, to use that
energy: molding it, refining it, and sharing it with others. Though
the good doctor is very advanced in his knowledge of natural
medicine and self-healing, his explanations are simple and easily
understood. In fact, as I shared this video with a friend, she made
the remark that she had “felt” the understanding long before she
“grasped” the understanding with her mind.
Dr Jahnke runs the Institute of
Integral Qigong and Tai Chi in Santa Barbara, California. To order
books or videos you may call 800-824-4325 send an E-mail to
rjahnke@west.net, or visit his
web site: www.healerwithin.com.
Richard Leirer from the Qigong
Academy in Taos, New Mexico sent us two videos.
Now, when you take a course in
Tai Chi or Qigong, one of the first things your instructor will tell
you is that you cannot learn either of these from a video. The next
day, the instructor mentions that s/he has a Qigong video for sale.
So, what’s with this? It’s very
simple. You cannot learn these lessons “perfectly” from a video only
because we all need an instructor to correct our posture. Until you
are well versed in all the movements and the Qi finally flows and
you can feel the Qi and work with the Qi and project the Qi, you
will need an instructor (to make minor corrections). So, with this
in mind, once you’ve had introductory sessions with an instructor
who can correct your postures, then you can probably pick up some
more Tai Chi or Qigong forms from videos. And Richard Leirer’s
videos are among the best we’ve seen. Why? They are simple. The
music is simple, the background is simple, and the instruction is
simple. At times the camera angles change to help you see the form
from a different perspective, and oftentimes Richard employs a split
screen so that you can see the movements from two different angles
at the same time.
I learned
one of his full forms with a friend correcting me. I learned each
movement by watching it over and over and trying it while facing the
television. Then I turned away from the television (so that I was
facing the same direction as Richard) and while listening to his
spoken instructions, I practiced the movement and my friend (being
able to watch both Richard and myself at the same time) corrected
me.
Richard
always gives you some very good warm up exercises. The warm up
exercises are actually Qigong exercises. Tai Chi is the martial arts
form of Qigong, though one can learn them without ever learning
about the martial art applications. Some of the best Qigong
exercises I’ve ever used in my daily routines come from Richard’s
tapes. They are very powerful, they open up and loosen the joints
(places where energy often gets trapped), and they are great
exercises just by themselves.
To order
tapes from Richard or learn about his programs, you can write him at
rjl1142@yahoo.com.
Mark
Johnson is another big name in the world of Qigong. He’s got a
wonderful sense of humor, and it is a true pleasure to watch him do
a workout. The fluidity of his movements can mesmerize onlookers.
With over
30 years of experience in the Chinese arts of Tai Chi, Qigong,
Taoism, and Chinese calligraphy, Mark is a highly respected master
of Qigong. He has created his own forms and modifies existing forms
for the elderly or disabled. One of his videos has sold over half a
million copies as of 2002. His students have included Tom Cruise,
Nicholas Cage, Patrick Swayze, Mickey Rourke, and more.
Mark
has a light sense of humor. His Tai Chi for Healing video is
very, very thorough. He emphasizes a complete detoxication program
for the organs and then, after you’ve practiced this for three
months, you can rebuild the organ system the same way, only the
forms are just slightly different. After watching his video, I took
a course in Chinese medicine and was amazed at how much Chinese
medicine (philosophy and theory) I had already picked up from his
video, without ever really knowing it. For instance, there is an
order to his exercises. I later learned it was called the “Cycle of
Creation.”
To order
Marks videos, you can call 800.497.4244 or visit his web site:
www.chi-kung.com or send him
e-mail:
chigung@mindspring.com.
Finally, we come to a book we received from Yanling Johnson. Yanling
and Dean Johnson run the Qigong Association of America in Corvallis,
Oregon. (www.qi.org)
Yanling’s
writing is a treat. You can almost “feel” her writing in Chinese
calligraphy with a brush. The book is called, Qi, The Treasure
and Power of Your Body. It is an introductory book to Qigong,
its history and philosophy. She gently leads us by the hand up
through the ages (much of what she tells us comes from ancient
writings). She gives you cautions; tells you how to find a good
instructor, teaches you to pass on this healing to others, talks
about the meridian system and special points to focus on, passes on
stories of Qigong and Tai Chi, and even teaches us a few short
forms. There is a chapter for Instructors and Healers, and three
chapters on the feminine arts of raising a family, cooking, and
looking beautiful. The chapters were not only delightful but
amazingly informative. She has a lot of clear wisdom to pass on.
Finally she ends the book with some macrobiotic dietary advice,
pointing out foods that should not be eaten together.
She
and Dean have been teaching a form of Qigong called Soaring Crane
for about 11 years now. For more information on their association,
lectures, classes, or to order Yanling’s book, you can call:
541.745.2013, visit their web site:
www.qi.org, or send e-mail to
dean@qi.org.
|
