Book to learn chiqong ? Begginer

[Dream]

Hi everybody.

 

Do you recommend any book for a begginer? Or videos, etc.

 

Here, where i live, i didn't found any qiqong / neidan teacher.

 

I know isn't the best but i wanna learn.

 

Greetings.

 

[thelerner]

Here's a link to a good book on Jhanas Knowing and Seeing that goes pretty deeply into meditation- http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CB4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.paaukforestmonastery.org%2Fbooks%2Fknowing_and_seeing_rev_ed.pdf&ei=spZcVaSbIMb7oQTs0oCABQ&usg=AFQjCNGcwnua-drWCF04U6fp23oR_CgClQ&sig2=IfEjgGt8Xi2kzOnSWHiOTA&bvm=bv.93756505,d.cGU

 

Likewise here's a few chapters from Ajahn Brahms Bliss and Beyond http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&ved=0CCQQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.dhammaloka.org.au%2Ffiles%2Fpdf%2FAjahn_Brahm-Mindfulness_Bliss_and_Beyond-Chapters1-4.pdf&ei=nJdcVeG2C466ogTOvYDoAg&usg=AFQjCNHYGuud_jzTL4_dvdapzbuIhfNLuA&sig2=y22UEZufq5hPsNwTb_gobw&bvm=bv.93756505,d.cGU

 

He has many audio talks and other writings you can find online.  You won't get much good qigong from a book (imo) but some on the deeper aspects of meditation there are some good resources, like these books. 

 

If you google Michael Winn Pangu on look for it on youtube you'll find a short easy form of gigong that I like.

[xing]

http://www.drbaolinwu.com/9palaces.htm

 

Baolin Wu's book on the 9 Palaces Qigong of the Longmen lineage is easily one of the best techniques that I've seen in print: http://www.amazon.com/Gong-Total-Wellness-Longevity-Monastery/dp/0312262337

 

A highly valuable book, definitely check it out. This is great by itself and a great aid to any other qigong you may be practicing.

Edited May 20, 2015 by xing

[Brian]

Michael Lomax (screen name "Ya Mu" on the forum) has a DVD and e-book available (several DVDs, actually, but Gift of the Tao I is the logical starting point). Many of his students start there and, after finding them valuable, will later arrange to attend one of his in-person workshops.

 

His site is:

http://www.qigongamerica.com/

[dawei]

You can find this book on Amazon for 0.01... so it is worth the shipping

 

Chi Kung: Health and Martial Arts

 

This was the first book I came across and later read about 5-6 more of his books.   I'm not in any way into martials arts so don't think that angle.

[Dainin]

Hi Dream,

 

This book features two qigong sets that I've practiced almost every day for years, the standing 8 Section Brocade and Shibashi (18 movements of Taiji Qigong). These are fairly easy to learn and would be a good starting place for a beginner.

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-Life-Volume-1/dp/0975048090

 

There is also a companion DVD:

 

http://www.amazon.com/The-Art-of-Life/dp/B00JD2QYEW

 

Good luck, and remember that the positive effects of qigong practice come about as the result of regular practice over time.

[cheya]

Hi Dainin,

Could we get the Shibashi practice just from the DVD, or do we really need the book too?

[Dainin]

Hi cheya,

 

I don't think that the book is necessary to learn the form. There are also lots of Youtube videos of it, including the master that created the series, Lin Housheng. The best book I've seen about Shibashi is probably Chris Jarmey's "The Theory and Practice of Taiji Qigong." There are 7 or 8 series, I've only seen the first three.

[soaring crane]

Ditto the Baolin Wu book, it's a good basis for gaining solid foundational knowledge, and the exercises are described pretty well. But there's no video material available to provide a visual, that I know of.

 

Ditto also the Shibashi, 18-Taiji Figures. That's a form that can take you a long way, and is very prevelant, very popular.

 

For more general info on Qigong I'd suggest Roger Jahnke's "The Healing Power of Qi" along with Yang Jwing-Ming's "The Root of Chinese Qigong".

 

People also rave about Ken Cohen's systems, but I don't have any direct experience with them. Supposed to be quite excellent for self-study.

[thelerner]

I'm on the mailing list for 'Sounds True' http://www.soundstrue.com/store/.  Every other week they seem to have 50% of sales as well as offer shorter free introductory material by famous authors.  Worth looking into.  They also have podcasts of interviews with famous authors.

[Rocky Lionmouth]

My advice is to find a book or video to describe a practice that is also easy to find other resources for, like 8 Section Brocade as was mentioned. Yang style 6-form is great also, compact and easy to remember, LOTS to work on if you're curious and scientific in your approach

I'd recommend staying out of the theoretical beginners litterature and focus on the exercises. One day you'll meet a teacher whom you'd like to study with and let her/him explain the necessary theory in their words in a way that suits your shared communication. Dont "fill your cup" with the popular stuff that floats around the market.

 

Ken Cohens book "Way of Qigong: art and science of chinese energy healing" was my first book, shed some light on some basic stuff but i still struggle today with eliminating "stuff i believed i understood" from first reading it. So easy to think one has a overview from books and applying that to the experiences.

 

In my opinion simply learning exercises and staying open to the feedback they give you about your body is worth reading a thousand books who skim through obscure alchemy references or tcm-tech-talk. Get a friend to watch the video and give you feedback on posture and stuff like that.

Edited May 22, 2015 by Rocky Lionmouth

[DanC]

Zhan Zhuang has not been mentioned, simple and yet very powerful, check out "The Way of Energy"..

[Gerard]

The Way of Energy is a good one to get started.

 

I wish there was a free book about walking meditation, but this YT video is quite good:

 

 

All the best!

[voidisyinyang]

I actually just got a hold of Way of Energy. The page on internal energy is very great - very simple yet direct instructions.

 

Previously this was described as "Motionlessly relaxed" - for horse stance - but the Way of Energy describes it better.

 

This is really the key of the whole practice.

 

chapter 3 "Internal Movement"

 

 

At the very point when you start to feel the pain in your muscles, use your mind to tell them to relax....This enables oxygen-rich blood to continue to circulate freely through your system at an enhanced rate, rather than being blocked by tense muscles....Until you have mastered the art of using your mind to control the tension in your muscles, you can reduce the tension by moving your mind from the pain....The result of all these changes is a high level of internal motion within your body that makes your Chi course through its myriad channels....

 

 p. 51.

 

So I used this secret of full lotus. This really is the secret of training - summed up.

[voidisyinyang]

yeah there's a pdf link of that book online just google.

[voidisyinyang]

At the very point when you

start to feel the pain in your muscles, use your mind to tell them

to relax (see Chapter 2). This enables oxygen-rich blood to

continue to circulate freely through your system at an enhanced

rate, rather than being blocked by tense muscles. It also triggers

muscle fibres that have not yet been brought into play, and these

help carry the load borne by the fibres that are approaching

exhaustion. Until you have mastered the art of using your mind

to control the tension in your muscles, you can reduce the

tension by moving your mind from the pain (see p. 52).

Combining this with the correct breathing and relaxation

exercises already described in Chapter 2, enables you to hold

any of the Zhan Zhuang positions far longer than you could ever

imagine to be possible.

The result of all these changes is a high level of internal

motion within your body that makes your Chi course through its

myriad channels, just as your blood surges through your veins

and arteries. Your mental powers are exercised to the full as you

learn to control your muscular and nervous systems. Eventually

you grow beyond your normal limits of endurance to a highly

energized state of alert tranquillity.

[thelerner]

For some reason I find the boredom doing zhan Zhuang can be as difficult as the muscle tension.   Listening to a meditation helps tremendously.  I enjoy listening to Rawn Clark's Archaeous series (http://abardoncompanion.com/Archaeous-Links.html) makes it much easier and adds a elemental dimension, even listening to a yoga nidra type guided meditation (http://www.yoganidranetwork.org/downloads ) makes the time go by nicely.

[vonkrankenhaus]

I had never seen any commercial book about qigong until very recently - just in last few months.

 

When I began in the early 70s there was not much consumer demand to know qigong.

 

So now I am looking at many of the books commercially available - it is amazing.

 

I would think that for someone beginning, commonly available books are showing something like an introduction, and also are attempting with various levels of success to translate the thinking behind qigong to modern materialist science-believing consumers.

 

Most of the books at least do introduce some of the basic issues and general beginning practices, and this is helpful to someone who will be seeking a teacher after seeing a basic orientation (no pun intended!).

 

But - there are many misunerstandings in various of these books. Very basic things, and also much just plain guessing about advanced practices and attainments. This can create unrealistic expectations, or even get in the way of development.

 

I do recommend reading about Taoist thinking and philosophy first, before any book on just qigong.

 

If you start with the biggest picture first, then break into little details, the whole might better stay visible throughout the journey and be recognizeable and re-integrated later on.

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[Dream]

Thank you all for your answers

 

what do you think about this book?

 

http://es.scribd.com/doc/135842655/Chinese-National-Chi-Kung-Institute-Correspondence-Program#scribd

 

Greetings

[vonkrankenhaus]

The book linked looks like a basic overview. There are many similar books, some in english, and they are like the many books about TCM.

 

The fully western books by western modern authors are like some of this with a lot of psychology concepts added as explanation or interpretations.

 

Reading al this stuff, plus watching all the videos available online now, would give anyone a good general idea about the subject. Correspondence with friends who are students of living teachers would add context and perspective, and even just attending a workshop or seminar with a real teacher would add even more.

 

Ironically, learning from books is much harder for a beginner than for someone with experience and training.

 

 

-VonKrankenhaus

[Dream]

Yeah, of course

 

Where i live, there aren't real qiqong/neidan teachers.

 

Better to work with books than doing nothing.

 

Greetings.

[Jox]

I just come across Tibetan qi gong ...  Five elements ZZ and Buddha palm - one finger zen are easy to learn yet very powerful techniques. Good for fundamentals in my opinion ...