Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong: Qigong of Unconditional Love Review

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(More customer reviews)The book is written by the originator of this particular style of qigong, Master Li Jun Feng, and is the authoritative guide for any practitioner of Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong. It contains some background material, but is basically a 'how-to' book.
Every posture, or exercise, is described technically and is illustrated by photos of Master Li performing it. Additionally the postures has a set of contemplations that the practitioner can use to enhance the effect of the exercises. Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong is constructed as series of postures that each can take anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours to perform depending on the speed and number of repetitions of each exercise the practitioner wishes to do. There are four standing and three sitting series of postures as well as two different types of meditations that are all covered by this book.
Like any book of this kind it best serves the purpose of being a helpful additional tool and cannot fully replace the hands-on guidance of a good teacher. But as such it is excellent, with hundreds of good photos and easy-to-follow descriptions of each exercise. Any motivated qigong practitioner should be able to learn the forms from the book. Even more so if done in combination with the available videos.
The author is well known in China, as he used to be the head coach of the Beijing Wushu (martial art / kung fu) Team as well as the National Wushu Team for many years, He also starred in some Chinese martial arts movies before giving it all up to dedicate his time to develop and teach this beautiful and inspiring form of qigong.
I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of the Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong style of qigong when it comes to fulfilling the promises of Chinese energy cultivation. The exercises are easy to learn (but can be hard to master) and feel good to do. Unlike some other schools of qigong there are no stringent demands of what time of the day you should train, the cardinal directions and such. But it is no less 'serious' for that. Practicing Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong is effective for your health and well-being, and might do some very nice things for your mind and spirit as well.

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Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong: Qigong of Unconditional Love, A Return to Oneness Starting the practice of Sheng Zhen Wuji Yuan Gong is the first step of a journey to our origin. Our origin, our true homeland, is the state in which we experience the feeling of complete well-being. Returning there means discovering the true self - achieving insight into a wholeness that has never been lost, just forgotten. Always be at home, no matter where we are - always find wholeness no matter what the life circumstances may be - attaining this means merging with everything and knowing that there is only oneness.

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Tai Chi Chuan: Body and Mind in Harmony Review

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(More customer reviews)In this first popular explanation in English of T'ai Chi Ch'uan (Wu Style), Sophia Delza, the only Western woman master of the system [circa 1961], discusses its underlying philosophy and describes every step of each movement in picture and lucid text. Of it she says:
T'ai Chi Ch'uan is a system of activating the body for the development of physical, emotional and mental well-being that produces a feeling of satisfaction and a sense of tranquility that Western exercises do not give. This in itself may not sound unusual since many exercises so promise, but what is unique in this case is the technical method, with its form and spirit, which promotes the desirable state.
We in the West are apt to overdo in exercises and sports, believing that a hard, tense movement indicates strength and control and that power comes from the ability to expend strength violently. The technique of T'ai Chi Ch'uan is contrary to such a method. It is in the philosophy of T'ai Chi Ch'uan that energy can be controlled, strength balanced, vitality stabalized by using the body in such a way as not to strain the muscles, not to overactivate the heart, not to exert oneself excessively. The technique of T'ai Chi Ch'uan is based not only on a physical method, but also on an emotional and mental attitude, from which a state of awareness, calmness nd concentration evolves. This consideration of man's total health is intrinsic in the forms and techniques of T'ai Chi Ch'uan.
--- from book's dustjacket

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Jiangan: The Chinese Health Wand Review

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(More customer reviews)Jiangan substantiates that old adage about not judging books by their covers. Seriously, who's excited by the image of a bespectacled, white guy with a goofy countenance garbed in traditional Chinese silks, holding a bamboo stick in an awkward-looking position? Well, if you're interested in the health- and fitness-enhancing benefits of one of China's least-known albeit most effective exercise methods, you probably should be. Although it can work well as a stand-alone system, the Chinese health wand exercises described in this book are compatible with, and make a great warm-up for, most other martial arts, soft and hard styles alike.

Even though jiangan was "discovered" by an American, Bruce L. Johnson, in 1945, and ultimately published in a book in 1977, it never became popular in the West. Nevertheless, the movements can help practitioners integrate body and breathing while stretching and strengthening their muscles and simultaneously improving posture, balance, and flexibility. The exercises are low impact, take remarkably little space, and require only a single implement, a simple bamboo rod, cut to the proper length based on the arm-length of the individual.

With regular practice, say twenty to thirty minutes a day, the health and fitness benefits should manifest in short order. As the author relates, ". . . one month after I began practicing jiangan, the muscles in my middle and lower back were firmer and my knees felt much stronger. Several weeks later I was so much trimmer and leaner that friends asked if had been training in a gym . . . it can be argued that similar body-shaping results can be obtained from industrious workouts in other more robust types of exercise; the fact remains that it was jiangan, the gentle internal art, that worked."

Founder of White Crane Bamboo Group, Michael Davies began studying tai chi chuan in the 1970s and is currently senior instructor with the Tai Chi Union in Great Britain. His martial proficiency lends authority to his writing, while his tai chi and qigong teaching experience adds lucidity. He is clearly accustomed to explaining these concepts to his students. Using a personable, reader-friendly style backed up by clear figures and illustrations, he communicates the materials effectively enough that one can begin practicing jiangan merely by reading the book. That's quite an accomplishment!

The contents are well organized, covering history of the Chinese health wand, the gan (bamboo pole), philosophy of jiangan, and methodology of the exercises, as well as seventeen practice routines. There is a solid question-and-answer section, a guide to practicing, and several variations, as well as advanced exercises. This information should prove useful for students and teachers of the Chinese martial arts as well as most anyone interested in healthful, low-impact exercises.
Lawrence Kane, author of Surviving Armed Assualts, Martial Arts Instruction, and Blinded by the Night; co-author of The Way to Black Belt, The Way of Kata, The Little Black Book of Violence, and How to Win a Fight
Note: Originally reviewed for ForeWord Magazine, July 2011

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Long before Tai Chi and Qigong became household names in the West, an American sailor visiting Shanghai discovered a gentle Chinese exercise called Jiangan - The Chinese Health Wand. This exercise system is simple yet potent and involves the manipulation of a lightweight pole traditionally made of bamboo. Jiangan co-ordinates slow diaphragmatic breathing with graduated stretching and strengthening exercises to promote circulation and stimulate the cardiovascular system. This book offers a concise practical guide to Jiangan exercises, providing detailed instructions and illustrations while also exploring the Chinese philosophy behind the art. Although a gentle and meditative form of exercise, this book shows that Jiangan has the muscle-toning and weight-loss potential of more robust gym workouts and is an ideal daily exercise routine or warm-up for a range of sports and martial arts classes. This book will be a valuable resource for teachers and students of Tai Chi and Qigong, as well as anyone looking for a simple and effective way to improve health and fitness using Eastern health arts.

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