"This excellent guide teaches some of the basic forms of qigong, a traditional technique of Chinese energy movement that promotes energy and well-being."
Shaolin Qi Gong
Energy in Motion
Description
Authentic qi gong as practiced in the Shaolin Temple where this discipline originated centuries ago
• Reveals the fundamental spiritual principles and includes both a short and long form of the daily exercises
• Explains the benefits of mastering energy in the body, such as organ strengthening
The great teacher Bodhidharma is credited with the creation of Shaolin Temple qi gong and kung fu in the 6th century CE. Motivated by the terrible physical condition of the monks who spent all their time meditating or copying scrolls, his two-part system promoted physical as well as spiritual fitness and became the basis for all the martial and meditative arts taught in the Shaolin Temple. These ancient practices increase physical health and vitality, enhance creativity, and can be practiced well into old age.
Author Shi Xinggui, a Shaolin monk, explains the fundamental principle of qi gong--the art of mastering energy (qi) and moving it through the body--and provides clear demonstrations of all the positions and movements. In order to develop qi attentively, it is necessary to cultivate the art of slowness in both movement and breathwork. Shi Xinggui provides both a short form and a long form of the daily exercises, with lessons on heart centering, organ strengthening, and balancing the energy using the three dantians--the three energy centers of the body.
Reviews
"This seems to be just as much about inner peace as it is physical exercise. I have gained a new respect for the topic after watching the video. . . . If you are looking for a VERY low-impact exercise system that will, at the very least, improve your flexibility and peace of mind, pick this up and follow along."
"Throughout the text one becomes aware of this kind, gentle, but relentless dedication to taking the reader, trainee or initiate, to new and higher levels of achievement. At no point is there any sense of the beginner's limitations, only a sense of promise ahead and the value inherent in working towards clear goals. . . . while being a book artfully designed to meet the needs of a contemporary, pressured, and chaotic experience, Shaolin Qi Gong: Energy in Motion is also a book that is likely to introduce many to the wisdom of Buddhist spirituality and to the disciplines of perhaps today's most fabled form of martial arts."