Chi Gung: Chinese Healing, Energy and Natural Magick

I find this book to be superb. I am particularly attacted to its flexibility, which fits in with the fact that the form of Chi Gung which Ms. Carnie practices is "The Flowing". Lily Carnie is a skilled teacher unlike many who know *how* to do something but don't know how to pass on that ability. The Olympic coach Laurence E.Morehouse found that an extremely ineffective way to teach someone how to use their body is to tell them what to do with the various parts of their body. What works is to give them an IMAGE to hold in their mind. Ms. Carnie in her section on breathing, "... the most important skill you will learn in practicing this ancient art.", shows her awareness of this principle: "Imagine you are inhaling a delicate silk thread and if you breathe too harshly, quickly, or spasmodically, it will break." What motivated me to write this review was the "Astonishing bad" review of Kenneth Robinson. I found his review "helpful" in recommending anything on Chi Gung by Lam Kam Chuen or B. K. Frantzis. I have to assume that, in sharp contrast to the flexibility of Lily Carnie, their works would exhibit the rigidity so dramatically displayed by Mr. Robinson. But to return to "Life as it Should be" as we say in Maine, L.V.Carnie's "Chi Gung" will broaden the vistas of your life.

This book was very enlightening . The author wrote this in a very unique way, very personal and to the second person which makes it very intimate. This reading was easily absorbed and the graphics make it visual from cover to cover. It covers the meridians and theory in general. Then gives you exercises to help you develop your Chi. Then how to include Chi Gung exercises into your daily actions. It even discusses some things that can be made possible at even higher levels. This book had truly wonderful insight how Chi Gung can help you change your awareness and refurbish your child-like wonder and positive reception for the world just about. All and All a wonderful book!

Being a reader of many Chi Gung books, I've noted that some tend to focus on techniques and systems, going into elaborate details on forms, postures, diagrams and the like. Others tend to discuss principles and concepts and then demonstrate how various Chi Gung practices incorporate them. Ms Carnie's book definately falls into the latter category and takes it to level I've not seen before. It seems like her fundamental precept is this...if Chi is indeed a universal force then it is available to be experienced, sensed and applied everywhere not just in a martial arts studio while doing this form or that exercise. Ms Carnie helps to bring an "everyday" aspect to the study of Chi. She begins by laying the foundation and then goes on to an extremely diverse variety of training exercises intended to enhance your experiences with Chi. The last portion of the book does discuss some extraordinary abilities that have been traditionally associated with Taoist Wizardry, yet I found that the way she handles those topics to be a reasonable extension of the principles of Chi awareness she discusses earlier. Some may prefer a detailed focus on technique while others may prefer the more relaxed and open style of Ms Carnie. Each reader will have to decide if this approach is effective for them, but I've found this book to be an honest and sincere work dedicated to increasing one's awareness of Chi.

This book is much deeper than any other self-help type book that I have ever read. The material is fresh and the perspective is totally unique. It is a right-brained styled, easy to read and understand book. The secret to the book seems to be that the exercises only appear to be simple. In actuality, they are able to improve the skill of not only the beginner but also the advanced student and even the master. In fact, the secret behind this book seems to be its very simplicity because the book shows how mastering the basics is really the key to success in any field from business to professional sports.This is truly a wonderful book. Lily is a knowledgeable and understanding teacher who knows how to present and teach advanced topics using simple exercises and concepts. All that the reader needs is an open mind and patience.Many of the advanced techniques might be unfamiliar to the average reader but Lily's stories and examples are detailed and if the reader is open-minded, it is easy to sense the genuiness and authenticity of what she says. The 100 or so exercises consist of apparantly simple activities such as breathing and meditation but as any skilled practitioner in any field knows, it is the repeated practice of the basics which leads to mastery.One of the unique elements of this book is that Lily reveals the skills of a full Chi Gung program ranging from the beginner to the master. She openly stresses the basics and only apparantly alludes to some of the most advanced skills, but in actuality, she carefully weaves a pattern of writing that teaches the reader the proper skill development at the proper time for their personal situation. In other words, if someone is not ready to learn a skill, the section may confuse them but when they are ready, they will see the lessons jump off the page even though on first reading they may have seemed hidden to the closed minded. If the reader reads carefully and takes the book as a whole, the lessons for any level of attainment are indeed revealed.This book contains wonderful philosophical insights that can really help anybody if one is willing to open their mind. Concepts such as visualization, softness, and adaptability are shown to really work.The book even gets into some really advanced subjects like communicating with animals, healing others, and picking up someone's thoughts. The neat thing is that Lily shows how we all do that to some degree but she shows actual concrete exercises anybody can do to increase their skill to their belief level. In other words, Lily shows that the only limitations are actually yourself.Whether a person is a beginner or a master with decades of experience, anybody can find life changing lessons in this book. In fact, on the back cover two world renowned masters of chi kung, Wong Kiew Kit and James MacRitchie, talk about how they feel the book can help anybody at any level of experience.I have looked at hundreds and hunderds of Qig

I highly recommend this book. This is a rare book. It covers both the physical (Wai Dan), and mental (Nei Dan) aspects of Chi Kung, and Tai Chi Chuan.This book has approximately 100 exercizes to try.This book is very easy to read and more importantly easy to understand. The Information dealinng with the meridians discussed on pages 34-40 is worth the cost of the book alone!