Eight Simple Qigong Exercises for Health: The Eight Pieces of Brocade

Dr. Yang explains the exercises very well, especially what they do to the body. All of his books (those he wrote, anyway) are excellent (not all qigong books are, so appreciate him!). It took me about 90 mins to learn the exercises, and it takes a good 20 mins to do them quickly (about 45 mins if you do the 20 repetitions he recommends). The exercises HAVE been around for thousands of years, and they're also called Ba Juan Din (or some such), and no one's sure if they were warm up exercises or for healing. I wish Dr. Yang would've said how long it takes before results are seen, or how long to practice. I've since learned it's 100 days. YMAA has a feedback page on their Web site, and I filled out the registration page so I could post and was annoyed when a computer glitch prevented me from posting. Emails to the YMAA to address this were never answered.

Although thin, this book contained more information than I expected. It talks about what is qi and what is qigong (including its history), it tells the life story of this set's creator - Marshall Yue Fei, and enumerates the main qigong purposes (i.e for healing, maintaing health, prolonging life, martial arts and enlightenment). The two main categories are explained: Wai Dan (External Elixir) and Nei Dan (Internal Elixir). In Taoist terminology, the book talks about the three treasures: Jing (essence), Qi (energy) and Shen (spirit), which can be nurtured through Qigong training. In order to succeed, one needs to regulate the body, mind, breath, Qi and spirit - only then the benefits which one can reap from training will be reaped. The next two chapters present the sitting and standing set of "Eight pieces of brocade", respectively. There are details, but not exhaustive, and I feel that one should also get the DVD with the same name to have a better understanding of the sets - short of having a teacher. This is actually what Dr. Yang recommends - work with both the book and DVD, for there are details which cannot be explained in the latter, but you cannot get the feel and moves from the former as much as from the DVD. The book ends with a rather comprehensive glossary of terms (book names, authors, masters, etc.) and with an index. All in all, this is a great book for beginners, but by all means it cannot be considered the end - it is only an introduction, and a good one. This being said, there might be probably better introductions in other books, but everyone has to start somewhere, and this work isn't bad at all.

With HMOs, insurance headaches, premiums driven up by the 65 percent of Americans who are overweight, increasing daily stress, we all could use a magic elixir for energy and increased quality of life. Who better to provide it than the Chinese, inventors of tai chi chuan, green tea as a curative, and acupuncture? Qigong, as alternative health expert Dr. Wang Jwing-Ming explains, functions like tai chi chuan or yoga as a way of maintaining longevity, youth, energy and health. Dr. Yang explains that most practitioners of qigong seek enlightenment, awareness and health through wai dan (physical tai chi type qigong) or nei dan (meditation). Once you have read the half of the book devoted to the nature of qigong, like most Westerners, you're itching to get started. Dr. Yang stresses that qigong is not about fancy moves, but about careful attention. The exercises, like weight or strength training, require several repetitions. The qigong exercises may seem slow. However, for those who are sick and tired of being sick and tired, patience will pay off when you choose to set aside 10-20 minutes a day. The accompanying videotape purports to be another great investment in your health. Dr. Yang skillfully shows us the path to wellness.

Although I would recommend this text to even a beginner, Chi-gong is perhaps not the easiest thing to initially learn without someone to guide you. If you've had any previous experience in Chi-gong, Tai-chi or a decent amount of an external martial art, this is an invaluable text not just for improving your health, but also increasing the effectiveness of your energy when you need it most.Zakarius

Dr. Yang's book starts with a very thorough, but not too long explanation of the principles of Qigong. It is definitely from a Chinese point of view, but does not leave the Westerner with that "far-away-land" feeling that some books on Chinese martial arts do.The Qigong routines taught in the second half of the book, are very popular traditional routines that are hundreds of years old. They are not the watered-down, "simplified-for-dumb-Westerners" routines that you find in some books. Yet they are not hard to learn.Dr. Yang's credentials are impeccable, and he is very down-to-earth in his approach.I recommend this book for people who are serious about learning an authentic form of Qigong. Those who want to space out to cosmic vibrations should look for another book.