How To Develip Chi Powers

The author attempts to combine the Wing Chun basics with elements of traditional Chinese medicine, and acupressure. While in itself these are not that far removed, the book's title is developing chi power, which is not what the book is about.

Basically, the author talks about the body's meridians, the acupoints through which the meridian channels flow, and the 5 element theory of Chinese medicine. He then demonstrates some basic acupressure, and the Sil Lim Tao, the first form of Wing Chun.

I still gave the book 3 stars, because it manages to combine 3 topics in a more or less creative manner. However, this should not be classified as a book on Qi Gong, Chinese medicine, or acupressure, as you do not get sufficient information about either one.

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Taoist Sould Body: Harnessing Kan and Li

While it can not be said that Mantak Chia's Qi Gong will not get you results, I still find myself questioning some of the material. It's true that each teacher/author has a different method for presenting information. Still, I find myself a bit put off by all the materials jumbled together with new-agey theories, and pseudo-science.

Mantak Chia has a penchant for colorful diagrams of the human body, DNA strands, and various other things he tries to incorporate into this text, to explain his many many theories. There are a lot of sections which in my opinion could have been skipped in favor of simple, concise, clearly defined set of instructions.

It also seems that in order to get the full benefit from this book, you need to be familiar with other Taoist Qi Gong practices outlined in his other books. The descriptions for this set of exercises can be vague, and lack a clearly defined structure. This book seems more like a general overview of the practice rather than an actual set of instructions. Unless you are a fan of Mantak Chia, and are already familiar with his writing style, you might be better off looking for another source for Taoist Qi Gong/ meditation.

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Way of Energy

The book and the author deserve praise. This Qi Gong is deceptively simple, but provides you with numerous benefits if you follow through. The practice is called Zhan Zhang, and revolves around standing postures, i.e. "standing stake," or "embracing the ball," a form of standing meditation Qi Gong.

In addition to Qi Gong, this practice contains a core element of both Taiji Quan and Bagua Zhang as it relates to proper posture and balance. It should give you a better understanding of balance as your body relates to gravity and motion, and should considerably improve your health, posture, back, and joints. This is definitely one of my favorite books.

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