Product Description

Practising Chi Gung helps you to tap into the chi, the life force, a power that permeates everything in existence. By directing your flow of chi you can achieve better health and pursue your ultimate dreams and desires. This text explores the discipline.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #248937 in Books
• Published on: 1998-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

From the Author
Chi Gung is a Chinese art form simular to Yoga or Tai Chi.
As Lily Carnie explains in Chi Gung, Chi Gung focuses more on the internal feeling of chi (energy) and the movements and postures are easier to learn than those of Yoga or Tai Chi Chuan.

The benefits of training with Chi Gung include:

Developing your healing powers. The primary goal of Chi Gung is for your chi to circulate regularly throughout your system. By achieving a smooth flow of energy, your body is better able to heal itself.

Increasing your fitness level. Through breathing techniques and a variety of postures, muscular endurance is increased.

Improving personal defense abilities. Progress faster in your martial arts and sports training by using Chi Gung to soften your movements and relax your muscles.

Developing your paranormal skills. Chi Gung teaches you to heighten your sensory awareness to new levels of perception.

Improving your sexual performance. Become a more sensual person by using Chi Gung to last longer with your partner and have multiple orgasms.

Expanding your spirituality. Practicing Chi Gung helps you to control your emotions and become in tune with all creation.

Customer Reviews

My Favorite Chi Gung Book
This is my favorite Chi Gung book. What makes it so good? Several reasons, in no particular order. First is the writing style. I'd best describe it as "friendly" or "intimate". It's more like Lily Carnie is talking to you instead of reading a book. It is written in the second person, which no doubt contributes to that effect. Second is the organization of the book. It seems well suited for reading front-to-back, but is really great for skipping around (which is what I generally do). Third is the material. The book starts with a reasonable (and reasonably readable) discussion of the meridians and theory in general (my least favorite part of any Chi Gung book). The middle part covers various exercises you can use to develop your Chi. I love the selection of still and moving exercises included, but where the book really shines (and what helps set it apart) are the sections on how to incorporate Chi Gung exercises into your daily activities. It's a fairly unique approach, one that really works for me. There are lots of examples here and it's my favorite part of the book. The last section talks about some of the things that are possible at higher levels. It serves pretty good incentive to keep working at it.

In short, it's a great book, one I highly recommend.

A wonderfully sincere work
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.

Faith
I like this book. I am a Chi Gung novice, but improving!
The book is well written, and I have gone through it over a number of otherwise boring train journeys. I now indend to "jump through" the pages a little, and try and include many of the suggestions/exercises in my kung fu training and life.

In some ways, because it is so easy to read, I found myself accepting the author's various abilities and anecdotes without question. Thinking on some of the examples later, many seemed to be miraculous, though almost written as an afterthought. Modesty is a good trait, but I have read a series of spiritual/TCM based books where, because the content is so complex and voluminous, the authors tend to write in an laid back (horizontal) manner to hopefully counteract the reader's perception that it is hard to read!
The benefits of Chi Gung are immense and there for all, but how do we (all) find out about it? It seems almost entirely by chance that people accept such an esoteric art and are willing to "give it a shot". Of course, I am sure once you progress beyond beginner, you realise it is not esoteric at all. It is a shame that there is not a way to promote Chi Gung further. I feel if someone buys this book, they have already made a major leap in faith.

I have only read one other book totally dedicated to Chi Gung, and this book is vastly superior. The author has dealt with just about everything I would have asked, and this in itself is worthy of praise. The only other issue that I find very interesting in relation to Personal progress with Chi Gung, is the conflict/enhancement relationship that comes with responsibility of one sort or other. The author did allude to the benefits of cats,jobs, spouses etc, but I feel many responsibilities we have are by their nature contrary to our "natural" chi gung preferences. Perhaps this is more personal than of interest to the general readership.
I will certainly look out for future books from this author.