Product Description

Unlocks the secrets of one of the most powerful of Chinese healing arts

Developed over millennia in China, qigong (literally, life force + mastery, or refinement) is a set of techniques used to increase your vitality, longevity, and sexual potency as well as achieve and maintain optimal health and inner peace. In the groundbreaking The Healing Promise of Qi, Dr. Roger Jahnke, internationally respected doctor of Chinese medicine and author of the bestselling The Healer Within, clearly and simply explains the concepts of qigong in practical terms.

With the help of 125 superbly rendered illustrations, he describes a multitude of simple qigong tools, practices, and techniques for accessing and utilizing the incredible power of qi. Rather than focus on a particular form of qigong, Dr. Jahnke presents concise, easy-to-follow techniques from among the more than 25 traditional and modern forms that he has mastered and taught to thousands of people across the United States and Canada.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12101 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 304 pages

Review
"... an outstanding discussion of subtle energies as Qi. His explanations are interesting and his style easy reading." -- IJHC/WHR Newsletter, January 2003

From the Back Cover
"Understand Qi. Access Qi. Cultivate Qi. Master Qi. It is the essential fuel behind all intention and action. It is the awesome power of the Universe within you. . . . Qi is your edge in sports, business, relationships, and personal performance. Tai Chi and Qigong are powerful tools, profound yet simple, that will assist you in fulfilling your intentions, needs, goals--even your dreams!"
--Roger Jahnke, O.M.D.

Developed over millennia in Chinese monasteries, hospitals, and imperial courts, Tai Chi and Qigong (literally life-force and mastery) are profound yet simple methods for increasing vitality, longevity, and sexual potency; achieving and maintaining optimal health and inner peace; and healing both minor and major illnesses. Long kept a carefully guarded secret from the Chinese public, Tai Chi and Qigong have recently come into widespread use throughout the Far East. They are now a health and human performance enhancement breakthrough in the West as well--ancient power tools for self-improvement and a safe, gentle, and proven alternative approach to treating pain and disease.

In The Healing Promise of Qi, Roger Jahnke. O.M.D., internationally respected doctor of acupuncture and Chinese medicine and best-selling author of The Healer Within, clearly and simply explains Tai Chi and Qigong principles and practices. Rather than focus on one particular method or form, Dr. Jahnke distills the best and most important lessons, learned from Chinese teachers with whom he has studied. With the help of more than one hundred superbly rendered illustrations, Dr. Jahnke teaches you easy-to-learn techniques drawn from among twenty-five traditional and modern forms of Tai Chi and Qigong that he has mastered and taught to thousands of people in workshops, retreats, and health-care institutions throughout North America and China. And instead of offering a one-size-fits-all program, he provides guidelines for tailoring a self-healing and empowerment regimen to your unique goals, age, body type, personality, and medical condition.

Qi is the ancient Chinese concept for the source of all vitality, healing, and creativity. For those who are healthy and those who seek healing, Qi is the primary ingredient in the most profound medicine, which is produced for free, naturally within the human body. China's most traditional and powerful healing arts, Tai Chi and Qigong are the most direct route to accessing and mastering Qi. Now, this down-to-earth guide, makes the awesome power of Qi available to everyone through Tai Chi and Qigong.

Advance Praise for The Healing Promise of Qi

"Qi--the energy that sustains all life, holds the key to health and longevity. The Healing Promise of Qi shows you how to access this potent force. And that's very good news, indeed."
--Christiane Northrup, M.D., Author, Women's Bodies, Women's Wisdom and The Wisdom of Menopause

"The Healing Promise of Qi has the power to change your life. Dr. Jahnke not only practices Oriental medicine, he lives it authentically. His teaching is pure and potent, combining mind and heart to give you the practical skills you need to be your best self. This book is a gem that you will treasure for the rest of your life."
--Joan Borysenko, Ph.D., Author of Minding the Body, Mending the Mind and Inner Peace for Busy People

"The ancient tradition of Tai Chi and Qigong is masterfully revealed in this book. Whether you are new to Qigong or a seasoned practitioner, Dr. Jahnke's insights will add new understanding and depth to your practice."
--Larry Dossey, M.D., Author, Healing Beyond the Body, Reinventing Medicine, and Healing Words

"A timely book of gentle persuasion and clear understanding, with easy-to-follow instructions to guide the readers, step by step, toward the success of achieving health and well-being."
--Chungliang Al Huang, Living Tao Foundation, Author, The Essential Tai Ji and Embrace Tiger, Return to Mountain

About the Author

Roger Jahnke, O.M.D., has been practicing traditional Chinese medicine for more than a quarter century. He has traveled and studied extensively throughout China and the Far East, and he was among the first to introduce the ancient Chinese healing arts to the West. He directs the Integral Institute of Tai Chi and Qigong and is the chair of the Qi cultivation department at the Santa Barbara College of Oriental Medicine. Dr. Jahnke teaches at such venues as the Esalen Institute and the Omega Institute and is the cofounder and chair of the National Qigong Association. He leads training sessions at hospitals, corporations, and community organizations and speaks internationally on self-healing, stress mastery, and the positive transformation of health care. Dr. Jahnke is a key Chinese medicine authority for numerous websites including the popular HealthWorld.

Customer Reviews

A Brilliant Work
Roger Jahnke has taken the ancient practice of Qigong - a healing meditation practice that combines gentle movement with focus, posture and breath - and has truly made it accessible to beginners. And we're not just talking about theory here: I was able to immediately begin practicing on my own with his clear instructions and accompanying illustrations. On the theory side he weaves a remarkable story using current scientific insights to support ancient Chinese concepts in a way that leaves you inspired and confident that this is indeed the real thing. The key to any meditative healing practice is actually doing the practice and this book is as motivating as I've ever read in getting me to get up and go for it. It has the feel of a companion that I'll be able to turn to for years to come, without it ever getting stale or out-of-date. The three promises of Qigong - it's free and accessible to everyone, you'll benefit if you practice, and it's easy to do - are clearly derived from the author's years of personal experience, practice and deep desire to share this wisdom with a wide audience. Many thanks from a new student.

Valuable Insights for anybody at any level
I don't write many reviews, but this book seemed to deserve one. I've practiced Qigong and Tai Chi for over a decade, but recently have committed to taking my practice to a higher level. I have read a number of books written by Chinese masters, past and present and was seeking another when I ran across this one while searching amazon.com. At first I thought to myself "but he isn't Chinese". However, the overwhelmingly positive reviews drew my interest and I ordered the book.

What I found was the most simple and direct explanation of qi theory and practice that I have ever encountered. Despite the simplicity, I found that none of the subject depth had been lost. There are many things about qi practice that I do not believe anyone ever told me, but I figured them out or felt them for myself while puzzling over a multitude of myserious poems and mechanically oriented instructions. I was surprised and gratified to find so much connection between this book and my own experiences. Jahnke also brought me many fresh new insights as well as a strategy for practice and growth. Too often a teacher only teaches the forms and perhaps some of the history, but rarely says much about how mind directs qi.

I can therefore recommend this book for anyone practicing Tai Chi or Qigong. As for readers who are new to qi practice, I can't think of a better introduction.

Sure to be a standard work
I can't add much to the other reviews here. The book has earned all of its stars. The only caveat I have is with the superficial description of the Microcosmic Orbit Meditation (I call it that because I like the monogram :-)

Jahnke is the real deal and his writing style is excellent. No redundancy, no copy/paste blah blah blah as seen in most Qigong books. This one is truly unique. Many Qigong books attempt to sound poetic, but they have no soul. Jahnke is all soul and this makes him sound poetic. You can open this book to any page and just enjoy the writer's enthusiasm for Qigong.

I especially enjoyed his frank, pragmatic discussion of sexual Qigong. It's an important subject and most authours are either too embarrassed or too unknowledgable to discuss it in detail. Dr. Jahnke takes the mystery out of the subject and gives us some practical, practiceable tips for building up our Qi reserves (for men AND women!). This direct discussion is missing from, for example, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming's book, "The Secret of Youth", which *should* essentially be a frank discussion of Daoist sexual practices but which turns a blushing cheek on the subject in a way that this book does not. In a couple short pages, Jahnke casts a whole new light on the Yang book. I love both books, but this one is more accessible and easier to put into practice.

Well, for a really good introduction to Qigong, I have to recommend this book and Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming's "The Root of Chinese Qigong". They really complement one another nicely.

Keep an open mind about Qigong. Don't believe ANYONE who says he/she has *the* best method. Don't be afraid to experiment :-)