I thought I would really enjoy this book and so it proved. Qi Gong can be a bit of a dry subject. Studying Qi Gong is a lot of still postures, and lot of patience cultivating your Qi. One needs a really good reason to do it and some inspiration. Stories like Peter Meech's apprenticeship with his Qi Gong Master is inspiring and motivating. Above all this is very readable. As I said in the beginning I find Qi Gong books quite dry and difficult to bring about self-motivation. Nearly all of them I've been unable to finish. This book for me was a personal account that made it very interesting. 

There is no Qi Gong program in here but a lot about Qi Gong, the benefits and the mysterious. If you've read any Carlos Castaneda's books then you'll enjoy this one as well. 

I found Meech's Master to be presented as very modest and Peter is also this way. This is a true transmission of knowledge and energy I highly recommend it.

This set is based on an original Yi Jin Jing set that dates back to a description of the exercises in the Bibliographic Treatise: History of the Han Dynasty almost 2000 years ago. A Brocade painting named Illustration of Qi Conduction was unearthed in the 1970s - containing over 40 illustrations of exercises. 

This newer version of the set put together by the Chinese Health QiGong Association has absorbed the best from the set while applying modern scientific principles. 

There are 12 movements in all, focusing on tendon stretching and bone flexing, combining softness with strength. The set relies heavily on the Chinese traditional medicine theory of the 5 elements - Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal and Water. 

There is a focus on Spine Turning and flexing - stimulating the nerve cords, and exercising the internal organs as well as the limbs. 

There are some nice exotic hand postures such as Lotus leaf palm;, willow leaf palm, Dragon's claw and Tiger's paw. 
Read my full review  by clicking the link on the right.

If you're looking for something a little different in your Qi Gong Routine this will set the tone nicely. It's based on 5 animal exercises. Designed by Hua Tuo(25-220 ad). By observing the activities of tigers, deer, bears, monkeys and birds he found that animals perform certain movements to liven up their overall energy levels and good health. 

The routine is designed to be performed linking the mind along with the animal movements. There are two movements per animal in this set. The 5 pairs of sets are very different to each other working with different types of exercises. For instance the tiger which is the first two movements are very different from each other. The first gently begins the routine and the second is a full body stretch that embraces the characteristics of the tiger. 

The routine works the body with clever postures to stretch hard-to-reach areas:- such as between the shoulder blades. 

If you fancy a standing stretching routine that has a great history, a lot of fun to perform then I highly recommend this routine.
Read my full review  by clicking the link on the right.

Strength Development by Dan Miller & Tim Cartmill [Book]

[Posted 18th Oct 2001]This book contains a fantastic set of exercises for developing flexiblity, tranquility and chi. If you have stiff joints, tendons, ligaments or muscles you will be totally impressed with these exercises. Looking at the pictures and reading the material gives no picture at all to the 'actual' experience of the set.

From the very first exercise, which is one of my favorites, you just 'know' this set is going to 'sort' you out. As a Tai Chi practitioner of many years I have not seen a superior set of exercises. I tried 'yoga' to increase flexiblity and stiffness. Although yoga gave some relief, I was still very 'tight' in the morning. A problem, very tight left hamstring still did not improve with yoga. Yoga also gave me occasional minor injuries with some exercises.

After 1 week of doing this set twice a day I noticed immediate improvement. Now after 3 weeks, I am far less tight in the mornings and my hamstring is 50% better, and getting better every week. 
One other thing that I was totally impressed by is the opening of the shoulder joints with the first 4 exercises. Why so many? Once you do the set you'll understand why. I found almost instant tranquility from soothing my shoulder joints. All major joints are worked in this set. 
Read my full review  by clicking the link on the right.

This is a book to reveal your true being. By using a system of pointing the author questions the questioner's question. The idea is to reach a point where its impossible to find the 'I', or 'me' we refer to every day. Most of what we assume to be I can be skillfully pointed out to not be a strong case for identification. For instance, thoughts just pop into the mind. The phrase 'I had a thought' is not technically correct. A 'thought' popped in. But the 'I' had no control of that thought popping in. Perhaps the vibration at the time attracted the thought. Humans and more specifically, minds, identify itself with these thoughts. If a finger is lost off the body, the mind might say 'I lost my finger'. In six months time that same expression might be used. Yet where is the finger in six months? Its no longer attached to the body. Its probably been incinerated. So the finger now exists in another form. There is now no finger yet still inside the consciousness remains untouched. Now extend that to the whole body. This can include the brain as well. Half the brain could be lost yet consciousness still remains(that's probably not scientifically true but it illustrates the point). So where is this 'I' Person? The identification should be with consciousness, with pure awareness.
Read my full review  by clicking the link on the right.