Product Description
While Living Qigong gives beginners a few basic steps to start with, it is not a how-to manual so much as a guide to the inner workings of Qigong. John Alton's book is much like a travel diary from someone's visit to a foreign country. He describes this ancient art form with compelling detail, but you will never get the full effect unless you experience it yourself. When it comes to actually working with Qi, Alton encourages you to find a teacher. Why so much emphasis on first-hand experience? Throughout Living Qigong, Alton makes wonderful comparisons between Qigong and swimming: anyone can get in the water and splash around, and some people even learn to swim, but there are multiple strokes one can learn, and even then there is a whole other world beneath the surface of the water. The realm beneath the surface of Qigong is where Alton encourages you to explore on your own, and Living Qigong will point out some of the interesting stops along the way. --Brian Patterson
Review
John Alton spent two years in Beijing studying qigong (chi kung) after many years of martial arts practice in this country, and he was an apt student, becoming fluent in both Chinese and energy healing. Alton now presents what he learned in an outstanding book that demonstrates a deep understanding of the art and conveys, in moving, funny, and astonishing anecdotes, the mind-bending experience of being a foreigner in China. His vivid storytelling carries us along on his journey from naïve American to seasoned practitioner, sharing with refreshing honesty the steps along the way. – Holly Hammond, Yoga Journal , September/October 1997, p 124
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