Chi Gong: The Ancient Chinese Way to Health

Chi Gong is a concerted attempt to bridge the divide between Chinese and Western science, systems of health care, and spiritual practice. With proven, step-by-step exercises, chi gong instructor Paul Dong and psychiatrist Aristide H. Esser show how to perform basic and advanced chi gong exercises; increase vitality by maintaining the balance of energies in your body; prevent and cure ulcers, hypertension, heart disease, and general aches and pains; and achieve a comfortable and therapeutic meditative state, promoting health and longevity.The authors encourage practitioners not to settle just for their own self-healing and cultivation, but to develop external energy for the benefit of others, as well as to augment and strengthen their martial and spiritual disciplines. More than just an instruction manual, Chi Gong represents the first comprehensive survey of this revolutionary healing art. Dong and Esser discuss chi gong's history, famous practitioners, applications for health and the martial arts, and its role in exceptional human functioning and mind/body interactions.Combining information from Western scientific investigations and personal insights from Paul Dong's decades-long practice, the book provides a thorough explanation of the concept of chi – a formative, integrating, and patterning force partially electromagnetic in nature.

Accessible discussions of chi gong's role in acupuncture and herbal medicine, chi gong's treatment of cancer, and a tour through one of China's many chi gong clinics round out this volume.