Qigong is an aspect of traditional Chinese medicine that involves coordinating breathing patterns with physical postures to maintain health and well-being. Wu Qin Xi: Five-Animal Qigong Exercises is an accessible, fully-illustrated guide to a particular qigong exercise that imitates the movements of animals and birds.
The book explores the development of the five-animal exercises from the work of Hua Tua, a leading physician of the Eastern Han Dynasty whose inspiration came from the observation of tigers, deer, bears, monkeys and birds. He came to the conclusion that wild creatures regularly performed certain exercises which can be replicated in order to build up the constitution and improve life skills. Each routine is described step-by-step, and is illustrated with photographs and key points. The authors also point out common mistakes and offer advice on how to correct these.
Complemented by an appendix of acupuncture points and accompanied by online content, this book will be of interest to Qigong and Tai Chi practitioners at all levels, students of martial arts and anyone interested in Chinese culture.
The book explores the development of the five-animal exercises from the work of Hua Tua, a leading physician of the Eastern Han Dynasty whose inspiration came from the observation of tigers, deer, bears, monkeys and birds. He came to the conclusion that wild creatures regularly performed certain exercises which can be replicated in order to build up the constitution and improve life skills. Each routine is described step-by-step, and is illustrated with photographs and key points. The authors also point out common mistakes and offer advice on how to correct these.
Complemented by an appendix of acupuncture points and accompanied by online content, this book will be of interest to Qigong and Tai Chi practitioners at all levels, students of martial arts and anyone interested in Chinese culture.
Newsletter Signup
By clicking ‘Sign Up,’ I acknowledge that I have read and agree to Hachette Book Group’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
Reviews
With these books the Chinese Health Qigong Association have come close to providing everyone with their own personal qiqong instructor.
In this well-illustrated, succinct, and easy to read manual, these qigong exercises are described in clear language and simple step-by-step pictures of each form are provided in the proper sequences... You will not go wrong by adding this and the other books in these series to your martial arts or qigong library, and you will be pleasantly surprised in all that you will learn from doing so.
Taken together, and done properly, the movements described here comprise a system of exercise that emphasizes grace and strength. Each focuses on a different part of the body to coordinate breathing patterns with movement; each exercise is easy to do and quiets the mind as well as stabilizes the body. Includes full illustrations, instructions and explanations, including the important reasons why these exercises should be conducted together rather than "cafeteria style." Safe for all age groups and very useful to those who practice Tai Chi and martial arts.
In the book, after introducing the history of wu qin xi, some of the characteristics of the animal movements are explained and some practice tips are given. Then, the book goes through a step-by-step description of each of the ten practices(two for each animal). After each practice, the key points are highlighted, common mistakes are given, how to correct them and the benefits of the practice is explained.
In this well-illustrated, succinct, and easy to read manual, these qigong exercises are described in clear language and simple step-by-step pictures of each form are provided in the proper sequences. Additional online content comes with the book that breaks down each movement in the sequences, shows common mistakes, and then provides an uninterrupted full Five-Animal Qigong workout... You will not go wrong by adding this and the other books in this series to your martial arts or qigong library, and you will be pleasantly surprised in all that you will learn from doing so.