Rating: 
Summary: Another Chi Kung book bites the dust.
Review: I was expecing great things from this 420+ page book. Unfortunately I am VERY disappointed with "The way of Qigong" by Kenneth S. Cohen for two reasons.1. the mental (Nei Dan) aspect of Chi Kung is mentioned only in passing with no useful information. 2. There is no illustration, or adequate description of where the meridians appear on the human body. Meridians are channels under the skin that distributes Ch'i throughout the body; much the same way arteries and veins distribute blood, oxygen, and nourishment to the cells. On pages 255 and 256, Mr. Cohen displays where the meridians end on the hands and feet. Completely inadequate information. ----- "The way of Qigong" contains adequate information on the physical (Wai Dan) aspect of Chi Kung. However; without the mental (Nei Dan) aspect of Chi Kung; you will only receive about 1/3 of the true benefit of Chi Kung. "The way of Qigong" contains adequate information on various breathing techniques. "The way of Qigong" contains several methods of meditation. Unfortunately most of these descriptions are limited to only 1 - 1.5 pages. Of very limited value ------ Now that I have told you which book you shouldn't buy, allow me to list three books I recommend. I rate these in the order listed. "Chi Gung" by L.V. Carnie "Chi Kung for health and vitality" by Wong Kiew Kit "The Chi Kung way: Alive with Energy" by James MacRitchie If you are a beginner to Chi Kung, I would recommend you start with the book "Chi Kung for health and vitality" by Wong Kiew Kit. Study this book for about three months. Be sure to learn induced ch'i flow so excessive ch'i can escape without causing blocked meridians, Then and only then, I would suggest you buy "Chi Gung" by L.V. Carnie for more advanced subjects. Buddhist breathing Reverse Taoist breathing The three regulations Zhan Zhaung and more I am NOT the only one to give "Chi Gung" high regards.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent in every respect
Review: If you are interested in taking qigong at all seriously, I highly recommend this book. It contains much background material and experimental evidence for the efficacy of qigong, together with detailed instructions on many major qigong exercises and meditations, including the eight broccades, wu-ji, and the five animal frolics. There is even discussion of sexual qigong and diet. Above all I was impressed by the author's humility and open-mindedness: he is for instance very ready to admit to failings in qigong.
Rating:
Summary: A Profound Work - Leading a health revolution in the world.
Review: Ken Cohen is a world leader! His profound work and meticulous collection of research is enabling health care practitioners worldwide to incorporate these powerful ancient health tools into modern society. This book is an extremely clear work, and a wealth of information. The Chinese terminology is clearly defined, and the layout if very methodical and clear. The western science is powerfully presented in great and precise detail. I encourage all to honor the work of those like Kenneth Cohen, and celebrate the birthday of T'ai Chi Chuan creator, Chang Fan-Feng, by joining in on World T'ai Chi & QiGong Day celebrations worldwide, April 8th, 2000. Bill Douglas, Author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to T'ai Chi & Qigong
Rating:
Summary: Exceptional learning experience for all beginner's.
Review: Ken Cohen is an exceptional writer. This book should be picked up by all beginner's! This book ALMOST covers every different area on QiGong. He doesn't limit the reader's mind to one view, listing substantial documentation for the reader to follow up on. He doesn't show any of the Meridians, which the beginner should not have, until they've properly developed the foundation of QiGong. Waiting for a follow-on to this developing experience!
Rating: 
Summary: A combination of disciplines
Review: Ken Cohen's book not only does a great job in explaining the energetics and healing effects of qigong, but it is one of the few books to tie qigong and energy to other disciplines such as the PNI (PsychoNeouroImmunology) and native american health practices. In this way, the book itself is a complimentary therapy for qigong to be used by others. It's also nice to read a book where the reader can tell immediately that the author has done his homework since there are source notes and a great bibliography for the new student to qigong to use and explore.
Rating:
Summary: Good Beginner Introduction
Review: Ken Cohen's book wil serve as a great way to introduce chi kung to someone who has little knowledge of it. It may also be interesting reading for those who have had some exposure to a particular form and are looking to explore other types of chi kung. The author does a good job of making potentially complex and mystifying practices intelligible to the average western reader.This book is mix of basic thoery with specific chi kung exercises and routines. Note the word basic in regard to the theory. The routines also are not very complete. But they do serve their purpose: to act as a sampler for beginners. The reader is able to try out parts Five Animal Frolics, Taiji Ruler,and other chi kung sets relating to breathng, sexual chi kung, and more. Some sets are presented completely but only on the basic physical level. They have been done in much greater detail in other books. The Eight Brocade s a good example. All eight parts are given, but the explaination is not as detailed as in Yang jwing ming's book for example. Still, someone curious about the eight brocade, could learn if the set is something they would want to invest more time in from reading this book. Same for the other sets.The discussion on Breathing is very valuable and the author is up to date on much of the new research coming out of East Europe (Buteyko) on hyperventilation. The section on tea got me started on a new hobby and was well done.Everything is well documented with any pages of foot notes.This book is not as in depth or advanced as Qigong Empowerment or The Root of Chinese Chi Kung, but is more readable and about half the price. Definite bargainI definetely recommend this book for beginners and others looking to expand their practice.
Rating: 
Summary: Good introduction
Review: Note: I've had this book for about 4 years now and just now getting around to write a review of it. This a good book if you are new to qigong. Cohen steps the beginner through theory and then the various qigong exercises. This includes color and organ meditation, healing sounds, Big Dipper, External practices, diet, etc. He also includues some moving meditation such as the Eight brocades and Five Animals frolics. Pluses:
* Covers a lot of material.
* Well footnoted and indexed.
* Has suggested routines for a student to practice.
* Gives adviced on the dangers of wrong qi practice. Which is quite important but neglected in some texts. Minuses:
* No illustrations for meridians or acpuncture points. These would help explain and guide a student. Especially with the excerises like Microcosmic orbit. I found it odd that a Qigong expert like Cohen would neglect to include this.
* The moving meditations are done by drawings - I found them impossible to follow. Photos would have been much better.
* Some of the qigong exercises listed are watered down and much simplified for instance the color light meditation. It's still somewhat useful but only about a third of the exercise is
there and you don't get the full effect. I don't know why Cohen
does not tell the reader why he watered some qigong methods down. Overall a decent introduction, as most of the material is very basic. This makes it good for the beginner but be prepared to buy other books if you want to do other methods like Microcosmic
orbit or learn about meridians and acupuncture points. This also goes for trying to learn the moving meditations from this book - a beginner with no experience with this material will be lost. It will keep a dedicated beginner busy for two years or so. Once beyond that the reader is advised to seek out formal instruction or check out other texts that do include more intermediate methods. If you want to do moving qigong work look elsewhere, this is not a stong point of this text. Books like Wen Mei Yu's WIld Goose Qigong or Meridian Qigong. Other books that would complement this one include:
Qigong Empowerment by Liang Shou-yu
Meridian Qigong by Li Ding - hard to get but some online stores specializing in Qigong carry it.
Wild Goose Qigong by Wen Mei Yu
Rating:
Summary: Cohen's Book Will Bring Qigong Into the Mainstream
Review: Over the past 25 years, since the Beatles travelled to India to learn Transcendental Meditation, Westerners have been fascinated by the mystical aspects of numerous health promoting practices from Eastern countries. The religious and philosophical ideas that served as a context for what are essentially exercises for the mind, body, and spirit in the same sense that we Westerners regard working out the body alone as exercise, has clouded our view of the true benefits of many of these practices such as Qigong. Qigong, along with many other worthy Eastern exercises has gotten absorbed into the mass marketing machine of the New Age movement and has consequently turned off the less radical mainstream audience that is simply looking for ways to improve the quality of life.
Cohen's book puts the practical health benefits of Qigong in focus by presenting us with scientific data that prove its merit as an easy to master exercise that is unique in its ability to address health issues that tradition forms of Western exercises do not address. If you want to be able to easily lift your groceries or run up a flight of stairs with out losing your breath, then lift weights and run on a treadmill. However, if you want to be able to work and play in a relaxed and optimally focused manner, and if you want to be prevent disease--then do Qigong. That is the message of Cohen's book. I am typically able to judge a book by how slow I read it. That is--the more profound and thought provoking the ideas being presented are, the more I tend to dwell on each page and spend a day or two ponder or putting its ideas into practice. There is also a sense of savoring the ideas such that you are sorry when you finally reach the end of it. Cohen's book is that kind of book.
Rating:
Summary: Very Good but Lengthy Introduction for the Beginner
Review: This is a good book and the first book I read on Qigong. It was a great introduction and really turned me on to the practice. It is very comprehensive and while sometimes it wanders off into too much extraneous detail, at other times such detail is very useful and enlightening with regard to mind-body connection (such as Chapter 8, "The Energy of the Emotions").
One reviewer noted that instruction for the internal focus (nei dan) during the exercises is missing. However, this is not a bad thing for the beginner, because it is better to learn those aspects directly from a teacher. In my own experience, simply performing the exercises in a relaxed, aware and meditative state with breath and movement integrated is enough to effect the energetic/internal aspects of chi development. This may take time and/or guidance from an instructor.
At any rate, this is a very good book for the beginner and I recommend it as long as you don't mind sometimes wordy dissertations on the subject (it is thoroughly researched and I think Cohen's intent was to create a scholarly look at Qigong as much as a practical how-to). If something simpler and more precise is what you're looking for, I'd recommend Lam Kam Chuen's "The Way of Energy".
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable reading
Review: This is a good introductory book. It shall serve you well in getting framed into the topic of Qi Gong. Dietary principles of Tao are very well explained and the chapters about tea are a true gem. The theory of the elements is clearly presented. It is a good starting point. A few paragraphs lure the reader into the use of body energy in different cultures. This topic is dropped too fast (bibliography is quoted should the reader be interested).
Cleansing Chi Gung is presented very clearly. However ChiGung standing practices (which are the very foundation of the whole businesss) are presented in a rather bland manner. In my opinion "Opening the Energy Gates of your Body" by B.K. Frantzis is infinitely better in this respect. Buy the "Gates" first.
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