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Rating: 
Summary: Not as impressive as I was hoping...
Review: The title says it all... this book is primarily about the meditative aspects of BaGuaZhang and touches only briefly on the martial aspects. I found his explanations of the history of BaGua very interesting, but his attempted explanations of the health benefits of BaGua to be somewhat suspect. For example, many other sources have somehow tried to tie in the effects of cerebrospinal fluid to sexual and physical health, mostly with unsuccessful results... I think his viewpoints on craniosacral therapy is no different. Certainly craniosacral therapy has not reached mainstream approval in the medical community. BaGuaZhang was initially created to be a very effective martial art, and has been likened to a "graduate school course" for people who have already reached proficiency in another external or internal martial art. None of this really comes through in Paul Crompton's book. His tone reminds me of many T'ai Chi books that concentrate on chakras, relaxation, and "being one with the universe", but completely gloss over the fact that T'ai Chi was initially created as a method of self-defense (and a very effective one, at that!) I much preferred Park Bok Nam's series over this one, which gave basic training tips, good diagrams for moves, and had excellent tips for power generation and stance stability. Keep it in mind if you are interested in broadening your horizons on the esoterics of BaGua, but think twice about buying it if you are looking for books that aid with significant real-life principles and applications of this martial art...
Rating:
Summary: Not as impressive as I was hoping...
Review: The title says it all... this book is primarily about the meditative aspects of BaGuaZhang and touches only briefly on the martial aspects. I found his explanations of the history of BaGua very interesting, but his attempted explanations of the health benefits of BaGua to be somewhat suspect. For example, many other sources have somehow tried to tie in the effects of cerebrospinal fluid to sexual and physical health, mostly with unsuccessful results... I think his viewpoints on craniosacral therapy is no different. Certainly craniosacral therapy has not reached mainstream approval in the medical community. BaGuaZhang was initially created to be a very effective martial art, and has been likened to a "graduate school course" for people who have already reached proficiency in another external or internal martial art. None of this really comes through in Paul Crompton's book. His tone reminds me of many T'ai Chi books that concentrate on chakras, relaxation, and "being one with the universe", but completely gloss over the fact that T'ai Chi was initially created as a method of self-defense (and a very effective one, at that!) I much preferred Park Bok Nam's series over this one, which gave basic training tips, good diagrams for moves, and had excellent tips for power generation and stance stability. Keep it in mind if you are interested in broadening your horizons on the esoterics of BaGua, but think twice about buying it if you are looking for books that aid with significant real-life principles and applications of this martial art...
Rating: 
Summary: BaGua, easy to recognise hard to explain...
Review: The title says: "walking meditation" and you think that you are going to find a lot of information of theory around the art of BaGua... but I got really disappointed. There is some information about the philosophy of BaGua but non that you cant get from a simple introduction to Daoism, and the physical aspect well "in this position your back is open as Yang and your chest is closed as Yin..." even a beginner can see that. If you read between the lines you can see that Paul Crompton is a very experienced martial artist but the book does not really explain the real questions (at least not mine =) of BaGua
Rating:
Summary: BaGua, easy to recognise hard to explain...
Review: The title says: "walking meditation" and you think that you are going to find a lot of information of theory around the art of BaGua... but I got really disappointed. There is some information about the philosophy of BaGua but non that you cant get from a simple introduction to Daoism, and the physical aspect well "in this position your back is open as Yang and your chest is closed as Yin..." even a beginner can see that. If you read between the lines you can see that Paul Crompton is a very experienced martial artist but the book does not really explain the real questions (at least not mine =) of BaGua
Rating: 
Summary: An Intelligent book on meditative Pakua
Review: This may be one of Paul Crompton's best books. He writes about the meditative and health aspects from a perspective of many years of experience in martial arts. The book is well researched and contains some diagrams which appear to have come from his friends book published in the late eighties. Unfortunately the nuances of the physical conditioning and cerebral pulse work will only be grasped by those who really spend a lot of time circle walking. This book is rare because it only addresses the transformational and health aspects of Pakua. But this is a very important and overlooked subject. It is also an effective way to introduce Pakua to a broader audience of normal people seeking the yoga of walking. Pakua is an art that could easily surpass Tai Chi Chuan as an effective alternative exercise and health tool. Serious practioners of the art should take a closer look at this book as a means of expanding the popularity of this incrediable art. The book provides some great history and information that will be beneficial to all people interested in internal arts.
Rating:
Summary: An Intelligent book on meditative Pakua
Review: This may be one of Paul Crompton's best books. He writes about the meditative and health aspects from a perspective of many years of experience in martial arts. The book is well researched and contains some diagrams which appear to have come from his friends book published in the late eighties. Unfortunately the nuances of the physical conditioning and cerebral pulse work will only be grasped by those who really spend a lot of time circle walking. This book is rare because it only addresses the transformational and health aspects of Pakua. But this is a very important and overlooked subject. It is also an effective way to introduce Pakua to a broader audience of normal people seeking the yoga of walking. Pakua is an art that could easily surpass Tai Chi Chuan as an effective alternative exercise and health tool. Serious practioners of the art should take a closer look at this book as a means of expanding the popularity of this incrediable art. The book provides some great history and information that will be beneficial to all people interested in internal arts.
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