Rating: 
Summary: Learning about Tai Chi and QiGong
Review: As a new student of Tai Chi and QiGong, I have enjoyed reading this book. Since I only take class once a week, there were a lot of questions and gaps in my basis knowledge of Tai Chi and QiGong. This book is a wonderful supplement to my class and has exposed me to QiGong which is now a necessary part of my week. QiGong is a series of exercises which combine breathing and relaxation. I enjoy sitting on my outside porch and doing my QiGong exercises as the stresses of the week flow away. This was a bonus as I bought the book to learn about Tai Chi. If you want to learn about Tai Chi and QiGong, I would recommend this book because it is easy to understate and is fun to read. After reading this book I have recommended it to the other students in my Tai Chi class.
Rating:
Summary: Great Videos and Book
Review: Book: I read the book it was great, very informative. Written for anybody House wife to CEO. I really enjoyed it. Video: In the first Video of the "Tai Chi & Qigong: The Prescription for the Future" Bill suggests to use a mirror, a full langth mirror. The way you do this is to turn your back to the t.v., put the mirror in front of you so you can see the t.v. in the mirror. This helped me learn quickly with no frustation and I was able to enjoy the learning process. In the past have wasted money, time, and emotion on other tai chi video tapes. It simply was not fun to do. But Bill's tapes are relaxing, enjoyable and very user friendly and helps me want to come back to tai chi everyday. Today I ordered the other two vols. in the videos serries: "Tai chi & Qigong: The Prescription for the Future" I can't wait till I get them. Thanks Bill for these enjoyable Book and video tapes to express who I really am. Enjoy the journey!!
Rating:
Summary: Excellent "Western-oriented" explanation of Tai Chi
Review: Even though my wife and I have been students of Bill Douglas and his Kwang Ping Yang style of Tai Chi for 3 years, the first third of his book was still a revelation. It is geared towards the average American whose ideas and preconceptions of Tai Chi may range from the true believer in Eastern meditation and medicine to the true skeptic who considers all this to be weird "New Age" stuff. Bill's insights and explanation, backed by examples of Western medical research into the medical and psychological benefits of Tai Chi and Qigong, increased my appreciation of my own Tai Chi practice (or "play", as we insiders call it!), and may well lead a to a rush of new "players". If only curious about it, please obtain the book and read at least the first 80 pages. I would only hope it convinces you to give Tai Chi a try!
Rating:
Summary: Complete IDIOT'S Guide to T'ai-Chi & Chi Gong
Review: I am a tai-chi teacher who has fibromyalgia,arthritis, and back trouble..I use tai-chi for my exercise program and to deal with stress and balance. To begin each class I use a sit down relaxation time where we focus on dan-tien breathing. At this time I open up Bill's book wherever it falls and we share the "tidbit for the day" from Bill's great collection of tai-chi sayings from "SAGE SIFU SAYS" or the neat information boxes on each page...my class enjoys this saying of the day and it adds to our knowledge of tai-chi...Bill Douglas works extremely hard to promote tai-chi and qi-gong all over the world. I am one of the lucky ones to learn Bill's tai-chi and preform it on the Nelson Atkin's Art Museum lawn with a 100 others at one time...Bill is a terrific guy who devotes his own life to helping others with tai-chi and his book is a valuable collection of good information that anyone interested in tai-chi can use...Thanks Bill. I now live in NC and am spreading Bill's tai-chi to this area. from Sharon Faucett, a fibromyalgia victim.
Rating:
Summary: Complete IDIOT'S Guide to T'ai-Chi & Chi Gong
Review: I am a tai-chi teacher who has fibromyalgia,arthritis, and back trouble..I use tai-chi for my exercise program and to deal with stress and balance. To begin each class I use a sit down relaxation time where we focus on dan-tien breathing. At this time I open up Bill's book wherever it falls and we share the "tidbit for the day" from Bill's great collection of tai-chi sayings from "SAGE SIFU SAYS" or the neat information boxes on each page...my class enjoys this saying of the day and it adds to our knowledge of tai-chi...Bill Douglas works extremely hard to promote tai-chi and qi-gong all over the world. I am one of the lucky ones to learn Bill's tai-chi and preform it on the Nelson Atkin's Art Museum lawn with a 100 others at one time...Bill is a terrific guy who devotes his own life to helping others with tai-chi and his book is a valuable collection of good information that anyone interested in tai-chi can use...Thanks Bill. I now live in NC and am spreading Bill's tai-chi to this area. from Sharon Faucett, a fibromyalgia victim.
Rating:
Summary: Enjoyable to read, easy to learn!
Review: I bought this book out of curiousity initially, but the more I read it the more I realized "Hey, this might actually be good for me". Now, I am pretty deep into learning Tai Chi and I frequently just pick up this book and begin reading. It is easy to read and I seem to learn something new each time I read it. Yes, you can actually learn Tai Chi by using this book but most of all you get an appreciation of what Tai Chi is, what it can do for you, and why all those Chinese people do it every day. I went on to order the Video and I am really glad I did. It helps to see the speed (very slow) of the movements and it is easier to copy the author's movements on video rather than constantly refering to the book to see what to do next. I don't have the luxury of fixed hours in my job and this allows me to learn Tai Chi with out having to try to attend classes and it is really cheaper than going to classes also. Think of this book as TAI CHI instruction written in an informative and relaxed American style. Not a "dry" book at all and includes info on QiGong and other aspects of Tai Chi. Two thumbs up!
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Informative, worth having.
Review: I found this book to be informative and pretty thorough. The problem that I have with this book is the extra pages that could have been removed along with all the silliness. It follows the "Complete Idiot's Guide..." formula and is designed to be a light hearted reference. The information civered is pretty complete, but I think the author's comparison between Yoga and T'ai Chi & QiGong seems speculative and it's doubtful to me that the author has a lot of experience in all of these subjects. I like this book and bought it to suppliment my more serious Martial collection because a lot of texts assume that the readed either speaks fluent Chinese or was raised in the 13th century. I would recommend this to anyone though, regardless of experience level.
Rating:
Summary: A cheerful but less than deep introduction
Review: I purchased this book because it has pictures and explanation for a pretty rare style of tai chi, originally taught in San Francisco by Kuo Yuo (? sp) Ling. The author seems sincere and experienced, but the book is a let down with its superficial approach. It treats the reader like an idiot. I suppose this is to be expected from the title. If this is your first book on tai chi or qi gong, it isn't the worst place to start. But if you are looking for something meatier, try the books from Dr. Yang Jwing-ming or Mantak Chia. Dr. Yang has some books on tai chi and Chi Kung plus a book on the Eight Pieces of Brocade which is INFINITELY easier to learn from a book than the qigong in this book. Even easier are the purely standing postures in The Way of Energy by Lam Kam Chuen. BTW, the book is probably deserving of the 5 stars awarded by other reviewers in terms of sincerity, it is just lacking in content. Finally, two very important teachers of this style are left out of the appendix: Simmone Kuo, who took over her husband's studio in San Francisco's Chinatown, and Master Chiang at the Wen Wu school in El Cerrito (near San Francisco), California.
Rating: 
Summary: Not worth the time
Review: I read this hoping for an insight, I got very little from it.
There are better books with more information at a basic level in less pages.
Rating: 
Summary: This is for the complete idiot
Review: If you know nothing about T'ai or QiGong, this would be a good place to start. The entire 'complete idiot's guide' series is great, including this one. The author captivates the reader with subtle humor and a wealth of knowledge. My only complaint is that there are only small, black and white photos. In order to show some of the movements, there needs to be several pages more dedicated to nice, big, COLOR, pictures. This is the 21st century afterall. Good read overall.
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