Qi And Qigong, eastern energy transformation Options

ok, so i've recently been researching alot on eastern styles of transfering energy, specifically qi, or ki, chi, whatever you want to call it. Im fascinated by it and what i've seen it do, and would like to study it alongside the magick i already practice. does anyone know where i can get more information, recommended books, excersizes meditations, anyhting. i wuld appreciate it. thanks

The best I know is the Medical Qigong Threapy books by Jerry Alan Johnson. They're huge, and expensive but very well worth it.
Here a link to the first one:
http://www.amazon.com/Energetic-Anatomy-Ph...67074906&sr=8-7

Mantak Chia's books are at least easily available. Come to think of it here is a link for 16 of his books in PDF format. http://english.grimoar.cz/?Loc=aut&Lng=2&New=469 One of the problems with Mantak Chia, however, is that in most of his books he seems to lift entire sections out of earlier books so there is a lot of repetition and not as much original material within these books. I used to say that if you've read three of his books, you've read most of them. He's very commercial.

Bruce Kumar Frantzis is a better author writing on Qigong. He has written 3 or four books but his 3 or 4 books say more than Mantak Chia's 16 books. Overall he is my favourite. His methods are written up in such a way that you can practice progressively more difficult/sophisticated exercises. It is well set up.

You might also type Qigong or Chi Kung into the search engine of U Tube. They have a number of basic Qigong exercises demonstrated for you to follow along with. Their Qigong films vary in the quality of the teaching, but it is a good additional resource and it is free.

Yang Jwing MIng isn't too bad. He writes on White Crane style Gungfu and Taiji as well as Qigong, but sometimes he explains things better than most. He has an engineering background and a knack for explaining abstract ideas using concrete examples. Like he compares our energy system to electrical circuits or to plumbing in useful ways. I sometimes explain things in similar ways thanks to him.

There is an old book, I forget the author, but it is called something like The Web that has No Weaver. It was written maybe in the late 70s or early 80s, but it is useful in explaining concepts from Traditional Chinese Medicine that are important to Qigong and how it fits within TCM. T.T. Liang, and Jou Tseng Hwa are reputable Taiji masters and authors that have something to say about Qigong as well. You might say that Taiji is a form of Qigong, but with martial arts applications. Ba Gua, another soft style martial art also includes a strong Qigong element. Circle walking (a Ba Gua basic method) alone will teach you a lot.

That is what comes off the top of my head. There are a lot of books that have pretty pictures, but not much content, sort of coffee table Qigong books. You know what I mean, a slick looking cover with a pretty girl in colourful silk Chinese pajamas, more photos than text. etc. If you find something like that in the library then it is free so it doesn't matter, but when buying books stick to the respected authors. The coffee table type Qigong books may contain little nuggets of useful information, but they generally aren't worth the book costs. Also just because the author is Chinese doesn't necessarily mean they are knowledgeable about Qigong, and the reverse in the case of western authors.

Frankly, I feel that you should take up Tai Chi. I don't care which sect or branch, as long as it's one Yang or Chen, go for it. It's probably cheaper and a far, far, far more active hobby than reading three figure theoretical tomes instead of actually practicing the art applied in the tangible realms.

It goes without saying that you should find a real live teacher rather than relying just on books. There are few classes that teach only Qigong; normally it is taught as part of Taiji or Bagua classes (if the teacher knows what they are doing.). You could argue that Taiji is Qigong, but with martial applications. However, books are valuable in supplementing the class work. A book by a reputable author is actually easier to find than than a good teacher. Taiji teachers vary in quality. I've known people who started teaching Taiji a year after they started studying it. Some know the Taiji form, but have never studied the Qigong exercises that go along with it. Many don't know push-hands. They tend to market Taiji to seniors, so you might find yourself the only young guy in a class of little old ladies. So look critically at the teacher before signing on with the class. Ask how long they have been studying Taiji, and whether they teach Qigong and Push-hands. I find that if they can teach Push-hands as well as the form and Qigong then the teacher is competent. You might ask people locally for recommendations. For instance, if someone asked me I could easily tell them the top two Taiji teachers, and also the ones to stay away from. Here in Ontario we have a special problem. We have an organization called the Taoist Tai Chi Society. They claim to be international, but as far as I can tell they are confined to the Greater Toronto Area. They may have a few teachers in BC (for flyingmojo's benefit), but I wouldn't recommend them. They are the people I suggest you stay away from. I have my reasons.