Lam Kam Chuen

Before the person grows old the legs grow old.

Whether you stand on your feet all day, or spend long hours sitting down, walking chi kung will re-energize your legs, Inernational author and teacher of the Chinese arts, Master Lam explains the importance of maintaining healthy legs, and gives clear guidance on foundation training, leg strengthening and breathing exercises, and an inspiring range of steps and walking systems.

Clear, step-by-step instructions.
Detailed illustrations.
Improve health, coordination, and balance.
Suitable for beginners of all ages, and those with experience of chi kung and tai chi.

Master Lam Kamchuen is the author of a range of books on tai chi, chi kung, and feng shui. Among his most widely read works, published in over a dozen languages, are Step-by-Step Tai Chi and his chi kung trilogy: The Way of Energy, The Way of Healing and The Way of Power. Telvision viewers will know Master Lam as the presenter of the 10-part Channel 4 series, Stand Still-Be Fit.

Contents

Origins of walking chi kung
Chi kung
How to use this book
The Peacock opens its fan
Part One Breathing-the furnace within
Natural breathing
Natural chest breathing
Natural belly breathing
Full body natural breathing
Reverse breathing
Reverse chest breathing
Reverse belly breathing
Full body reverse breathing
Frequency of practice
Breathing and meditation
Part Two Building the foundation
Strengthening the legs
Training the muscles
Second voluntary movements
Wu chi
Understanding your centre
Circling your feet
Part Three The six directional forces
Up and down
Left and right
Forward and backward
Part Four Knowing your steps
The crane steps
Po Ca-The ice steps
The 'spading' steps
The bear steps
The side steps
Part Five The walking spectrum
Reverse walking of the immortals
Carefree walking of the Taoists
Forward walking of the Buddhists
Stationary walking of the Medics
Xing Yi walking of the martial artists
Balance walking of the boatmen
March walking of the military
Circular walking of Da Cheng Chuan (Dachengquan)… (more)

Exercising the body while relaxing the mind is what every stressed, time-crunched American dreams of in a fitness program. In Chi Kung: The Way of Healing, Master Lam Kam Chuen combines simple Chi Kung (pronounced 'chee gung') and Tai Chi exercises to offer relief from the stress-related symptoms and illnesses Western medicine and exercise are ill-equipped to treat. Practiced calmly and slowly, these exercises improve your internal energy flow, or chi, to:

Increase energy and stamina

Release tension

Relieve headaches and backaches

Head twists, sprains, and bruises

Improve posture

Everyone can receive the health benefits of Chi Kung since these exercises can be practiced by anyone at any age and can be modified for the handicapped and ill. Bringing peace of mind and numerous health benefits, and working major muscle groups at the same time, you'll welcome Chi Kung as an antidote to 'no pain, no gain' exercises.

Mastr Lam Kam Chuen is an international authority on a wide range of Chinese arts, including Chi Kung, Tai Chi, Feng Shui, and traditional Chinese medicine. He has been teaching in the West for more than two decades and is the bestselling author of The Personal Feng Shui Manual, Feng Shui Handbook, Step-by-Step Tai Chi, and The Way of Energy. He lives in London.

Contents

Introduction
Part One The inner sea: Sustaining your health
Introduction
Chi
Gathering your chi
Arousing your chi
Increasing your inner warmth
Raising your internal power
The pisition of primal energy
Finding your centre
Calming the spirit
The two powers
The full belly
Part Two The great river: Increasing your energy
Introduction
Long life
Drawing silk from the cocoon
Rolling the golden sphere
Rotating the golden sphere
Looking back at the moon
Waving hands like clouds
Reaching outward and pulling back
Pressing froward and poushing out
Part Three Riding the waves: Working with inner strength
Introduction
Holding the balloon
The galaxy
Opening outward
Extending to the sides
The full sequence
Strengthening the golden sphere
The tiger and the mountain
The butterfly
Part Four Removing the obstacles: Healing yourself and others
Introduction
Hands of bliss
The two poles
The five energies
The healing energy of metal
The healing energy of water
The healing energy of wood
The healing energy of fire
The healing energy of earth
Dispersing bruises
Tending twists and sprains
Alleviating backaches
Relieving headaches
Part Five Returning to the source: Recovering your health
Introduction
The immortals
Gathering your chi
Strengthening your chi
Filling your reservoir
Drawing silk from the cocoon
First movements
Crystal
About the author
Index
Publisher's acknowledgements… (more)

Whatever your level of fitness, Step-by-Step Tai Chi offers a simple but effective program of exercise and stress reduction, based on the ancient Chineses art of Tai Chi. In addition to learning the fundamentals of Tai Chi through this carefully designed four-level program, Master Lam Kam Chuen will introduce you to Small Circle Form Tai Chi, an original method he has developed-based on classical Tai Chi styles-requiring a minimum of time and space.

Step-by-Step Tai Chi features:

Detailed and easy-to-follow instructions for the basic movements of Tai Chi, plus Small Circle Form, complete with color illustrations that will guide you through every movement

Specially selected exercises to help you build up strength, flexibility, and stamina in the muscles and joints of your upper and lower body

Simple routines that you can perform in half an hour or less, with no previous experience, special clothing, or equipment required

An ideal foundation if you wish to study advanced forms of Tai Chi

Whether you are looking for a way to reduce stress or a new way to exercise, Step-by-Step Tai Chi will keep you fit-inside and out.

Master Lam Kam Chuen, author of The Way of Energy, is a master of Tai Chi Chuan, a practitioner of traditional chinese medicine, and the creator of Small Circle Form Tai Chi, developed especially for his students in the West.

Contents

Author's acknoweldgements
About the author
A lifetime's study
Introduction moving harmony
Part 1 Tai chi foundations
Chapter 1 Fundamental movements
Exercise 1: Relaxing the neck
Exercise 2: Lowering the shoulders
Exercise 3: Shaking the hands
Exercise 4: Painting the wall
Exercise 6: Brushing the air
Exercise 7: Playing the accordion
Exercise 8: Swimming on land
Exercise 9: Hip circles
Exercise 10: Bending forward
Exercise 11: Bending backward
Exercise 12: Bending to the side
Exercise 13: Looking back at the moon
Exercise 14: Knee circles
Exercise 15: Ankle cirlces
Exercise 16: Sitting down
Exercise 17: Rising on your toes
Exercise 18: Lifting the knees
Exercise routines
Chapter Two Strength and motion
Exercise 19: Standing in wu chi position
Exercise 20: Polishing the desk
Exercise 21: Rolling the balloon
Exercise 22: Turning the balloon
Exercise 23: Opening the curtain
Exercise 24: Waving hands like clouds
Exercise 25: Swimming in deep water
Exercise 26: Sweeping from side to side
Exercise 27: Blocking to the diagonal
Exercise 28: Eagle spreads its wings
Exercise 29: Bending forward and stretching back
Exercise 30: The mare parts its mane
Exercise 31: Working the oar
Exercise 32: Pushing the wall
Exercise 33: Showing your palms and soles
Exercise 34: Single whip down
Exercise 35: Monkey holds the world
Exercise 36: Stretching like a cat
Exercise routines
Chapter Three Balance and movement
Exercise 37: Horse riding stances
Exercise 38: Soft step
Exercise 39: Stork step
Exercise 40: Bow step
Exercise 41: Cockerel step
Exercise 42: Side step
Exercise 43: Tai chi wald
Exercise 44: Duck walk
Exercise routines
Chapter Four Working with a partner
Exercise 45: Rowing the boat
Exercise 46: Sawing wood
Exercise 47: Polishing the window
Exercise 48: Moving like a windmill
Exercise routines
Part 2 The small circle form
Chapter Five The form
Tai chi starting
Hold the ball (right)
Ward off (left)
Roll back (left)
Press (left)
Push (left)
Hold the ball (left)
Ward off (right)
Roll back (right)
Press (right)
Push (right)
Single whip (left)
Singel whip (right)
Bring the tiger and return to the mountain
Tai chi closing
Learning the small circle form
The main movements
Chapter Six One stroke of the brush
Connecting the movements
Standing still and relaxing
Breathing
Posture and gesture
Your mind and energy
Resources and further reading (bibliography)… (more)

For centuries, the chinese exercise system called Chi Kung has been shrouded in secrecy. The Way of Energy is the first comprehensive guide to the most powerful form of Chi Kung ever developed-'standing like a tree'.

A gentle, yet profoundly beneficial form of exercise, which requires very little movement, this form of Chi Kung unlocks deep reserves of energy, builds internal stamina, strengthens immunity, relieves chironic illness, and promotes the natural regeneration of the nervous system. Using step-by-step instructions and more than 100 drawings and full-color photographs, The Way of Energy tells how to:

perform the entire sequence of rejuvenating positions

combat stress by practiciing Chi Kung while standing, sitting, working, playing, and even sleeping

prevent and treat a wide range of common ailments

Continuing our best-selling series of books for mind and body which includes The Sivananda Companion to Yoga, The Dance Workshop, and The Book of Stress Survival, The Way of Energy will help you achieve physical fitness, mental clarity, and a profound inner strength and vitality.

Master Lam Kam Chuen is a specialist in Chi Kung, a recognized master of Tai Chi Chuan, and a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine.

Contents

How to use this book
Foreword
Introduction
Part One
Chapter 1 Learning to stand
Chapter 2 Breathing and relaxing
Chapter 3 Internal movement
Part Two
Chapter 4 Preparing for energy
Chapter 5 Growing like a tree
Part Three
Chapter 6 Roots and branches
Chapter 7 Going beyond
Part Four
Chapter 8 Energy in daily life
Chapter 9 The life cycle
Chapter 10 Taking care of yourself
Index
Acknowledgements, resources, and bibliography… (more)