(BOOK REVIEW The Power of Chi by Geoff Pike) There are many paths to good health and longevity. Early to bed, early to rise just doesn’t cut it anymore.
Many have consumed and continuing to digest bottles of vitamin supplements to boost their own health. Others head straight for the gym after work. Then there are those “Do-It-Yourself” practitioners who work out within the confines of their own homes.
On a faraway corner, there are a select few who choose to follow the chi kung or qigong way. About two decades ago, an Australian named Geoff Pike became fascinated with the traditional Chinese art of attaining good health.
He journeyed to Hong Kong to seek the “holy grail” but it wasn’t what he had imagined. It turned out to be some seemingly simple exercises that he could have very well pick up back home.
Apparently, there was more to breathing than he ever thought possible. And there was no need for pumping iron.
Anyway, his curiosity was piqued and his motivation was heightened. Gradually the ways of the ancient art form were slowly unveiled before him. Pike took to chi kung like a duck to water.
The Power of Chi has one big advantage. It is written by a white man for English-speaking people. Thus, it is clear in its message and the illustrations are illuminating and unambiguous.
There are hundreds of books on “chi” written in Mandarin by Chinese chi kung experts but those who can’t read Mandarin won’t be able to comprehend these texts.
Ancient secrets
Naturally when someone like Pike comes along and writes a book on chi kung, the ancient secrets of healthy living breach the language barrier.
Today, there are many books on chi kung but Pike’s Power of Chi which was published in 1982 is one of the best in the market because of its simplicity in presentation and lucidity in explanation.
For Pike, his life journey inadvertently careened into a less travelled path when at the age of 48, he was diagnosed with throat cancer. Middle-aged and stumbling on the highway of poor health, Pike
chose to embark on the path of Oriental medicine.
He had been keenly interested in martial arts for many years and his quest to seek a cure for himself led him to Hong Kong. In the former British colony, he studied under a chi kung master and learnt
the healing power of chi.
As his knowledge of chi kung widened and deepened, his illness retreated through physical and breathing exercises. Eventually, the disease that plagued him dissipated and vanished.
With his newly acquired knowledge of an ancient health system, Pike plunged into the world of chi kung.
The Power of Chi is his way of returning the gift of life to others, one which that he had received at a crucial crossroads of his life.
Personal commitment
Anybody who has a basic understanding of the English language will appreciate this book.
It teaches those who desire to have deeper understanding of chi kung exercises that are vital in achieving good health and a fair measure of longevity.
Pike makes it easy for anyone to learn chi kung. There are no expensive machines to buy nor are there any formal classes to attend.
All that is required is determination and a personal commitment to improve one’s own health.
With patience and perseverance, your immunity to common cold can improve and the youthful vitality that has been missing from your life may return.
The Power of Chi helps smoothen your passage through middle-age years and puts the chi kung practitioner squarely on the road to general well being and mental alertness.
The simple exercises recommended are not complicated or even painfully strenuous. They involve some bodily movements that are deceptively simple and yet reap rewards when applied correctly.
Even those who are already familiar with Tai Chi and other wushu arts can benefit from Pike’s knowledge. Energy meridians, though not explained thoroughly in the book, will provide adequate information to readers that our body is indeed a highway of chi channels.
When these channels of energy are opened and widened, our life force will be strong and steady, thereby ensuring a life free of illnesses and other physical inconveniences.
Pike’s style of writing is both entertaining and educational. He has a way of expressing himself that holds the reader’s attention.
Before he became a master of chi kung, he was both an artist and a writer. For about 30 years, Pike was a creative director who had worked with numerous leading advertising agencies which won a string of awards.
Besides The Power of Chi, Pike has added three more titles to his series on chi kung. However, The Power of Chi gained him global recognition as a major player in the ancient Chinese healing art.
If you have to read your first book on chi kung, begin with this one. It will open your eyes wide on the merits of chi kung that have benefited millions all over the world.
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