Search - Discovering Chi: Energy Exercises for the Beginner on DVD

NAOMI W. from DALLAS, TX
Reviewed on 6/29/2009...

good.

0 of 2 member(s) found this review helpful.

You have to give it a try. It's worth it!!

Angela Llanos | A Coruna, Spain | 12/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"When I first watched the DVD I didn't like it too much. It was shot in a studio and it looks just like a Chi Gong class in any gym. It is not the best audiovisual product. I also have the other 3 DVDs of the series and they're shot outside and are a lot more appealling.

However, Linda is a very special communicator; she gets to you. She is obviously an expert in Chi Gong but she gives you only the right amount of information as you do the exercises. I've been working with the 1st DVD for over a month and I've already noticed improvement in my flexibility (my back hasn't bothered me once) and my general mood.

As you work out through the exercises you're being told that one exercise is good for your digestion, or this other one is good to help you keep focused, etc. Once you've listened to the instructions enough you can do the routine with only music.

I'm looking forward to being ready to move the 2nd DVD. I've watched but it looks more difficult. Since my patience has improved from doing Linda's routine, I'm gonna wait till I'm really ready to progress."

VERY Energizing/healing Qi Gong/Chi Gong that's never boring

Lena, LMT | Nassau, NY | 02/05/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"My 2002 VHS Review (more reviews at the VHS version):
I bought this & didn't touch it for several months. I did finally when I had a major migraine complete w/stomach pain, etc. By the time I was done, unbelievably, I was fine. No symptoms & I felt great other then a little tired from normal exercise. Even though all this, I still did not use it again until I was very dizzy from a flu. Again, I was cured of the dizziness, but of course not the flu. I didn't expect a total miracle. I continued to use it during my flu & I feel more energized/better each time. It was hard to at first to complete the warm-up and the 8 moves, but it's worth it. Definitely don't stop after starting the moves. Returning the Chi is VERY important or you'll feel tired still. Feel free to take small breaks in between if need to. I'm going to buy all her other ones since this has worked so well. I am always so calm & energized afterwards.

Though the only menu options is English or Mandarin, the sound is done in 5.1 digital. I have continued to use it whenever I don't feel well & have added to my Qi Gong library. This one is one of the least boring & has the most information on it in terms of what organs it works on, the benefits & especially she is the greatest in teaching about every detail on how to stand, where to place your hands, etc.
The first part is her doing the Qi Gong movements alone w/her voice over key points only (as a quicker workout & less chatty review after you've mastered the teaching detailed portion) for 26 min w/soothing background music that is used throughout the dvd.
The warm-up is next for about 15 min, done in a studio with about 10 students male & female 20s-40s different races. It has light stretching of the neck, waist, knees & ankles, it works on the heart, lungs, nervous system, digestive, etc. The camera is on her 7/8 of the time, focusing on whatever body part she is explaining, so don't worry that you'll be lost.
Next is her teaching the students the 8 Qi Gong movements for 37 min w/plenty of info of foot placement, what organs/body systems each movement works on, how Chinese Medicine explains why it helps, etc. They are simple movements that almost anyone can do & if you're wheel bound, you can just do the best you can. In Energy Medicine, just the intention of thought helps to heal almost as much as actually doing it. If you rarely exercise or out of shape like I used to be, take breaks. If you're in good shape, this will be easy, but you'll still feel the stretch, but never boring.
For anyone who bores easily, this & Qi Gong Practice for Beginners is one of the more faster hand/leg movements to keep your mind wandering.
I notice the more healing I get from a Qi Gong video, the harder it gets as I go. I feel a heavy resistance like as if I'm exhausted, but I'm not. This one as well as Dr. Yang, Jwing-Mings, & "Chi Kung: The Healing Workout" w/Jerry Alan Johnson I felt the most healing w/Gaiam's QiGong w/Francesco + Daisy Lee Garripoli right after. "Qigong-Guide to Well Being" is a dvd I tried, was very short & only has SOME of the warm up exercises here.

The DVD is in English & in Chinese language choices, just make the choice at the main screen.
On Amazon's page for Discovering Chi's 4 pack DVD set comments, Linda Modero personally wrote she contacted the production crew & they promised that all the future DVDs will have better menu choices & soon more language choices. She even will replace the DVD of anyone's that didn't have chapter choices. Email her at lindamodaro AT earthlink net"

Technically they dropped the ball!

Leonard Roberts | Belmont, NC United States | 03/15/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The information in this DVD is excellent. A great place to start researching and practicing qigong. Linda Modaro is an excellent instructor and demonstrator. A complete set of exercises for someone at any level.

However, the DVD is a direct copy of the VHS tape with the minor addition of language selection. The whole DVD is one long run just like the tape it was copied from. There is no menu to allow the viewer to select an exercise to view, no links to each exercise to allow for easy study.

In my opinion, this is a ridiculous waste of technical potential. A straight copy to DVD was a criminally lazy thing to do. It could not have been that difficult to add a convenient menu to allow the viewer to easily navigate this DVD. They got only three stars from me because they made this difficult to use.

If you want a very good set of qigong exercises, this is it. But expect to wade through a lot of things you don't want to see as you are learning the exercises. Expect to endure a tedious search if you wish to review how to do a specific exercise. DVDs are no longer new technology. Even in China the producers should have known better and done better."