Search - Understanding Qigong DVD1 (YMAA chi kung) Dr. Yang on DVD


Understanding Qigong DVD1 (YMAA chi kung) Dr. Yang
Understanding Qigong DVD1 Dr Yang
YMAA chi kung
Actor: Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming
Director: David Silver
Genres: Action & Adventure
2006     4hr 24min

This program is part one in a six-DVD series designed to lead a complete beginner to a thorough understanding of the theory and practice of qigong. Search "Understanding Qigong" on Amazon for more. The Chinese word Qigo...  more »

     
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Movie Details

Actor: Dr. Yang Jwing-Ming
Director: David Silver
Genres: Action & Adventure
Sub-Genres: Martial Arts
Studio: YMAA Publication Center
Format: DVD
DVD Release Date: 09/01/2006
Release Year: 2006
Run Time: 4hr 24min
Number of Discs: 1
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Total Copies: 0
Members Wishing: 3
Languages: English
Subtitles: French

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Movie Reviews

Excellent course on Qigong
Patrick H. Dickson | Cupertino, CA | 09/17/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This DVD is comprised of two courses. The two courses are taught as if one is in a classroom setting with Dr. Yang. Subtitles are displayed during the course, with Dr. Yang speaking.

Course 1 -
What is Qigong?
Qigong History
What is Qi?
What is Qigong?
Feeling is a Language
Yin, Yang, Kan and Li
Three Treasures
Five Energies (Qis) Toward Their Origins
Three Powers Posture
Qigong Practice
Partner Practice

Course 2 -
The Human Qi Circulatory System
Understanding Human Essence
How Chinese Define the Organs
12 Primary Qi Channels (Meridians) = Qi Rivers
Qi Cavities
8 Extraordinary or Strange Vessels = Qi Reservoir
3 Dan Tians (Elixir fields) = Energy Centers
The Seven Corresponding Gates
Yin and Yang of the Human body
Course 1

The ten sections of Course 1 are thoroughly covered, and are presented in a very logical and organized manner. I've always been impressed with how Dr. Yang and his director David Silver lay out the material; with content, order and presentation always being top notch.

While covering the history of Qigong, Dr. Yang talks about how Qigong has been a part of Chinese Culture for four thousand years, in contrast to the few number of years that it has been studied in the United States. The irony of this is that as more nations and peoples become aware of Qigong, they become instrumental in helping to fund research to prove or disprove the claims made in regards to Qigong.

The west tends to trust that which can be measured, seen and touched. Chinese culture tends to accept more of those things that are felt. I am reminded of the scene in "Enter the Dragon", where Bruce Lee has just engaged in some sparring with his student in order to impart some martial arts knowledge. When Bruce asks him for his take on the sparring they just shared, his student scratches his chin, rolls his eyes towards the sky and says "Hmmm, let me think." To which Bruce Lee responds by smacking the student on the top of his head and admonishing him with "Don't think, feel!

Dr. Yang discusses how when the body feels pain, even if there is no visible sign of a problem, from the Chinese Medicine approach, the body knows there is a problem and is calling out for help. Therefore, one should be sensitive to what one feels.

Dr. Yang gives valid examples of how Western medicine responds to pain by prescribing pain pills, where eastern medicine tries to discover the cause of the pain, which is usually caused by some type of Qi imbalance. The benefit of using Qigong and acupuncture techniques during surgery is clearly explained by Dr. Yang.

When a patient is put into a coma, the normal procedure during serious surgery in the west, the pain is blocked but so are all other functions. When acupuncture is used, the patient can be aware, awake and talking to the doctor, while the pain is being blocked through the use of acupuncture needles and an understanding of the Qi flow in the body.

Dr. Yang points out that in Western medicine, we wait until "it happens" and then try to find a cure. In Chinese Medicine, the focus is on prevention of disease, for which Qigong is admirably suited.

Additionally, Medical Qigong is the oldest use of Qigong in China, going back four thousand years. Dr. Yang clearly presents the differences between the Western and the Chinese approaches to healing. Where the Western side views the mind and the body being connected through nerves, the Chinese view is that the mind and body are connected through Qi.

Although they are essentially the same, one is from a physical structure point of view and the other is from an energy point of view. When we build our Qi, our nerves become more sensitive, allowing us to have more feeling.

A very clear, logical and scientific explanation is provided by Dr. Yang for the processes concerning sending the Qi to the outer skin and sending the Qi to the bone marrow. Many students of Qigong have read about these concepts, but Dr. Yang's explanation of how the process works and what steps are required to achieve these results go far beyond the information found in other books on Qigong.

Course 2

If you've ever bought books on Qigong and felt that the information inside was difficult to comprehend and retain, then watching this DVD will give a viewer a quickly assimilated understanding of the concepts, which will enhance and further one's understanding when rereading the original book that was proving to be tedious the first time through. This is particularly true in the case of Course 2, which presents material that is perhaps a wee bit more difficult in nature than what is presented in Course 1.

Throughout his explanations, Dr. Yang refers to the differences in Chinese and Western approaches to healing, which provides the viewer a necessary standard and base from which to compare the provided information. Neither approach is necessarily wrong, and in reality, Western and Chinese Medicine both have their times and circumstances during which they excel. After all, it is a Yin Yang Symbol, and although Chinese and Western approaches appear to be "opposites", they both have something to offer and are both parts of the whole.

Dr. Yang explains how Western Medicine divides the upper and lower body by the physical center of gravity as well as the physical appearance, whereas Chinese Medicine divides the upper and lower body from the perspective of energy. Just as in Western Medicine the organs of the body exist physically, where in Chinese Medicine there are organs that cannot be seen, but the effects of these organs can be felt, as in the Triple Burner.

I've read every book that Dr. Yang has written, yet I was amazed by how much more I learned while watching this DVD. Somehow, hearing the info directly from Dr. Yang, made it that much more alive. The day this DVD arrived on my doorstep, I found myself unable to turn it off in order to carry out the necessary chores for the day.

In Conclusion

Many books have been released in English on the subjects of Qi and Qigong. The majority are basically straight translations from original Chinese manuscripts. Even native Chinese speakers are at times guilty of merely translating some of these works, yet omitting true meanings of the phrases.
Unless a person understands the concepts of Taijiquan, the Chinese language, the nuances of the language, as well as the differences between modern and classic Chinese language, it is almost impossible to do anything more than just a straight translation, which even then would be subject to error.
Although this DVD is not necessarily a "translation" of a specific document, it is certainly a result of the many years that Dr. Yang has spent reading, practicing, translating, teaching and pondering the various historical documents that form the foundation of Qigong.

Dr. Yang's inquiring mind and scientific approach, combined with his experiences and background in the martial arts, make him one of the few people that can create a DVD like this one, in which not only is the classic material presented, but it is combined with clear explanations that demonstrate a true and accurate grasp of the subject. When Dr. Yang, Jwing Ming chose to leave his former career to pursue his studies and teaching of Martial Arts, we all received a great blessing, evidenced by the large volume of excellent material that he has produced over the years.

I love the way Dr. Yang will pose questions as he is making his presentation. Many times I have heard Dr. Yang through speech or written words, challenge his readers/viewers to ponder the concepts and try to come up with questions that will help to clarify one's understanding. While watching his two man Taijiquan Fighting Set DVD, I recall Dr. Yang prodding the viewer to try and imagine what the next move would be in the series, rather than watching what the next move would be without any attempt at trying to come up with the answer on his or her own. I believe that his approach, always questioning, always reexamining and pondering, is one of the key's to his success as a student and as a teacher (hopefully, a teacher is always a student at heart).

I've always had difficulty in being able to attend the seminars by Dr. Yang, so having access to this DVD has helped to fill that void. As is true of many of his publications, I would recommend this DVD for practitioners of any level in any school of martial arts or qigong, as well as newcomers.
"
A 4-hour private class
QiGongFu | SF, CA | 09/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)

"This movie has the teacher talking for four hours, teaching everything about Qigong, for the total beginner. It eventually leads to a few qigong exercises so you can try it and see what chi (qi) feels like, and it works!

Really great teacher, easy to understand, and it gets very detailed and advanced as it progresses. He shows simple proof that Qi exists and what it is, he teaches basic taiji philosophy, and teaches the basics about the system of energy pathways in the body that's just like the circulatory or nervous system.

Fascinating."
Simply Excellent
Erich A. Ball | Khartoum, Sudan | 02/25/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"My primary study is Taiji - and again, primarily alone. As I am unable to get to any sort of regular classes I rely on high quality books and DVDs to guide me. Books on Taiji and Qigong abound and there are many good Taiji DVDs out there but few really good ones on Qigong.

There are of course many DVDs which show Qigong forms. But there are few which talk about the theory of Qigong, particularly in terms that Westerners can understand.

Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming's DVD 1 on Understanding Qigong is such a DVD. He has a PhD in Mechanical Engineering and, as he says on the DVD, all his tertiary studies have been pure science oriented. He has applied that scientific rigour to his very deep understanding of traditional Chinese martial and Qigong arts in order to explain Qigong. He takes the 'feelings' oriented Taiji theory and uses linear Western logic, such as Ohm's law, to make it comprehensible to the layperson.

Having read and studied [intellectually] Qigong for many years, I was aware at the start of the DVD of many of the strands of his arguments, although I had no way to put those strands together. Impressively though, Dr. Yang took those strands and wove a whole cloth, starting from the fundamentals of Chinese Wuji, Taiji and Qigong theory and developing it all the way through to linking it into the physical Taiji form. This first DVD provides a simply excellent introduction to Qigong theory.

I have always been loathe to study Qigong on my own, as there was too much I didn't understand. How, for example, does the Tendon Washing Qigong relate to the Bone Marrow Qigong? What is their purpose? What physical effects do they have on the body? How does Taiji operate to create Yin and Yang from Wuji? All of these questions and far, far more are answered on this first DVD. If you're just starting your Qigong studies and don't understand the questions I've asked, don't worry, his explanations will lead to that understanding at the same time as he leads you to the answers. On the strength of this DVD I will now commence Qigong exercises.

As a professionally qualified adult trainer I can also comment that Dr. Yang is an excellent teacher, once you get used to his, at times, strong accent. I had bought DVDs 1 and 2 of this series on spec. Halfway through the first [2.5hr] lesson of the two on this DVD I went and ordered the remainder of the series.

I strongly recommend this DVD.
"
Excellent!
Carlos Campos | Los Angeles, CA | 01/06/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)

"A clear and scholarly presentation of the all different aspects of Qigong. I appreciate the fact that Dr. Yang is both a high level practitioner of this art and also a hard core scientist. Highly recommended!"