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Book Review: The Healing Promise of Qi Gong, by Roger Jahnke, O.M.D.
By Reviewed by Bill Helm The Healing Promise of Qi Gong by Roger Jahnke is an exceptional work of dedicated research and personal devotion. The author has been studying and practicing Traditional Chinese Medicine, Qi Gong and Tai Chi for over thirty years. This book is the culmination of his many years of exploration into the heart and soul of these arts. It combines both an engaging introduction to the principles and practices of Qi Gong, suitable for the new student and general public, with a fascinating development map of the stages of practice and methods which is very helpful for the more experienced practitioner. The book is also very beautiful with quotations from the Classics and tasteful illustrations and calligraphy, which help to communicate the tone of Qi Gong practice. "There must be some primal force, but it is impossible to locate. I believe it exists, but cannot see it. I see its results, I can even feel it, but it has no form." (Zhuang Zi, Inner Chapters). Borrowing on contemporary language and imagery, Dr. Jahnke is able to describe the ancient principles and actions of the Qi with poetic force. "The extraordinary system for absorbing, circulating, and refining Qi in the body is called the Qi Matrix. The Qi Matrix is a pervasive network, the subtle circuitry of your life force." He then goes on to describe how the practices of Qi Gong can enhance and enrich the lives of all people, not just the dedicated seekers. Descriptions of harmonious, desirable states of Qi are compared with the pathological, undesirable states and the variety of different methods to move consciously toward the positive end of the scale are presented in a clear and concise way. The use of the "Three Intentful Corrections" - Adjust and regulate the body posture; Adjust and regulate the breath; Adjust and regulate consciousness - provides the reader with an entry into the practice of Qi Gong that is helpful at any stage of development. The book also provides a philosophical bridge between the actual practices of different systems and the conceptual roots from which these systems have emerged, Taoism and Buddhism being the major contributors but also including Medical Qi Gong and the martial arts. "The Daoist forms reflect the phases as a process to behold and embrace natures deepest secrets and refine within oneself a profound elixer, which perpetuates health, attains longevity and supports access to transcendental states. In the Buddhist forms, the essential phases of cultivation are embedded in the framework of the tradition of liberation from suffering and access to Pure Mind, called Nirvana." Dr. Jahnke integrates the development levels of practice into an extremely helpful schema of "Ten Phases of Cultivating and Mastering Qi."
Based upon Jahnke's extensive research in China, the Ten Phases provides a framework for all levels of practice. Included are representative methods from each phase so that a comprehensive overview of the methods and rational for practicing different methods at different times emerges for the reader's benefit. These also include very clear descriptions of healing with the transmission of Qi and the use of sexual energy in Qi Gong practice. The last section of the book examines the relationship between western science and the study of Qi. The emergence of the mind/body paradigm and the use of wellness enhancement methods by a large number of people has enriched the dialogue between Western Scientific Medicine and TCM. Dr. Jahnke briefly covers a wide variety of the topics now being researched and discussed in the attempt to integrate these viewpoints. In conclusion, the book states the three primary promises of Qi; it is free, it is everywhere, everyone who consciously cultivates Qi experiences an improvement of health and consciousness and that the practice of Qi Gong and the cultivation of the Qi is as easy as you let it be. "Qi Gong is a powerful tool for exploring and actualizing change. In the quiet of your practice you know what you are thinking and feeling." This state of awareness forms the basis for moving towards a conscious evolution of human beings, which is the greatest promise of Qi Gong.
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