The CHI Revolution

by FRANTZIS, BRUCE

• ISBN13: 9781583941935
• ISBN10: 1583941932
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2008-01-29
• Publisher: Blue Snake Books

Summary

Revolution is generally considered something external, explosive. In this book, Bruce Frantzis, renowned chi master and author, challenges readers to embark on an inner revolution to reclaim joy and happiness in life, reverse the effects of aging and release their stress and negative emotions. Chi adepts can consciously feel and work with all the acupuncture meridians, internal organs and other structures in their own bodies. Yet these are skills that most Westerners would consider to be something out of science fiction and absolutely impossible to achieve in real life.Drawing on forty years of training in ancient Chinese practices, Frantzis provides readers with new and startling insights about how life-force energychican help them achieve enduring health and wellbeing. "The smooth, balanced flow of your life-force energy is the single most important determinant to your health, vitality and happiness," he says. Instead of the "no pain, no gain," mantra of our over-caffeinated, stressed out culture, Frantzis gives readers energetic fitness exercises that comprise the unique Chi Rev Workout. These transformative exercises teach readers to activate and strengthen their chi and to relax their nervous systems. "The more you relax, the more health, stamina and strength you will have," says Frantzis. Frantzis reveals how once closely guarded and ancient secrets of chi are the power behind: Spirituality, prayer and meditation. Acupuncture and the potent self-healing methods of chi gung (qigong) and Taoist yoga. Enhanced sexual vitality and intimate relationships. Internal martial arts, such as tai chi. Divination methods of theI Ching.

Author Biography

Since 1961, Bruce Frantzis, Lineage Master in the Taoist arts, has taught over 15,000 students in Eastern healing systems, tai chi, chi gung, martial arts and TAO meditation. He spent 16 years training in Japan, India and China in Zen, Yoga, Kundalini, and became a priest in the Taoist Fire tradition, which provided the foundation for extensive study of the Water tradition with Taoist Lineage Master Liu Hung Chieh. Fluent in Chinese, Frantzis has peeled away the metaphor and vague language surrounding the concept of chi. He is the author of five books on internal martial arts, chi gung, tai chi, and TAO meditation.

Table of Contents

Dedication	p. vii
Acknowledgments	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
The Power of Chi to Transform Your Life
Awakening Your Life-Force Energy	p. 3
Creating Your Inner Revolution	p. 11
Making Your Body Conscious	p. 19
Self-Healing with Chi	p. 29
Overcoming Your Angels and Demons	p. 37
Twelve Myths of Health and Fitness	p. 49
Energetic Fitness: A New Paradigm for Longevity	p. 59
Diving Inward and Beyond
The Chi in Tai Chi and Chi Gung	p. 69
The Secret Power of Internal Martial Arts	p. 81
TAO Yoga and the Man in the Suitcase	p. 87
The TAO of Sex	p. 93
Exploring Your Inner World with Prayer and Meditation	p. 103
The / Ching: The Mother Lode of the Chi Revolution	p. 117
The Law of Return: Accessing Your Karma with Chi	p. 129
The Chi Rev Workout
Five Energy Exercises for Life	p. 141
Longevity Breathing	p. 149
Chi Scanning	p. 159
Chi Balancing	p. 165
Heart Opening	p. 181
Freeing Trapped Chi	p. 193
Nothing Left to Do But to Do It	p. 203
Appendix
Taoism: A Living Tradition	p. 213
The Frantzis Energy Arts System	p. 215
The Living Taoism Collection	p. 221
Bibliography	p. 225
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.

Excerpts

Chi flows like a river through you, following the path of least resistance. When the flow of chi is free, open and unbound, it flows toward positive, life-nurturing forces…. much the same way as a free-flowing river nourishes all life within it and the plants and animals that are fed by it…. When your energy is blocked or trapped, however, it acts much like a river where water backs up and stops flowing, accumulating sludge and gunk…. Its location in the body then becomes susceptible to stress, illness and disease, both physical and mental…Practicing the art of letting go and releasing any buildup of stuck chi, is the principle taught by Taoists for thousands of years and….is the enduring principle behind traditional Chinese medicine. (Chapter 2, Creating Your Own Inner Revolution)

The Chi Revolution asks you to get out of your head and into your body. In many people, the capacity to go from an external orientation of life to an internal one is severely blocked. Others…are waking up to the fact that no amount of external validation–material assets, status, affirmation of others–has ever done much to foster inner peace for more than a few fleeting moments. Tuning in to your inner world will not necessary give you the instant gratification that the external world constantly promises. It is a process of becoming whole again, rather than a jumble of disconnected parts without any rhythm or harmony in relation to ourselves and those around us. (Chapter 2, Creating Your Own Inner Revolution)

* * * *

Myth # 8: Relaxation is about zoning out and escaping
Fact: Relaxation is about tuning into your body and letting go

Few Westerners have ever experienced deep relaxation. Because they feel stressed most of the time, they are psychologically unprepared for the fact that relaxation can become a norm in life rather than an aberration. It is even more difficult for people to realize that the more relaxed they are, the more energy, stamina, awareness, clarity and strength they will have.
Energetic fitness enables the progressive release of tension and anxiety so that it becomes a living reality. It involves turning in to your body and letting go of all your physical, emotional, mental, karmic, psychic and spiritual tension. Letting go means releasing chi blockages. Ultimately it means relaxing the nervous system so chi can strongly flow. Relaxation allows love, happiness and compassion to flourish.
(Chapter 6: Twelve Myths of Health and Fitness)

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Excerpted from The CHI Revolution: Harnessing the Healing Power of Your Life Force by Bruce Frantzis
All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.