You Are How You Move - Experiential Chi Kung by Ged Sumner

"You Are How You Move: Experiential Chi Kung" by Ged Sumner is a good basic text for those new to qigong or chi kung and want to learn a little about this practice and become more in touch with their body. I think the key aspect of this book is that it gets the reader thinking about the importance of body alignment and breathing. There are much more complete texts on qigong and chi kung, but this book is still a great place for beginners and a nice addition to your health library.The author begins by asking, "what is exercise?" He then shares some basics for good health. One must remember that there are various ways to exercise depending on your goals. The goal here is to combat the sedentary lifestyle and increase health, not to compete in athletic competitions or maximize human performance. (However, simple qigong or chi kung exercises certainly can be incorporated into even the most strenuous athletic training regimens with positive productive results.The sections of the b
ook that encourage the reader to become more in tune with your own body and to breath more offer very good advice. Even a little time getting to know your body better is more than many people ever do. The actual exercises taught in the book may be difficult for the beginner to fully understand. Where there are photographs, sometimes I don't know if they are enough for everyone. I have trained in qigong while living in Korea, and in the U.S. so it was easier for me to fill in the blanks between pictures than it may be for some. For most people, if this book interests them in the benefits of qigong or chi kung, they will seek out an instructor, different texts, and DVDs, so this will only be one of many resources to learn from, and it is a good one to have as a resource. Even if all you do is get to know your body a bit better and change some of your breathing habits the book will be well worth it.The final chapters share a little bit on the common chi meditations that you may
want to learn more about and brief descriptions of some chi kung applications such as arthritis, low energy, and impotence.The book is less than 200 pages with quite a few photographs, so it is a fairly quick read. If you are looking for an introduction to chi kung, this book is not a bad place to start. If you just want to get more in tune with your own body, "You Are How You Move" will help you do just that! (That is if you actually follow the exercises and advice Sumner encourages you to).

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