What do you think?
Rate this book
Book of Ki: Co-Ordinating Mind and Body in Daily Life
oriental body wisdom
- GenresHealthMartial Arts
102 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 1976
6 people are currently reading
81 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 30, 2012
simple, good primer on day-to-day work with Ki (or chi).
i like the insights the author gives, and the illustrations are helpful.
as far as the philosophy goes... i'm having a hard time understanding why the author comes across so cold and militaristic. i see the point in stressing the topic, but it's almost a bummer to read. too much emphasis on how weak and lazy people are "these days", and how to get "strong". comes across almost contemptuous to those who do not value martial arts.
this seems to be a common theme that comes across by authors on fitness and martial arts. is it the extra testosterone? does the feeling of mental/physical power really have to change your outlook on humanity that much after you have attained it?
sometimes it is nice to have a tough coach and sometimes it's just a pain in the ass to hear how far behind you are. i don't know what the balance is, but ultimately it just kills the buzz for me. just because i may be physically fit does not mean i should be that way to the exclusion of whatever it was i may have been before.
why would this matter, especially to the segment of society that frowns on reacting "butthurt" to things like this? because there are differing degrees of "weakness" in our society. those who need Ki work the most are the ones who are probably going to get the most "butthurt". by condescending to your reader on a topic such as physical fitness you are only going to reach out to people who aren't turned off by the tone, and by extension, are probably already on your side before they even read your book. and that makes you look like a bad author, your authority is compromised.
why do i bring up this specific aspect in a review of a book on body work? because ki is a spiritual phenomenon. as the author explains himself, it is the life force behind our thoughts and actions.
but this book is a product of its time. those were harsher days, it was a different generation, so in the end there really isn't anything "wrong" with how this author treats the subject. in fact, it's quite a good read! the lessons are very concise and have a lot of potential to help you relax, meditate, move about, excercise, focus, and such.
but as a "spiritual" book, i do not think this one is very good. spirituality really shouldn't be generation-specific, in my opinion. do not try to find the answers to the nature of the cosmos here, or at the very least do not look to this book for inspiration or to feel spiritually uplifted. but do expect the most pertinent ones to be boiled down very well in its aim to make you a badass ki guy. :)
i like the insights the author gives, and the illustrations are helpful.
as far as the philosophy goes... i'm having a hard time understanding why the author comes across so cold and militaristic. i see the point in stressing the topic, but it's almost a bummer to read. too much emphasis on how weak and lazy people are "these days", and how to get "strong". comes across almost contemptuous to those who do not value martial arts.
this seems to be a common theme that comes across by authors on fitness and martial arts. is it the extra testosterone? does the feeling of mental/physical power really have to change your outlook on humanity that much after you have attained it?
sometimes it is nice to have a tough coach and sometimes it's just a pain in the ass to hear how far behind you are. i don't know what the balance is, but ultimately it just kills the buzz for me. just because i may be physically fit does not mean i should be that way to the exclusion of whatever it was i may have been before.
why would this matter, especially to the segment of society that frowns on reacting "butthurt" to things like this? because there are differing degrees of "weakness" in our society. those who need Ki work the most are the ones who are probably going to get the most "butthurt". by condescending to your reader on a topic such as physical fitness you are only going to reach out to people who aren't turned off by the tone, and by extension, are probably already on your side before they even read your book. and that makes you look like a bad author, your authority is compromised.
why do i bring up this specific aspect in a review of a book on body work? because ki is a spiritual phenomenon. as the author explains himself, it is the life force behind our thoughts and actions.
but this book is a product of its time. those were harsher days, it was a different generation, so in the end there really isn't anything "wrong" with how this author treats the subject. in fact, it's quite a good read! the lessons are very concise and have a lot of potential to help you relax, meditate, move about, excercise, focus, and such.
but as a "spiritual" book, i do not think this one is very good. spirituality really shouldn't be generation-specific, in my opinion. do not try to find the answers to the nature of the cosmos here, or at the very least do not look to this book for inspiration or to feel spiritually uplifted. but do expect the most pertinent ones to be boiled down very well in its aim to make you a badass ki guy. :)
Read
August 29, 2008Also, insightful but repeats a lot of information.
December 31, 2018
Decepcionante.
December 27, 2019
Very good read, I would have enjoyed more detail!
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews