Drawing on ancient Chinese knowledge and tradition, this book teaches practitioners of acupuncture how to develop their internal energy and sensitivity to energy in order to improve their practice. Understanding and working with energy flow is essential to becoming a good acupuncturist and regular qigong practice helps the acupuncturist to direct energy flow within the patient more accurately and effectively. This book presents a complete training regime for Western acupuncturists and features qigong exercises dating back centuries. With images from the original manuscripts and the Chinese text alongside an English translation and commentary, Western readers are introduced to unique exercises and internal cultivation texts in a truly authentic way. This book provides essential internal training for acupuncture practitioners and students and will be of interest to a wide array of martial arts and traditional Chinese medicine practitioners.

Two of the major texts in the history of tongue diagnosis are presented and put into context in this volume, reaffirming the strength of tongue diagnosis as a core diagnostic method. These key texts are made available to western readers for the first time, with typical, traditional Chinese editions reproduced alongside the translation. The author provides an excellent overview of the tongue diagnosis theories in the major classics prior to the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), and discusses significant developments and publications. The Gold Mirror Records, first published in 1341, was a popular manual for centuries, appearing in many editions and variations. Tongue Reflections in Cold Damage, first published in 1668, developed the field of diagnosis as a whole by adopting the analysis of tongue colour as its main principle. Both texts are introduced with meticulous English translations and notes. This seminal text will give practitioners and students of Chinese medicine a sound understanding of the theory and practice of tongue diagnosis from the early texts, and will be of interest to academic readers of classic Chinese texts.