Women's Qigong for Health and Longevity: A Practical Guide for Women Forty and Older »

Deborah Davis is the author of The Secret of the Seal (Crown) and My Brother Has AIDS (a Jean Karl Book, Atheneum) and the editor of You Look Too Young to Be a Mom: Teen Mothers Speak Out on Love, Learning, and Success (Perigee, Penguin). She lives in Berkeley, California, with her family. For more information visit deborahdavisauthor.com.

Here is a detailed, easy-to-use guidebook for women forty and older on how to use gentle but powerful traditional Chinese exercises, breathing techniques, massage, meditation, and vocalizations to promote health, fitness, relaxation, and mental clarity; improve stamina; and even treat specific health concerns. Acupuncturist and longtime qigong practitioner Deborah Davis explains the traditional Chinese approach to health and the various components of qigong practice; gives general health routines for women in specific age groups; and offers do-it-yourself practices and routines for specific health issues including insomnia, hypertension and heart disease, menopause, sexual vitality, breast health, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and depression.

To learn more about the author, visit her website: www.womensqigong.com. 

Elizabeth J. Eastwood - Library Journal

Licensed acupuncturist Davis contributes to the burgeoning publishing area of Chinese medicine with her guide to Qigong for women over 40. In Part 1, readers take in the basics and theory of Qigong and how the practice "combines three elements-focused breathing, posture or movement, and mental concentration-to harmonize the body, mind, and spirit." Drawing on more than 20 years of experience with a special interest in treatment plans for over 30 diseases, Davis details routines for nine specific health conditions, e.g., depression, cancer, and menopause, for the age ranges of 40-49, 50-64 (perimenopause), and 65 and beyond. Readers go step by step through each movement, breathing technique, stance, or healing sound, with photographs and diagrams. Davis uses a few anecdotes from her practice to illustrate how practicing Qigong can affect a person's health. However, there is no conventional or traditional evidence given to support the claims. Although accessible, this book would best suit those who have had some experience with Qigong, as phrases such as "it's more important to move with the energy and follow your body's innate wisdom" may alienate beginners. Recommended for alternative health collections and specialized Chinese medicine collections.

Introduction     1
The Root of Qigong
Making Qigong a Part of Your Life     7
The Energetic Body: Understanding Chinese Medicine and Medical Qigong     12
Exploring Qi     18
Activating Your Energy: Qigong Breathing and Warm-up Exercises     21
Stances     28
Meditations and Visualizations     33
Five-Element Healing     38
Six Healing Sounds     49
Healthy, Fit, and Sexy at Any Age
Dynamic Woman: Ages Forty to Forty-nine     63
Graceful Passage: Perimenopause     70
Wise Woman: Ages Fifty to Sixty-four     76
Sage Woman: Sixty-five and Beyond     83
Self-Healing for Women
Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)     91
Breast Health     98
Depression     107
Menopause     114
Insomnia     121
Breast Cancer and Other Types of Cancer     128
Heart Health and Hypertension     135
Osteoporosis     144
Restoring Your Sexual Qi     149
Acknowledgments     153
Summary of Qigong Routines     155
Notes     159
Bibliography     161
Product Information     163