Qi Gong: Fire & Water

This is one of the best exercise-type of DVDs I have ever purchased. In fact, this is the only one that I continue using on a regular basis-- it's THAT good! I've been using it for almost a year.It's wonderful to have two main workout sessions to choose from: Water or Fire. Each one lasts approximately 40min. and there is some meditation at the end, which is lovely. While my inclination is towards the Water workout, by mixing it up with sometimes Water and sometimes Fire, I don't get bored.The things that make this workout so great:1. Having a male and female presence. This not only makes it more interesting to watch, but also shows that it's okay if the poses vary slightly. Also, it just feels more balanced.2. The pace. It flows just right; it's calming, yet energizing, and it goes by quickly. I'm often surprised that i've reached the end.3. The mirror-image. If the instruction is to put left foot forward, it's the mirror-image onscreen. I love not having to think about which arm/leg to move. As Cohen says, "We spend so much time in our heads, it's time to focus on our bodies and breath." (That is a paraphrase of the quote.)4. The scenery. It's awe-inspiring. (Look up the Alabama Hills in California where it was filmed to get an idea.)5. The music. It's so good, I rarely notice it. In fact, I can't even tell you what it sounds like off the top of my head. It just fits.6. The transitions. Between each exercise, the screen shows a faded out image of something--flowers, water, etc. with the title of the exercise. There is also a sound such as wind, or water flowing, with the transition. It's beautiful, calming, and prepares me for what's next. These transitions work really well and is just one of the many things that work together to make this a great DVD.7. The ability to turn off the instruction and just have music play. Personally, I like the instruction and haven't felt the need to turn it off, but it's nice to have that option.8. The extras. There is the option to watch an Introduction about Qi Gong, or a free-from demonstration (of Cohen) which is beautiful to watch, or do some Mudras. I really enjoy doing the mudras even though sometimes it's hard to follow.9. With consistent practice (3-5 times a week) I find that I am feeling the energy more and more.One thing that could be better:Sometimes critical parts of the instruction come at the end of the pose. All this means is that it will take a few times doing the workout before you are doing all the poses correctly.I love this DVD and would recommend it to anyone who has an interest in Qi Gong. It's very well done, and very effective. It's also easy to watch again and again without getting bored or annoyed-- a feat for any DVD of this type!UPDATE March 2017 Still using this DVD about five times a week. Still love it.

This is my first experience with Qi Gong, altho I have done tai-chi and it's similar. I've only done the "fire" part, haven't done the water part yet. The instructor explains things very well and I think it's a good dvd for beginners as well as more advanced.There is a first part where he talks and explains the moves, then you can also go go a part where you can just go thru the moves and not hear his voice. There was a part marked "music only" but there is nothing there so I don't know what that's about.You need a good amount of leg strength to do this dvd. His only suggestion for modification is either standing up straighter if you want less, or bending your knees more if you want more. However, I have been doing some of it sitting on an exercise ball because alot of the moves, at least in the "fire" part, are just arms anyway, so standing for a really long period of time with knees bent just to do arm movements didn't seem beneficial to me personally.But all in all, I think it was worth the money and a good dvd. I'm not into worshiping the earth so the references to this sort of thing I just let go by. It just seems like a relaxation type of exercise--I haven't made any connection to channeling energy that he talks about.

I had never done Qi Gong before getting this DVD set and so didn't know what to expect. I was looking for something to relax me since I had too much stress in my life. So I did the Water series first and was stunned at how well it worked - I sat down on the floor afterwards and didn't move for half an hour. I have also found that when I was really stressed, the first part of the Water series was hard to do, but by the second half the relaxation had set in and I was feeling much better. I found that doing this several times a week after work was an excellent way to calm me down, although it didn't seem to do much else physically since it was so gentle. The Fire series on the other hand is much more intense and definitely more energising (as it is meant to be). While I would still feel calm, it was in a different way to the way I felt after the Water series, such that I was more focussed and ready to get on with things that needed to be done. The only problem though was that the Fire series really worked the legs and I found that I would be really sore for a couple of days afterwards, which of course meant it was good for strengthening the legs. I highly recommend this to anyone curious about Qi Gong, particularly if they are using it as a means to destress. The instruction is clear both visually and verbally, the background scenery is pleasant and calming, and the music is very complementary. There are also some really great shorts/demonstrations by Matthew Cohen that are fascinating and beautiful to watch.

Very inspirational dvd and instruction. The instructor takes you through with meaning and he shows his own depth of feeling and commitment to the exercise. He’s genuine about it. Not intimidating at all. Very approachable.I like the female as well in this, for balance and to see how a different person does it, and to show that it’s for everyone.The background scenery is also inspirational.A negative point is the weird camera angles. Sometimes you can’t see how to position yourself because they’ve zoomed in and you have to wait until they zoom back out before you can try. Also, it’s very strange to have the camera slowly going up and down their bodies!The lighting and camera work needed to be more natural.The instruction itself is very inspirational and not shallow. I really like this one.

Brilliant Qi Gong dvd.The water practice is my favorite Qi Gong practice I have found anywhere massively relaxing and beneficial. The Fire is challenging but equally worth doing regularly if your legs are up to it. It really makes you feel fantastic and the water practice is brilliant after a stressful day. The fire practice is great in the morning to get you going.I actually follow the move for life practice QI Gong dvd by Angus Clark in the mornings then do the water practice from this dvd before bed to truly wind down. This dvd will really help you if like me you spend hours in front of the computer, I am a Spanish guitarist and have found this also helps to loosen me off after a two hour gig.Excellent if you are interested in Qi Gong buy this dvd!!

First of all a Big thank you to all the reviewers regarding the dvd,it is rare to get a DVD that actually works if you follow the exercise routines.I am in the early stages of getting off my back side again to get fit again after losing direction and am now enjoying the basic exercises that we have to follow in Matthews dvd.Matthews female assistant is also interesting to watch because she is slimmer and more toned than the muscular Matthew is and in saying so you can see the difference in how they both move in doing the exercises so do not be put off by being perfect either, it will take time to get the stances correct and anyone of any age can do these exercises.I Personally would like to learn live now after a month of learning the moves, i think it would be a fantastic way to really get myself very fit, already my weight and diet have changed because of the natural detox that is happening from doing the exercises.The energy has increased in my body also just like my relaxed attitude towards many things and things will change for the positive in the near future for me i know.Health is Wealth as we all really know and watching tv for hours on end as we all know is wasting our daily enjoyment of the real things in life like, nature the Sunshine on our skin and the fresh air etc... we need to become present again now and by being Present and awake rather than unconscious and Lacking awareness of our real reality the health benefits will really wake up the Mind Body Soul.Remember this also. You do not have a Soul....YOU ARE A SOUL.The Chinese and Japanese use these styles of exercises and many more to keep fit for life thats why they do not have major problems with their health service like we do over here in the UK.Best wishes to everyone and a Big thanks to Matthew Cohen :O)

This is an easy DVD to follow. My daughter bought me a book on the subject for my birthday and I was looking for something to help me practice at home. I did read some of the other reviews and although others remarked on the quality of the filming at some stages I found that although there were some lighting issues at times they did not interfere with the sessions. for the price this is a good buy and especially for a beginner really easy to follow. For a beginner the fact that each posture is a separate entity is great as there is plenty of time to copy and follow, Once I get better it may be a little irritating but not enough for it to interfere with the flow of practice.

Extremely sensitive Qi gong teacher far slower and more rhythmical than Lee Holden that's not a criticism , his approach is moremeditative in style and he doesn't pack in so much in his sessions.Again for a beginner its nice to try out the different teachers and appreciate the different emphasis they bring..