Press Reviews
Master Zhongxian Wu, lifelong Daoist practitioner and author of 11 books on Chinese wisdom traditions
In the Daoist tradition, cultivation practices centered around the Eight Extraordinary Meridians provide one of the pathways toward enlightenment or immortality. The ancestral founder master of QuanZhenNanZong (the Southern Complete Reality School), Zhang Ziyang, stated that those who are able to open the eight extraordinary meridians will obtain the Dao. I recommend David Twicken's Eight Extraordinary Channels to Chinese medicine and Qigong practitioners interested in working with the physical and spiritual layers through these extraordinary meridians.
Livia Kohn, PhD, Professor Emerita of Religion and East Asian Studies, Boston University
Eight Extraordinary Channels is an insightful and eminently practical presentation of the core meridians in the human body that hold most of life's potential. It covers the eight channels in theory, clinical application, and Daoist self-cultivation. Clear and systematic, the book is a potent resource for anyone involved in Chinese medicine.
Michael Winn, founder www.HealingTaoUSA.com and co-writer with Mantak Chia of seven books on Neidan Gong
Twicken illuminates the missing link between Chinese medicine and Taoist spiritual practice, making it essential reading for both healers and adepts. His book is far superior to existing Eight Extra Vessel literature with its wealth of historical detail and rare clinical protocols that penetrate deep ancestral and constitutional issues. In my 35 years' experience, any healer who opens their Eight Extra Channels will quickly improve their clinical success rate. More important, they will open wide the "Eight Big Rivers" of pre-natal Jing. Also known as "Eight Psychic Channels", in Taoist internal alchemy they are linked together to open the Microcosmic Orbit - the key to whole body enlightenment and long life.
William Morris, PhD, author of Li Shi Zhen Pulse Studies: An Illustrated Guide
Close to turning of the Dao, the Eight Extraordinary Channels correlate to eight directions of space. David Twicken's clear introduction to these channels and their Nei Dan applications allows the reader a direct alchemical and meditative experience. Such a view is essential to best practices in Qigong, herbs and acupuncture. A great contribution!
Rosemary Lillie, Proprietor
Journal of Acupuncture Association of Chartered PhysiotherapistsThe eight extraordinary meridians are a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) concept... Eight Extraordinary Meridians - Qi Jing Ba Mai: A Handbook for Clinical Practice and Nei Dan Inner Meditation covers the history of over 1000 years of Chinese medicine, and looks at the channel system, the three-layer theory, the concept of three ancestries an the interaction between these hypotheses... @the author discusses each of the eight extraordinary vessels in depth. Individual chapters are devoted to each of the channels, and these include full descriptions of the pathways and the conditions that these could be used to treat. Crucially, he explains treatment methods and strategies, and provides eight case studies as examples... Eight Extraordinary Meridians takes a complex aspect of Chinese medicine, and gives a clear and structured explanation of how it can be used in practice... this is a very interesting book and a good introduction to Nei Dan meditation, as well as a clear and in-depth study of the eight extraordinary vessels.