From cover

Ki--a word meaning spirit or vital energy--is a familiar, if vague concept to anyone interested in Oriental philosophy or medicine, the martial arts, and Japanese culture. It is very difficult for people outside of these disciplines to find reliable information on Ki. This book defines Ki in plain English, and shows how to demonstrate and develop Ki as a practical force in everday living. Part I gives the reader a practical grasp of the fundamentals of Ki development, throkugh exercise, meditation and breathing methkods. Part II illustrates in detail how Ki is developed in the training and practice of the traditional Japanese arts: brush calligraphy, the martial art of Aikido, Kiatsu massage therapy, the strategic game of Go, Noh drama, and the tea ceremony. Part III presents a Ki perspective on aspects of daily life highliy relevant to modern readers: self-defense and personal safety, using Ki to overcome personal limitatons and increase professional effectiveness.

Providing a practical and simple interpretation of Ki, this book will reward anyone searching for a more integrated mind, body, and spirit, and a clearer sense of purpose. Based on the author's years of studying Ki in Japan, the book also contains material of interest to those who already have some amateur or professional knowledge of Ki; as well as information on where and how to study Ki and related arts in Japan, the United States, and Europe.

William Reed graduated from Earlham College in Indiana in 1974, after spending a year studying at Waseda University in Tokyo, and earned a Masters Degree in Education at the University of Missouri in 1977. He began his study of Aikido with Master Koichi Tohei in Japan in 1972. In 1979 he opened his own Aikido school in St. Louis, Missouri and returned to Japan in early 1983. At the Ki Society Headquarters in Tokyo, he graduated from the Aikido Instructors Schkool in 1986, and from the Katsu Therapists School in 1988. He presently has the rank of fourth degree black belt, and teaches at the Ki Society Headquarters, as well as at his school.

He is fluent in both speaking and reading Japanese, and is now involved in applying Ki principles to the workplace, through seminars and writing, out of the Reed Research Institute in Tokyo. His other interest include Calligraphy, on which he has recently written a second book entitled, Shodo: The Art of Coordinating Mind, Body and Brush (Japan Publicaitons, Inc., 1989).

First printed in 1986

Contents

Foreward, Preface, Acknowledgments, Guide to pronouncing Japanese Words
Part I: How to Develop Ki
1. Mind and Body Unity; 2. Ki Development; 3. Ki Meditation; 4. Ki Breathing
Part II: Ki Development in the Japanese Arts
5. Shodo: Brush Calligraphy; 6. Aikido: The Way to Union with Ki; 7. Kiatsu: Ki and Massage Therapy; 8. The Strategic Game of Go; 9. The Noh Drama; 10, The Tea Ceremony
Part III: Thriving in the World of Change
11. Presence of Mind; 12. Expanding Your Mental Horizons; 13. Increasing Personal and Professional Effectiveness
Bibliography and Sources of Further Information
Index