For many self-publishing authors, the publication of a book is a natural extension of another, equally satisfying career. For these authors, writing a book is not a job; it’s a passion, a calling. But it’s a calling that only the most dedicated writers are able to see through to publication.
The featured writer in this week’s Self-Publishing Author Spotlight is a prime example. Tom Bisio made a career in the study and practice of martial arts and Chinese medicine, and over the years he’s written several book — including four books in the popular Ba Gua Nei Gong series — on topics within these disciplines. Read on to learn more about Tom’s personal journey and literary works.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tom Bisio is known internationally as a martial artist and practitioner of Chinese medicine. He has studied Chinese medicine and martial arts extensively in mainland China and is a licensed practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine heading a busy clinic specializing in trauma, Chinese sports medicine and orthopedic conditions. Tom is the author of several books on Ba Gua Zhang, Nei Jia Quan, and Chinese medicine and is the founder of New York Internal Arts and Internal Arts International (internalartsinternational.com).
Ba Gua Circle Walking Nei Gong
In Ba Gua Circle Walking Nei Gong: The Meridian Opening Palms of Ba Gua Zhang, author Tom Bisio details the practice method and theory of this powerful system of internal exercise. The postures, alignments and practice methods are clearly explained and correlated with practical discussions of meridian pathways and pathologies from the perspective of internal Nei Gong practice. These discussions are accompanied by extensive illustrations, including drawings rendered from photographs of famous Ba Gua masters holding the Nei Gong postures. Also included are medical applications of Ba Gua Circle Walking Nei Gong and an introduction to the rarely taught Ba Gua Energy Accepting Palm, in which vital force (qi) is absorbed from the natural environment.
Product details…
Paperback
Format: 7 x 10 paperback, 263 pages
Publisher: Outskirts Press (Jul 31, 2012)
ISBN10: 1432796895
ISBN13: 9781432796891
Genre: BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Healing / Energy (Chi Kung, Reiki, Polarity)
Strategy and Change: An Examination of Military Strategy, the I-Ching and Ba Gua Zhang
Strategy and Change is an engaging meditation on the application of strategy to all facets of human interaction. Of equal interest to the business person, military theorist, martial artist or anyone negotiating the uncertainties of the changing world.
How do you achieve success and prevail in a chaotic world? Chinese strategists have grappled with this fundamental question for centuries. Chinese thought advocates understanding the natural order of the world in order to harmonize and flow with it. One of the key ideas that permeates both The Art of War and the I Ching and even the martial arts is that success is achieved by blending with and adapting to the constant change manifesting around us. By aligning oneself with the changing circumstances, opportunity and success unfold naturally.
Strategy and Change looks at these ideas by examining military strategy and its connection with the I Ching (the Classic of Change) and the internal martial art Ba Gua Zhang (Eight Diagram Palm).
Strategy and Change includes discussions of:
* The Eight Intentions/Dispositions – a unique, flexible and organic system of strategic thinking used for centuries.
* Examples of successful strategies from history’s great commanders including Alexander, Napoleon, Shaka Zulu, Hannibal, Belisarius, Sun Tzu and Mao Tze Tung.
* I Ching theory and its relevance to Military Strategy and martial arts.
* An analysis of The 36 Stratagems, a Chinese primer of strategy.
* Advice from the renowned Chinese strategist Zhuge Liang, whose insights into strategy and leadership are widely studied by Asian businessmen today.
Product details…
Paperback
Format: 6.14 x 9.21 paperback, 329 pages
Publisher: Outskirts Press (Jan 15, 2010)
ISBN10: 1432750550
ISBN13: 9781432750558
Genre: PHILOSOPHY / Aesthetics
Decoding the Dao: Nine Lessons in Daoist Meditation
At its heart, Daoist meditation is a simple and practical method of establishing unity between our internal environment and the external world so that we can engage with life in a clear and present way.
In Decoding the Dao: Nine Lessons in Daoist Meditation, author Tom Bisio introduces the reader to the poetry and pragmatism of Daoist meditation and the practice of Internal Alchemy. The first half this unique book consists of nine progressive lessons that guide the reader step by step through the practice of Daoist meditation, ending with an introduction to Daoist Internal Alchemy.
The nine lessons teach the reader how to observe and transform their own internal landscape, in order to rejuvenate and replenish the body’s innate energies, thereby promoting health and nourishing life and spirit. The lessons can be practiced in sequence or individually, providing the reader with a veritable toolbox of meditative practices that can be used flexibly to address different situations and circumstances. Each lesson contains both practice exercises and discussions of relevant topics to flesh out the reasoning behind the various methods of meditation and help the reader more deeply understand the principles and theories that underlie the practice.
Beyond the nine lessons, additional chapters introduce advanced practices like the Greater Heavenly Orbit Meditation and other traditional Daoist methods of promoting health and longevity. This is followed by an unique discussion of Daoist symbolism and imagery and its relationship to meditation and internal alchemy. Daoist symbols and images act as a kind of code that, when decoded and understood, aid the meditator, giving him or her an alternative and imagery-rich language which bypasses habitual mental constructs and perceptual habits, facilitating the perception of subtle movements and changes within the body. Decoding the Dao: Nine Lessons in Daoist Meditation “cracks the code,” enabling the reader to fully engage with this ancient and powerful tradition of transformation and transcendence.
Product details…
Paperback
Format: 7 x 10 paperback, 444 pages
Publisher: Outskirts Press (Jul 31, 2013)
ISBN10: 1478703946
ISBN13: 9781478703945
Genre: BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Meditation
The Ba Gua Nei Gong Series:
Vol. 1: Yin Yang Patting & Dao Yin Exercises
Vol. 2: Qi Cultivation Exercises & Standing Meditation
Vol. 3: Twelve Posture Standing
Vol. 4: Foundational Body Training
Vol. 5: Tian Gan Heavenly Stem Nei Gong
Vol. 6: Marrow Washing Nei Gong
Product details…
Paperback
Format: 7 x 10 paperback
Publisher: Outskirts Press (Mar 13, 2014)
Genre: BODY, MIND & SPIRIT / Healing / Energy (Chi Kung, Reiki, Polarity)
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