When I was a boy at the Shaolin Temple, I noticed that the monks trained all the time. While having a conversation with their fellow students, they would be stretching their legs against a wall. While reading a book they would squat.
When I first came to London, I was surprised that in such a modern city, none of the underground stations had escalators because my kung fu brother always took the stairs. It was only when I started travelling by myself that I discovered the escalators.
Although the Shaolin Temple is a Zen Temple and our main training is done with our heart fully present, some of the benefits of training can still be applied when we are doing other things.
While binge watching Netflix, here’s 4 things you can do to get the health benefits of a Shaolin Monk:
- Stretch - In order to get maximum flexibility - for example if you’re working towards the splits and haven’t quite made it yet - stretching a few times a day is beneficial. Use a few of the stretching movements from my Stretching Program while watching your favourite programme.
- Squat - Our hips get tight due to sitting all day. Squatting helps to open the hips. The hips are an important and often overlooked part of the body for flexibility and longevity.
- Massage - Massage the sides of your neck with my Abode Of Qi Acupressure Neck Massage. If the acupressure points along the side of your neck are tender this is a sign of blocked energy. You'll feel more energised after this simple massage.
- Stances - Stay in one of the 5 Fundamental Stances to increase static stamina and flexibility in the hips. I teach these in my Shaolin Monk 20-day Program.
Let me know how you get on in the comments below!