Shifu Yan Lei - Genuine Shaolin Kung Fu, Qi Gong & Rou Quan

As I’m sure most of you know, the Shaolin Temple is considered the birthplace of martial arts and Ch’an (Zen) Buddhism. This doesn’t mean that in order to practise Shaolin we need to be Buddhists but using certain aspects of Ch’an philosophy can help us to see our world with fresh eyes and enter our training with a beginner’s mind.

One of the Ch’an teachings that we can apply to our martial arts training is Aimlessness. This means: You already are what you want to become. Does a tree have to do something? The purpose of a tree is to be itself, and your purpose is to be yourself.

We have everything. There is no need to put anything in front of us and run after it. So, whatever it is that you believe you want - good health, more energy or to be an exceptional martial artist - you already have.

Bring this energy into your practice and you will find that it will enrich whatever you are doing. Not only your Qigong or Kung Fu practice but also your work and family life. The Ch’an teaching on aimlessness helps us to stop putting our life on hold or waiting for the future when we think we will have more time or be less stressed.

There is no future time there is only now. And now is the most important time we have. Now is the building block for the future. Instead of drifting into the future of “if” and “when”, we focus on the single point of now.

For this month, check yourself and rather than constantly trying to improve yourself train from the perspective that you already are what you want to become. Relax. There is nothing to strive for.

Remind yourself that right now you have all the elements for your health, You simply have to apply the Shaolin techniques you are learning.

Shaolin Martial Arts helps us to reach the potential in ourselves that we only dreamt of before. Using the powerful life energy that exists inside our body we can make ourselves healthy and balanced. If you approach the Shaolin Arts with intelligence and determination, I guarantee you can bring to your life the wholeness, health and inner satisfaction that you seek.

The Seven Principles Of Shaolin Qi Gong - The Mind

Before beginning to practice, it is important to understand the Seven Principles Of Qigong. Without them Qigong becomes nothing more than an outward physical movement. When Qigong is performed correctly these seven principles allow you to enter a world of meditation where you can use your Qi as a medicine, enabling you to balance and heal your body.

This month I share with you the first three principles.

1) No Thinking

Even though each movement works on your internal organs, don’t make your mind busy by focusing on the separate organs or what they are doing. Focus solely on the movement with the breath.

If you are feeling stressed or worried, tell yourself that you will dedicate the next twenty minutes to practicing Qigong.

Worries circle in our minds, and the more we think, the more momentum our worries gain, Qigong is a pair of scissors, which cuts through the thoughts and gives our mind and body a place of stillness.

We know how energised we feel when we come back from holiday; we can get a taste of that every day by giving ourselves a holiday from our thoughts. The more we practice the easier it will become to access this peaceful state of being.

2) Aimlessness

This is a Ch’an Buddhist teaching, which I spoke about in my last newsletter. Aimlessness means: you already are what you want to become. Does a tree have to do something? The purpose of a tree is to be itself, and your purpose is to be yourself.

We have everything we need. There is no need to put anything in front of us and run after it. We don’t have to add anything extra to ourselves. Right now we have all the elements for our health, we just have to apply the Shaolin techniques we are learning.

Bringing this energy into our Qigong practice gives it a wakefulness that it may not have if we think, “there’s something wrong with me,” or “I need to go to a mountain to practice” or “tomorrow I won’t think so much” or “tomorrow I’ll have more time”.