Sáu Kyùhn 收拳 Withdraw the Fist Part 5 From last time, we can see that the fingers are very important for our health. If we injure a finger it is very inconvenient and it can mean we cannot use our hand, and if the pain is too much, we may not even be able to sleep, so we should not just think that it only a finger. However, if our fingers are in good condition, flexible, strong, colourful, full of blood, nails shinny and skin soft, then it means we are healthy. If our fingers are strong, then we can use them for self-defence, grabbing, and holding things tightly to keep our balance. If ou ..read more

Jīng Qì Shén 精氣神 and Hún Pò 魂魄 Part 1 A student asked, what is the difference between Jīng Qì Shén 精氣神 and Hún Pò 魂魄? This is a good question and was one I had never thought about, as in Qìgōng 氣功 and Kūng Fū 功夫 we only ever talk about Jīng Qì Shén less talk about Hún Pò, in general terms, is like what in the west people think is the soul, but it is not the same. In Chinese we say Hún Pò is like the soul, but when we study it in depth, we see that it is not the soul, it is more like our mind, our abilities, our nature and even includes our immune system. So, Hún Pò is more complicated. I ..read more

Chén Zhào Xù 陳照旭 Part 3 Chén Zhào Xù’s 陳照旭 Nèi Gōng 內功 – Internal Strength was so powerful with what looked like just a flick of his arm made his friend flip upwards, with his legs pointing up and his head pointing down to the floor! He flew up so high his legs even crashed into the beams on the ceiling! The room was full of people, and they all saw the friend try and grab Chén Zhào Xù, then fly upwards. They did not see what Chén Zhào Xù did to make that happen, it was too fast.  Before the friend’s head hit the floor, Chén Zhào Xù grabbed hold of his body and lowered him to the gro ..read more

The sixth part of this series of seminars on Hard Qigong began with a revision of the breathing methods used when practicing the different exercises. Grandmaster Tse demonstrated each type of breathing. The students tried the breathing types for themselves and were then put into break-out rooms to have the seniors watch and listen to them and give them advice and answer any questions they might have about the breathing. What I personally find most interesting about the breathing is the fact that air is sucked into the lungs through the mouth, which is the opposite of the breathing in all th ..read more

Sáu Kyùhn 收拳 Withdraw the Fist Part 4 The ending, where we close thumb is very important, we must do it quickly and with Faat Gihng 發勁 – Release Power. First, we must withdraw the fingers one by one, and this will make the fingers strong and also the fist, it is good for the Pek 劈 – Chop and the Laap Sáu 擸手 – Grasping Hand. Healthwise, it is good to have strong fingers because in Chinese Medicine, each finger relates to the internal organs, the little finger relates to the kidneys, the ring finger to the lungs, the middle finger to the heart, the index finger to the liver and the thumb to ..read more

Daoist Lǚ Dòng Bīn 呂洞賓 Part 16 “The last one,” Zhōng Lí Quán 鐘離權 continued, “is Tiān Xiān 天仙 – Heaven Immortal. They live in Heaven, but they can go anywhere, from Heaven, Earth and Hell. They have a high level and can also do anything, but they still must follow the natural law, good deeds bring good results and bad deeds bring bad results. No one can bypass this law. So, to be a Shén Xiān 神仙, you need to be a good person. You must let go of fame, money, relationships and all of attachments. If you can let go, then you can keep training the spirit and if you follow what I teach you, you ..read more

Chén Zhào Xù 陳照旭 Part 2 Chén Zhào Xù 陳照旭 felt his arm breaking suddenly grabbed and controlled from behind. Chén Zhào Xù had been studying with his father Chén Fā Kē 陳發科 since he was six years old and now, he was in his 40’s, so he had over 30 years of training with the highest-level teacher – his Chén Fā Kē. In the past Chinese martial arts were only passed down within the family and so they inherited all the best skills and training.  So, after 30 years of training, Chén Zhào Xù felt his arm being grabbed and twisted behind him, but before his arm could be locked behind him, he imm ..read more

Sigong allowed us to try and work it out for ourselves in pairs, which was fun as they have such fascinating names, for example: “Iron Buffalo Ploughs the Field Spear”.  Sigong then brought the group back together to ensure everyone understood correctly.  This led us to a deeper understanding of the origin and purpose of the names.    We then moved on to practise and polish the movements learned in the previous seminars, with opportunities to ask questions and correct our movements.  I always find this very helpful as a refresher and reminder of the shape and d ..read more

Sáu Kyùhn 收拳 Withdraw the Fist Part 3 Generally, the inside hands are good for attacking and the outside hands are good for defending, however, if you level is hight, then you can attack with either the inside or outside hands and defend with the inside or outside hands. No matter whether we are attacking or defending, we need to have good wrists, so exercising the wrist is a healthy thing. The next movement comes when we cannot rotate the wrist anymore. As long as we have not moved the wrist from the same spot and kept the arm straight, the fingers of the hand should face outwards. Norma ..read more

Daoist Lǚ Dòng Bīn 呂洞賓 Part 15 Zhōng Lí Quán 鐘離權 continued his explanation of Shén Xiān 神仙 – Immortal Level, “The second level is Rén Xiān 人仙 – Human Xiān (Immortal). This is a person who has been training for a long time, over more than one lifetime, even many lifetimes, and has developed magical powers. If you come across such as person, then you will see they have magical powers, but they are still human.” “The third level is De Xiān 地仙 – Earth Xiān (Immortal). A De Xiān stays in one location. They are like a guard who is guarding a place. They are usually found in temples, house, or i ..read more