Category Archives: shaolin monk

Ten Tips From A Shaolin Monk On How To Stay Young Forever

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Most people realise health is the most important thing but how many people live by this belief? We usually make the excuse of having no time like a friend of mine who called to say he was unwell. I asked him to come and visit me so I could teach him Qigong, he told me he didn’t have time, I said to him, but when you are sick you will have time to go to hospital because you have no choice. The next day he came and studied with me for seven days.

We need to start today. In order to help us stay on the path to health I have translated an extract from one of the Shaolin Classics. Written by a monk who was a great martial artist and scholar, here he gives advice to lay people as to how to stay young and healthy.

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Ten Tips From A Shaolin Monk On How To Stay Young 

1) Don’t think too much. Thinking takes energy. Thinking can make you look old.

2)  Don’t talk too much. Most people either talk or do. Better to do.

3) When you work, work for 40 minutes then stop for 10 minutes. When you look at something all the time, it can damage your eyes and also your internal organs and peace.

4) When you are happy, you need to control your happiness, if you lose control then you damage your lung energy.

5) Don’t worry too much or get angry because this damages your liver and your intestines.

6) When you eat food don’t eat too much, always make sure you are not quite full as this can damage your spleen. When you feel a bit hungry then eat a little.

7) When you do things, take your time, don’t hurry too much. Remember the saying “Hasten slowly you will soon arrive”

8)If you only do physical exercise all the time and you never do Qigong this makes you lose your balance and you will become impatient. You lose the Yin of your body. Exercise balances the Yin and the Yang.

9)If you never exercise, just peace, meditation, soft training, Qigong, then this doesn’t give you Yang energy so you use up your Yang energy.

10) Shaolin Gong Fu gives you everything. The purpose of our training is to balance our Yin and Yang.  How many hours is not important. It’s down to knowing what your body needs.

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Your Pathway To Zen

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There’s an ancient Buddhist story about a wrestler who wore a precious jewel in his hair. During a match, he received a blow to his head. Without him realizing it, the jewel dropped into his wound. When the wound healed, the jewel was covered by a scar. Every day the wrestler looked for his jewel, never realizing that it was inside him all the time.

This is the same for all of us. Peace and enlightenment are not and never have been outside our mind. All we have to do to access this great peace is come back to our natural state of being.

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Just as the wrestler lost his jewel through acts of violence. We lose connection with our natural peaceful state when we give into anger, aggression and other emotions that don’t increase our or other people’s happiness.

Modern life puts a strong focus on looking outwards at some future time when things will be better. What we want – whether that’s peace or a better life – is always out there and one step away. But what this teaching instructs is: we already are what we want to become. It’s already within us. If we look beneath our hurts, disappointments and wounds, we can rediscover our jewel.

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Whenever I feel disconnected from myself or my mind is turbulent I practice Qigong or Rou Quan and it doesn’t take long before my mind goes back to its natural state of peace.

Daily practice of Qigong changes the neural pathways in our brain. The founder of Zen, Bodhidharma gave us a roadmap that shows us clearly how to use Shaolin Qigong and Kung Fu as a pathway to Zen. This spacious peaceful state of mind is not only reserved for Shaolin monks but for everyone, those of any religion and those of none.

Habit energy drags us down. So set yourself small reminders that you’re on the path of the Urban Shaolin Warrior. This can be uplifting pictures and quotes from people that inspire you or – like the Shaolin Monks do – wear a Jade amulet or mala so the reminder is with you all the time. And practice Shaolin at least four times a week, even if it’s just 5 minutes a day, this is much more beneficial than a long once a week practice. And don’t forget to share how you get on in the comments below or by tweeting me.

Instant Health: The Shaolin Qigong Workout is available as a book worldwide & in the USA & Canada an ebook on apple & amazon.

Shifu Yan Lei teaches Qigong as a DVD and download and Kung Fu as a DVD and download. 

Rou Quan is available as a DVD ( bottom of the page)

Jade wrist malas and amulets come from Shifu’s province in China.

The Science Of Stretching: 7 Tips To Maximize Your Flexibility

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Shaolin Stretching

There’s a belief in the West that the only way to flexibility is through static stretching but latest research shows that the way Shaolin Monks warm up and stretch is the way to get maximum performance from your workout.

“Dynamic stretching may be the most important element of a warm up… it involves moving and waking the tissues that will be called upon during the subsequent exercise.” The First Twenty Minutes.

At the Shaolin Temple we do two types of stretching: static and dynamic. The Shaolin dynamic stretching we do is the Five Fundamental Kicks, and the Five Fundamental Stances. These movements open the hips and warm up the leg muscles. We’ve stretched and warmed up our muscles this way for thousands of years.

Want to gain the flexibility of a Shaolin Monk? Follow these simple steps below.

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 7 Steps To Maximize Your Flexibility

1. Stretch am and pm

My early morning sessions at the Shaolin Temple always began with a mountain run then we would take time to stretch our muscles before beginning our kung fu training session. Stretching in the morning is harder than in the evening but it’s one of the best ways to increase flexibility.

2.  Always stretch after your workout 

Your joints and muscles are warm, which means you can go further with your stretch. It also helps to decrease the build up of lactic acid in your muscles. Not stretching after a workout leads to stiff muscles.

3. Do the Five Fundamental Shaolin Kicks

These kicks increase flexibility to not only the legs but crucially the hips. Start off in a relaxed and loose way, kicking from the hip rather than from the leg. Stretch in between the kicks to loosen the leg and kick again. When you move into the splits you’ll be surprised how much further you can go.

 4. Do The Five Fundamental Shaolin Stances

These stances open the hips, stretch out the legs including the calf muscles, and make the whole body move as one. They are an excellent way to increase strength in the muscles while stretching them at the same time.

5. Find creative ways to include stretching in your day-to-day life

If you like to watch TV then find a way to stretch while you watch TV. On the escalator, place your left heel a little off the step and stretch out your calf muscle.

6. Alternate your stretching

Our bodies quickly adapt so alternate your stretching and consistently challenge your body.

7.  Focus on Optimal Flexibility for you

We all need to have a certain amount of flexibility but remember we are all different. It’s crucial that you never push yourself too hard and you work with your own body. If you want to get your head on your knees, don’t strain to get there or bend your legs in the process. Remember there never should be any pain when you stretch only patience.

I teach warm up, stretching, The Five Fundamental Kicks and The Five Fundamental Stances in my DVD, Shaolin Workout Volume 1

I teach warm up, stretching, and The Five Fundamental Stances in my book, Instant Health: The Shaolin Qigong Workout For Longevity