Category Archives: shaolinsummercamp

Don’t Be Afraid To Be The Best You Can Be

bootcamp training, shaolinkungfu, shaolinmartialarts, shaolinqigong, shaolinsummercamp, , , , , , , , , , , , ,

yellow mt1-00017Without moving a muscle, imagine you’re training with me in China. You wake at 6am, hurry into your training clothes and begin your run up the mountain. You still feel sleepy, your muscles are tight from yesterday’s training, and the first bit of the run feels difficult. But soon your body warms up and as you breath in the fresh mountain air; you discover an energy you never had before.

Back at the school, your Five Fundamental Kicks that felt tight yesterday feel flexible, your stances feel grounded, and there’s a flow to your forms. We are what we repeatedly do and this everyday experience of Shaolin enables you to finally tune your body so it’s working at it’s optimum. Just like the strings on a guitar, your body is learning to be neither too tight nor too slack. It takes practice to be this natural.

Now bring yourself back to your computer screen or your smart phone or whatever you’re reading this article on. Just as I had never tasted coffee until I came to the West – and was surprised by its bitter taste – Shaolin cannot be expressed in words. The experience has to come from you.

yellow mt1-00026

If you can’t come to my Summer Camp, you can create your own Shaolin environment through training at your local school or in your home with my DVDs and downloads. Shaolin is about training your heart and your heart can only be found where you are.

Sometimes I get emails from people who say it’s always been their dream to learn Shaolin. They come for a session with me and after the session, I know I will never see them again. For some people, they prefer to hold onto a dream. Reality is too different from their dream. Please don’t be this person. It means you can never reach your true potential. If Shaolin isn’t for you, that’s fine, but if you feel drawn to it then see it through.

It’s similar to the Buddhist parable of the man who loved dragons. Everything in his home had a picture of a dragon on, his bedspread, his toothbrush, his cups, his plates etc but when a real dragon popped his head through the window to say good morning, the man ran away terrified.

Don’t be afraid to be the best you can be. Don’t be afraid to be healthy and strong and fit. Don’t hide behind illness and injury and excuses such as lack of time. Martial Arts creates time because it makes you more focused in your life.

yellow mt1-00048

The beauty of any martial arts is there is no victory or defeat. We all train at our own level. One stance is as challenging for an advanced student as it is for a beginner. Success is making 100 percent effort to perform at the highest level of your ability. Success is being your own champion.

Find out more about Shifu Yan Le’s Shaolin Summer Camp

Find out more about Shifu’s DVDs, books and downloads

Train Like A Shaolin Monk In The Songshang Mountains In China. July – August 2016

kungfusummercamp, shaolin kung fu, shaolin temple, shaolinsummercamp, , , ,

yellow mt2-00210

Please click Shaolin Summer Camp 2016 for the updated details of the Shaolin Summer Camp 2016.

From Friday 31st July 2015  – Friday 28th August 2015 I’ll be teaching a Shaolin Summer Camp in the Songshang Mountains, a few kilometers away from the Shaolin Temple in China. You’ll train like a Shaolin Monk in authentic Shaolin Kung Fu and Qigong, three times a day, 6 days a week. You can train for a minimum of two weeks or the whole month. The focus will be on training hard! This is not a holiday. IMG_4768 Sample Schedule: Most of your training will be done outside. You will start the day with a run up the mountain then come back and do a kung fu session with the emphasis on strength and stamina training, you will then cool down with some Qigong. IMG_4725After you’ve finished training, breakfast will be served. This is usually steamed bread, congee, pickled vegetables and stir fried vegetables. After breakfast you’ll rest and we’ll start our training again mid-morning, with a focus on getting your form and techniques correct. Lunch will be served at 1pm. After lunch it’s advisable to sleep to help your body recover from the hard training. In the afternoon you’ll train for another 3 hours. At 6pm we’ll have dinner. Evenings will be spent reading or doing internal training such as Qigong or meditating. I will teach in English. IMG_4845 Who Is Is Suitable For? Anyone over the age of 18 who has a passion for Shaolin. You MUST be a non-smoker and no alcohol is allowed during your stay. Do I have to be good at Kung Fu and Qigong? Beginner’s are welcome but to get the most out of our stay it’s good to have a basic fitness level and a grounding in kung fu. No matter what level you are, you’ll be training in a non-competitive friendly environment IMG_5097 Weather: It’s usually between 30 – 36 so we train in the early morning before it gets hot, and we train inside when the weather is at it’s hottest. You need to bring lots of training clothes. Terrain: We are based amongst the mountains. You can see one of the areas where you’ll be training in this video. PRICE: £1000 for two weeks. ( about $1520.00 US dollars) £1500  for one month. ( about $2285.00 US Dollars). You can start your training in any of those weeks.

yellow mt2-00216 What You Get: 1) 6 hours of training per day – This is a professional way to build up your internal and external strength. Training will be in Shaolin Kung Fu and Qigong. 2) Accommodation – You will stay in a shared room with one other person. The room has an en-suite bathroom and air conditioning. IMG_47323) Meals – All of your meals will be provided. This will be healthy, hearty, Chinese food, locally grown. Please let us know if you have any special dietary requirements, We will do our best to accommodate. What you need to provide: A valid passport and Chinese visa. Your flight to China and travel to the venue. Travel Insurance Training clothes, running shoes, training shoes, flip flops or sandals, and towels. Pocket money to buy water, and snacks. There will be the option of visiting the Shaolin Temple and the Bodhidharma Cave and you will need to pay the admission fee. IMG_4524 Getting There: The nearest airport to Shaolin Temple is Zhengzhou. The nearest city is Dengfeng. There are regular flights from Beijing to Zhenghou, and it’s possible to book them on the day at the airport. We can arrange pick up and drop off at Zhengzhou airport. The price will be a maximum of £80.00 depending on the number of people. Once you register, we’ll try and put you with other people who are traveling to make the cost as low as possible. Address:  China, Henan Province, Dengfeng City, Leijia Gou, Shaolin Temple International School. The venue is the blue dot on the map. Payment Details: Payment needs to be made by bank transfer. All payments must be made in full by 30th June. We can only accept currency in sterling pound.  Cancellations for All Retreats: If you cancel 4 weeks before your arrival date, we will be happy to refund you but a cancellation fee of £100.00 will be charged plus £100.00 for the application form. If you cancel less than 4 weeks before your arrival date, there is a cancellation fee of 50% of the total contribution of your stay. If you cancel anytime in the week before your arrival date, there is no refund.  IMG_4741Reserve Your Spot:  We are a small group and places are limited so please book early. Email info@shifuyanlei.co.uk. Palmo will send you an application form, and a link to pay a non-refundable deposit of £100.00 which will be off-set from your training fee. She’s happy to answer any queries you may have.