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Fit Is Not Healthy: A Shaolin Monk’s Guide To Exceptional Wellness

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In the age of social media, many people train for a body they perceive looks attractive to other people. When I was training at the Shaolin Temple, we didn’t even have a camera. Nothing was documented. We trained to conquer our mind and body and become the best we could in our chosen art form.

Since coming to the West, I’ve noticed that many fit people aren’t healthy. And many people whose body looks good on the outside, aren’t well on the inside. When a student first comes to train with me, I ask them to throw away the scales, the smartphone,  the mirror and train for the pure motivation of inner and outer wellness. What matters most? Health or looking good?

Gym Training has its merits but it doesn’t address the whole body. One of the keys to successful training is balancing the Yin and Yang. This means training internally as well as externally.  From a Shaolin Monk’s perspective, a well and healthy body is flexible, has good stamina, a strength and leanness to the muscles, and a mind and body that works in harmony.

A weight trainer’s body is muscular but tends to be stiff. A weight lifter will usually be unable to do the splits. Their range of movement will be limited and slow. A yoga student will be flexible but ask them to do the Five Fundamental Kicks and there will be no stamina or explosive power to their kick.

Why are splits important or being able to kick?  Even if you can’t do the splits, it’s good to attempt them because it opens up the hips and the legs. The Five Fundamental Kicks are a dynamic stretch.  Combining dynamic stretching with static stretching is the best way to increase stamina. Combining explosive movement with slower movement and anerobic training with aerobic training gives an alertness to the body. It’s highly tuned.

The Yin Training a Shaolin Monk does is Qigong. (I’ve written many articles about Qigong so I won’t go into details in this article.) A cook always sharpens their knife. Qigong is the sharpening of the knife.

A Shaolin Monk trains all the time. When we punch, we do punch meditation, when we kick, we do kick meditation, when we eat we do eating meditation.  Eating mindfully has been found to help with digestion and even weight loss. Mindfulness has become very popular recently because it’s been shown to prevent anxiety and depression. There’s nothing complicated about it. We simply connect our mind, body and heart into a whole and then we feel whole. We are no longer distracted and looking for something to complete us. We are already complete.

But how can you implement a Shaolin Monk’s wellness into your life? As you continue in your week, stay connected – not to what’s happening on your smart phone – but to what’s happening in your heart, mind and body. Be aware of any distraction. This is all energy going outward. When our mind and body are stable, energy naturally returns.

If you’re not a martial artist then incorporate some kung fu movements and Qigong movements from the Kung Fu Workout For Beginners  and Qigong Workout For Beginners into your workout.

If you like this article please share it and let me know how you get on in the comments below. #shaolinmonkwellness

Photos by Sasha Gusov

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

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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.

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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.

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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

A Complete Guide To Shaolin Qigong

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yellow-mt2-00182If I were only allowed to do one exercise to improve the health of my mind and body I would choose Shaolin Qigong. When I was younger my focus was on Iron Shirt Qigong, partly because it was useful in a combat situation, partly because I wanted to push my limits, and partly because – although I probably shouldn’t admit this – I wasn’t so sure there was a thing called Qi. DSC_0002 When I came to the UK, a scientist from Nottingham University investigated my Iron Shirt Qigong. He usually tests the impact of car accidents on crash test dummies. He was surprised by what my body was doing when a brick was hitting it. He confirmed in scientific terms what my master had taught me. When we practice Iron Shirt Qigong, our Qi acts like a mirror, bouncing our opponent’s power back at us. Of course most of us are not fighters and we don’t find ourselves in combat situations so instead of using our Qi to protect ourselves from a brick, we can use Qigong to protect ourselves against ageing and ill health.

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How many of us think about our liver or kidney or heart? It’s only when we get older and we have problems that we realize how important they are. A strong and healthy body can only be strong from the inside out. Qigong is the only exercise I know which oxygenates our internal organs, refreshing the supply of blood, removing internal blockages and turning back the clock. There are many types of Shaolin Qigong. By the request of many of my students here’s a quick overview of the Qigong’s you can learn. Shaolin Qigong Forms 8 Treasures Qigong – Instant Health: The Shaolin Qigong Workout & The Way Of Qigong Volume 1 QigongWhen the Bodhidharma came to the Shaolin Temple, he found the monks were weak from sitting in meditation all day so he devised a series of Qigong exercises to energize their brains, prolong their life and help them gain enlightenment. A monk chose eight of the most powerful movements and put them in this Qigong form. It’s easy to learn and can be very simply broken down. If you only learn one Qigong, learn this one! TRY THIS: Do one of the movements before you go to work. It will create not just Instant Health but Instant Calm. Your day will run smoothly. The Way Of Qigong Volume 2 Qigong 2 This powerful sitting Qigong cleanses toxins from the body and purifies the brain and nervous system. If you are a serious Shaolin Qigong student you need to learn this after you’ve mastered 8 Treasures. Broken down into a few movements it’s great for people who are not fully mobile (it can be done from a chair) jet lag, insomnia, pregnant women (though don’t do the reverse breathing, stick to abdominal breathing). TRY THIS: Follow the DVD for 10 minutes before you go to sleep. Don’t do any longer than 10 minutes or it may energize you too much. The Way Of Qigong Volume 3 This cleanses the muscles, bones and tendons. It builds exceptional inner strength and focus. Shaolin Students progress to this form once they’ve learned Qigong 2. You will notice a vast difference in your martial art’s practice once you start to practice this form. TRY THIS: Do two sections before your kung fu workout and the rest of the form after and monitor how your kung fu workout was more powerful as a result. yellow mt3-00085Qigong For Upper & Lower Body If you are under the age of 25, you may find Qigong boring so I suggest you practice this Qigong. It combines both internal and external training. It gives your muscles a lean and defined look. One student told me that he’d never sweated as much from standing still as when he followed these DVDs. It’s also good for older people as it strengthens their tendons and bones from the inside out (though they won’t be able to do the whole DVD, just a small section of it). This combination of DVDs is incredibly challenging. TRY THIS: Do Qigong for upper body one day and Qigong for lower body the next. Don’t expect to do the whole DVD in one go. Remember it’s quality that counts, not quantity. When we are frightened, it’s our body that reacts first  then our mind takes its cue from our body. Whichever form you decide is for you, Qigong will have a deeply relaxing effect on your body. It unlocks the peace, strength, energy and focus that is already within you. It optimizes your mind and body so it’s always running at its peaceful peak. Sign up to Shifu’s newsletter and receive your free motivational tips. You can find Shifu’s DVDs, downloads and books at shifuyanlei.com

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.

Shaolin Kick

 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

Fix Stress With Qigong

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Qigong Exercise

Stress is a natural part of our life. The way we react to stress plays a major role in the health of our mind and body. Seventy-five percent of all doctor’s office visits in the USA are for stress-related ailments and complaints. If we don’t return our mind and body to its natural relaxed state then stress can lead to ill health or anxiety and depression. Stress is very easily fixed with the practice of simple Qigong movements.

Last month, a business man came to me who worked 50 hours a week. The doctor told him that if he continued to live like this, he would probably have only ten more healthy years to go, he is forty-five years old. Through training twice a week with me and working with my Qigong Workout DVD at home, he’s now got his mind and body back and the all clear from his doctor. It’s really simple to take control and fix stress.

Your 7 Step Fix Stress With Qigong Plan

1) STOP ( even just for five minutes). When we are “stressed-out”, it’s very difficult to stop but this is what we must do. It’s amazing what a five minute Qigong Timeout can do.

2) HAVE FAITH. Doubt reduces our energy. Qigong induces a meditative state. Neuroscientists have found that these ancient practices “can increase our well-being and quality of life.”

3) JUST DO IT. Find a place the size of a yoga mat and do Qigong. Start by following my video below.

4) LET GO. Whatever comes up, thoughts, plans, worries, gently let them go.

5) COMMIT TO FIVE MINUTES AM & PM. You’re stressed and you’re busy so commit to just five minutes in the morning and five minutes before you go to bed.

6) KEEP IT SIMPLE. All you have to do is follow your breath and movement. It’s that simple. Don’t complicate it with anything else.

7) CONGRATULATE YOURSELF. You’re now on the path of the Shaolin Warrior. You’re increasing your wellbeing and your sense of clarity and flow. You’re taking control of your life.

 “The Shaolin Zen Masters never underestimated our potential for peace, happiness, and enlightenment. They gave us the keys, all we need to do is put the action in.”

Click HERE to find out how my Qigong Workout helped a stressed out mum

Click HERE for more information on Instant Health: The Qigong Workout For Longevity.