If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You will have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.
Welcome to the Shaolin Wahnam Institute Virtual Kwoon and Discussion Forum.
You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free.
When considering joining our community, please read our Forum Rules and FAQ. Please also note that this forum, although open to the public, is actually a virtual extension of the Shaolin Wahnam Kwoon (Martial Arts School). Upon "entering" the school, we do expect our guests and members to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner at all times.
If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please contact us.
Please follow this link to find out what a Virtual Kwoon is.
Sharing so many secrets even behind closed doors would have been considered incredible in the past. Now Sifu shares many of them openly. But as we know, many will not even see the secrets despite them being placed right in front of their noses. How very lucky we are !
Last edited by Andrew; 8 September 2015, 02:54 PM.
Thank You so much Sigung for all the teachings. It was so many of them, and so profound!
Thank You Sipak Andrew for organizing such amazing event! In such professional way!
Thank You Sifu for giving me this opportunity!
I still have no correct words to describe it. So many emotions, so much energy...
On the first day we went through many techniques and skills in a very short time. Without going deeply in to chi kung state of mind, just doing the exercises. Sigung pointed many times that it is important to not over-train. Lifting The Sky, Lifting Water, Horse Riding Stance, Pushing Mountain, Thirty Punches, Gentle and Forceful Windmill, Mirror Hand... When I think about it now I understand well why we should not go deep into exercises - it will be way to much energy. So many powerful techniques... It is enough to do some Lifting The Sky with Sigung to get a strong chi flow...
It was really enriching to learn directly from the Grandmaster. To have opportunity to learn so many details... After the first day I felt energized but not overwhelmed with energy. I was amazed when I checked my ''Plumber sweeps the fly'' the day after. It was so noisy and strong! It seems like I have got more energy then I realized that day!
The second day was beyond all the expectations. Then all the glory I experienced the very first time during the Summer Camp happened again. Strong river of chi filling up all my body. With one small difference - this time my body was able to take more of it. It was so good. Like to connect a chi-compressor to the body and turn it on. Just pumping and pumping with good energy. I have never experienced so many chi showers in such a short time. Not only during the course, but same day in the evening, day after on the way to the city, on the airport... just out of the blue...
We learned the first part of One Finger Shooting Zen. Thank You Sigung for Your generosity. For me it was a dream come true. I was dreaming to learn it. And to learn it from a Shaolin Grandmaster... it is beyond the words.
Besides One Finger Zen - Three Levels to Ground, General Surveys Field,Taming Tiger, Punching with Dumb-Bells, Separating Water...
To have opportunity to watch Sigung while performing The One Finger Shooting Zen, Art of 30 Punches, Forceful Windmill... Sigungs energy is so impressive. So powerful. It is really eye opening experience. And it was only a taste of it. I just can not imagine how it has to be to see (and feel) Sigung during the Iron Wire...
There is so many things to write about. Every of the exercise was amazing. Every of it can generate a lot of energy. Even without going deep into it...
But the most beautiful moment happened during Abdominal Breathing. I will never forget it. It was so deep and touching. The world disappeared, it was only the energy flowing in and out. So strong... And peaceful. Tears in eyes, this time without shame, with happiness and humility. The touch of Sitaigung...
We got a really nice bonus from Sigung at the end of the course. I have already fixed some planks and think to try it out for a longer period of time. Have to consult my Sifu first So many questions about small but important details... Especially connected to One Finger Shooting Zen.
I am starting to understand the rest of the students - what to choose? There is so many wonderful techniques, I would love to train all of them!!!
After the evening session yesterday - I have to say that the change is just tremendous. Sigung let me jump to another level without me recognizing it. My body was shaking so strongly yesterday, many, many minutes after the Golden Bridge. And the beautiful chi all around. Thank You Sigung one more time, It was one of the best weekends in my life (I can not say the best one because last courses I attended were told during the weekend as well )
I have to correct one thing - writing about getting on a new level was inaccurate.
Its just like to jump on a huge building!!!
Tremendous! The progress in every of the exercises I have learned just over a week ago and the influence on Golden Bridge is just beyond the words!
And my finger started to shake a bit during the One Finger Shooting Zen. Just a bit, hard to notice actually, but it makes me soooooo happy
A funny fact - I enjoyed a company trip this weekend in Lofoten, north Norway. It was a male trip and as all of you probably know plumbers are kinda simple people. Its maybe not the smartest thing to do but usually on the company trips(once a year) I drink alcohol with the rest of the guys. This year it was no hangover for me whatsoever! And trust me, Norwegian plumbers know how to drink
We had a lovely time with many activities in between, among others climbing on a mountain. About two hours climbing upward, and then all the way down. Everyone just exhausted, but for me - I did not feel any pain at all. And I am not used to long difficult tours (especially after 2 days with drinking). Just fresh and happy! 12006385_700035006765318_6576179762111741975_n.jpg secondone.jpg
Last edited by Karol; 15 September 2015, 03:58 AM.
开心 好运气 kai xin... .......hao yunqi... - Sifu's speech, April 2005
open heart... good chi flow... good luck ...
------------------------------------------------------------
Have we not opened up thy heart ...? (The Reading, 94:1)
------------------------------------------------------------
Be joyful, ..and share your joy with others -(Anand Krishna)
It has taken me some time to post course experiences as my university work that had piled up in the time I took has been slow in getting normalized again; BUT!!! I HAVE to share the wonders of this course!
First of all things to come, I want to thank our incredible Sifu for all that he does and the sheer, unbelievable volume AND quality of the teachings/arts that were transmitted to all of us there!! They have changed my life and, despite being taught at the "lower" level, and despite my only having attended one prior weekend of courses not all that long ago, two days after my return to the U.S. and practicing the internal force training exercises, I experienced my very first intense cleansing, which has come and gone in waves and has helped tremendously in the clearing of some long standing issues I have had with my left lung. I have also reduced my (what I thought to be already very low) level of practice to shorter sessions and have saved a lot of the exercises for short rounds of review on the weekends.
I also have to thank Siheng Andrew for organizing this unprecedented course and for his hard work in translating for all the crucial details of each and every exercise as well as the great and insightful stories and secrets that were shared, not to mention his overall hospitality, and jovial care that we all get the most out of each art (and for correcting my horse stance and letting me participate in the first place!!)
I am also tooooooooo far beyond a loss of words for the care and over-the-top treatment I received from all of the European brothers and sisters there!!! You have all been way too kind and spent more time than I deserve in showing me around beautiful Switzerland, answering my litany of questions, and being a tremendous source of support, laughter, encouragement, advice, and stories! Thank you from the bottom of my heart a billion times over! And i can't wait to see you all somewhere down the road
Now for the start of trying to piece together all the treasures from the course proper (not in any particular order)...
"Iron Plank Bridge" (until the name is finalized): When we did this exercise, I was struck by just how relaxed and completely tension-free my body could be yet still support itself in that demanding and obscure position almost effortlessly! As I was in the position with a huuuuge gap between the two chairs (just my neck and head on one end and heels on the other) my breathing became effortlessly deep and vast amnd I sounded as though I were snoring with the immensity of the volume of breath in and out, and it made sense why Sifu had told us all to enjoy our "sleep." haha Now every morning when I do this exercise, I feel like a solid and massive pillar of stone, completely full of force, immovable, heavy, upright (like a growing tree), and expanding in solidity with a slow, swaying chi flow of yin to balance the exercise's 'yang.' Cannot wait to see what benefits will be manifested in a year of such daily "rest!"
Separating Water: I had previously learned this exercise in my first set courses in mid-April this year during Bone Marrow Cleansing at the Flesh Level, but the experience here was vastly different. In the Bone Marrow Cleansing skill using this technique, the chi soaks in and fills all the flesh of the body from the forearms and then all over and the feeling is very centralized, focused, and specific in its effect/benefit. This time, when we finished the exercise, we were strengthened (as opposed to 'cleansed' as such) ALL over and at every level, from body, to emotions, to spirit and mind, etc. This did two things: it helped to very distinctly solidify the difference in my experiential understanding between techniques and skills, and taught me that I can at will live in the strength that I need or desire for any particular situation in my life. Truly profound art! I would maybe compare it to (though I have never taken the course myself) something like Cosmic Shower, in that, while it does not systemically cleanse at every level, we were very noticeably STRENGTHENED at all levels at the same time and felt both very powerful and very secure, stable, and sound.
Taming Tiger (push-ups): I had spent years in my other martial art backgrounds using various types of finger push-ups and have been able to do two-finger (the forefinger and thumb only) push-ups on two hands for years, but the effects have always been sore, often strained and hurting, fingers and a lot of aches and cracking for some time afterward, getting worse with each subsequent session. This time, when we did the preliminary opening of channeling chi to the fingers, as well as relaxing during the exercise itself, with the option of performing each repetition very slowly, after the exercise my fingers felt SWOLLEN with chi, fresh, healthy, and still loose and relaxed. As the chi flow built and I let go, the force was surprisingly palpable and my fingers especially felt very solid and strengthened, not worn-out or damaged. I can easily see how this would lead to a profound grip in both body and mind.
Forceful Big Windmill: WOW. What an exercise for power! We only did two repetitions, but the whole time the arm went round, it felt really full and heavy, and by the second repetition shook slightly with pulsation at the center of the palm and heat. After the exercise was completed and we were in standing meditation, I thought I noticed the feeling disappear and believed that that was the chi moving inward to work on deeper blockages. BOY WAS I WRONG! In a moment, the force appeared again, but from (it seemed) the inside of my bones with a noticeable but very light, physical 'rumble' all through the length of my arm from shoulder to fingers, and that spread through all of the arm and then diffused through the body... If that was any indication of what potential the art holds for internal force, I can imagine what three years of five to ten repetitions a day would do... maybe destroy a mountain or two? haha
This is only the start I will post the rest at some point either today or tomorrow! Thank you again to everyone, and, a special, profound, deep, heartfelt, and infinite thanks to Sigung Ho for both the blessings that were given at the course itself, and the indescribable teachings and their benefits that have been passed down to our school that make courses like this and many others possible, and that have changed and shaped the lives of countless people all over the world!!! THANK YOU.
Thank you everyone! The arts are too incredible for words!
<- Says it all, I believe... but to continue and conclude:
"Lifting Sun and Moon" (a.k.a. Spiritual Dragons Rise from Ground): This exercise was simple, direct, and unquestionably effective; pure zen After only a few, effortless and relaxed repetitions the chi flows very smoothly and the volume feels noticeably increased. My whole body often sways (still) quite a bit and my palms feel heavier, which carries over to entering into the horse stance and performing other exercises to build force.
Horse Stance: I previously spent many months on and off working on remaining at the stance for as long as I could, bearing the pain and poor form just to maintain the strain till I broke. Definitely not fun, certainly not beneficial for mind or body! I cannot thank Sifu enough for this chance to at last be exposed to this fundamental stance the proper way, and must thank Siheng Andrew for the corrections to my form and breathing as well! The feeling of being grounded, alongside realizing how much the mind gets in the way of things that should be relaxing by creating unnecessary tension. Now, I enjoy the stance to no end and, once I have reached my limit, find myself looking forward to to my next session of training it!
Art of 30 Punches: WHOOOOOOOOA BUDDY! POWERFUL. This exercise, from the first time we did it, had me in some very intense chi flows and my whole body felt full of force, with a noticeable concentration of it in my forearms and fists especially. I sat in the stance quite comfortably during the exercise, and felt very refreshed afterward, despite the intensity of the punching. As a side/added benefit, my voice felt so much more open and I was comfortable with being vocal and relaxed in breathing and conversing, yet subtly powerful as well. Now, every morning that I train this exercise in a small field outside of my dorm building, I find that my voice echoes off of other buildings/trees a long way off and am surprised at how powerful and relaxed my previously shy and locked-up voice has become. At the course, we also practiced the exercise with the use of dumbbells. LOOKOUT! After the very first round the chi flow was incredible, but then, when we performed the exercise normally almost immediately after, I had a wonderful confirmation/experience: the first punch I threw from the stance vibrated my fist as it shook with power, ejecting force involuntarily and while I was at ease physically. The increase is almost unbelievable with just this simple addition of a few pounds to the hands! We also did a session of weighted punching and then transferred the accumulated force to a physical activity and it was incredible how much power and effortless speed erupted from me and my cardio felt limitless right off the bat. This exercise and art is too good for me and I know I can't deserve it...all I can do now is repay Sifu's infinite kindness by not letting this go unpracticed and developing fists so powerful I need to wear gloves all day to keep the power tucked away somehow haha
Gentle Big Windmill: Awesome and pleasant to no end! Each repetition had (and still has) my hand and whole arm feel full of warm, flowing chi and getting heavier after each repetition. It's soooooo easy, simple, elegant, powerful, and smooth that the feeling of chi diffusing through the body at the end of each repetition/at the end of the exercise itself makes me smille a huge smile and feel as if I were full of a gennnntle, gorgeous peace that is warm and loving and healing and smile-inducing. Amazing!
Mirror Hand on Horse Stance: Mysteriously wonderful (for lack of a better understanding)! At the course, this art was transmitted very quickly at the end of a session that had probably crossed wellll into overtraining-territory , and I at first felt as though I had missed it/it wouldn't work for me. But once I returned, I made a point of spending time deciphering this transmitted package and breaking it down into more understandable chunks. I have found it to be deceptively effective......DECEPTIVELY so The exercise is both chi kung and kung fu as it works as an excellent defense, counter, and direct attack (a deadly attack at that, which I 'kung-fu-stole' while watching participants with extensive experience review/explain it to each other), but its true power lies in its force building. INCREDIBLE. I sit in the horse stance and practice the exercise as many times as I can while comfortable and then, after completing the exercise and follow-up point massage and vigorous walk, it hits me: my arms radiate, from a lot of different levels that I can't quite discern, get heavy, and my hands (the whole of the hand/exterior wei chi around the hand?, not just the palm center) feel thicker and heavier and warm (not hot) with chi and I have the impulse to swing them at things or move them until the feeling dissipates as it feels like a lot going on in the arms and though I like it I almost can't let it 'soak' in, it wants to be struck against something (but I know I couldn't take much of an impact yet...maybe in a year or so of training the art; maybe in a month?). Definitely an interesting art, and one which I don't quite have my head fully around, but I'm working on it and enjoying the benefits until I do figure out its deeper benefits/unique transferable skills to life or combat.
One Finger Shooting Zen: SOOOOO HAPPPYYYYYYYY to have learned this! Feel incredibly blessed! Powerful, and beyond words in benefits! My fingers shake almost every session involuntarily, and my lungs are clearing more and more each day. It is still very subtle for me, but I definitely notice a change after the exercise and am counting on it to target and overcome some lung-specific issues I've had. Horse stance is far easier when doing this exercise, but I also enjoy tremendously the benefits and strong flow I get when doing it standing. At the course, Sifu also transmitted the skill of changing the force from flowing to consolidated/concentrated at will and without tension or effort! What a gift! It baffles my mind, but then I just don't use it/pay attention to its intellectualizing and enjoy the gift I didn't work for! I also have to practice this one outside in the early mornings (before dawn) to avoid causing disruption as the sound from the abdomen and the lungs at the end is quite loud and powerful; but the benefit is marvelous!!
General Surveys Field: Another exercise that was transmitted very quickly, but is quite simple and profound in its effect, this one helped to align my posture and loosen tightness in my abdomen when walking and unintentional tension in my upper back and traps as well. I do this throughout the day and love the quick, gentle, and easy alignment I can give myself at will without looking too strange and while smiling from the heart in a big way
Three Levels: Fun, simple, and very beneficial and needed for my particular case! I have much recurring tension in my knees and a problem maintaining looseness in my legs and this exercise helped to greatly relax my legs (and still does after horse stance too) while helping me to feel solid, rooted, and strong all over. It is easy to do and relaxing, and though lately I've been feeling some deep, light tension on subtle fibers in my knee ligaments, I feel as though my legs are correcting themselves and that unnoticed tension is being released. Great feeling of total-body kinetic linking and strength after and easy, loose movement and flexibility increase.
Last, but definitely not least: Abdominal breathing!: I have been in love with this art since I first took it as its own course in April in New Hampshire, but having it transmitted again both deepened my understanding and skills, and also helped to clear up questions that had formed since April, and to fix bad habits I had unintentionally accumulated. This art is sooooo powerfullll!!!!! But feels incredible; like a whirling, steady, somehow also still vortex/ball/radiation field of pure power and force is building inside. Sometimes after practice, my whole skin feels like warm, blurry water/electrons or something vague and... just 'blurry' but good. I feel I have a very soft outer 'coating' and inside as if I am a fully pumped-up tire but relaxed and flowing as well. My mind enters a sort of deafening silence and silent droning fills my 'hearing' (mental?), while I feel rooted to the spot and like a 'finished' product (full, alive, stilllllll, and strong)... When we received our blessings during the last round of the exercise as well, I found my mind had fallen into a place of wavy, 'crystal-water' and some kind of white, crystal, sparkling soft light of some sort; though I was still completely aware, it was like floating on a pleasant sea or traveling into a stream of thought... in any case, super cool and unforgettable.
"Low"-level transmissions/teachings? Not if these experiences to someone like myself who can barely get chi flow right on his own are standard for every last one of these exercises at the course... I don't know how much more spoiled I could get from a course so vast in scope and depth, but I cannot stress enough how thankful I am and how eager I have become to find out how far I can explore each exercise and also formulate a decent practice schedule for my current level of understanding, skill, and awareness of what is beneficial or practical and safe!
Thank you everyone for everything! I cannot say how much so many things mean to me in a post already this large, but I hope some part of my little experience might strike a chord with someone and that it inspires more training and development and course-taking and experience-sharing/enjoyment from whoever reads it! The fun never stops Thanks again from the bottom of my soullllllllllllll, y'allll!
First of all I'd like to thank Sigung for giving such a wonderful course and to thank Sifu for organizing it. I remember Sifu saying that he thought no one at the course could have spend the weekend better and I couldn't agree more!
I left the Netherlands on Friday late afternoon to drive for about 10 hours to Zurich. I felt quite tired after a very stressfull last 2 months with big problems at work, my grandmother passing away, my girlfriend taken to hospital 3 times and in between I was building and moving to a new house. I feel that by practising chi kung I had been able to still keep going strong, but wow what a difference after the weekend. The morning session helped me deepen the skills on the horseriding stance, which I absolutely love. Though I was most likely very novice compared to the others I really loved the horseriding stance and its chi flow. So powerful and soothing.
The morning was just a sort of a warmup as I review it now. All the things afterwards were amazing. Especially One finger shooting zen, the big windmill (the forcefull really is really forceful. I had never experienced anything like that before), the art of 30 punches and green dragon separates water. The amount of chi I feel while doing any of these exercises is incredible. The mirror hand on horseriding is also very nice. I feel so filled with chi after any of these exercises. The mind is extremely calm aswell. Ever since coming back I have practised One finger shooting Zen and green dragon separates water every day. Keeps me really calm and feels like I am filled with chi. I haven't done the Iron plank bridge since I've come back, but I will definately give it a try in the future.
The crazy things like being very very relaxed, the feeling of being filled up with chi, the feeling of very heavy/solid arms and the clearity of mind are really there. I really did love every moment on the course, but thanks to these arts every moment since the course has been better. I am making a journal for myself now and will see where these arts will take me in 6 months. I'm really curious
Sigung thanks again! Although you said it would be a "lower" level else we would overtrain I can't imagine what high level would be like. This feels very very much like a high level to me
We process personal data about users of our site, through the use of cookies and other technologies, to deliver our services, personalize advertising, and to analyze site activity. We may share certain information about our users with our advertising and analytics partners. For additional details, refer to our Privacy Policy.
By clicking "I AGREE" below, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our personal data processing and cookie practices as described therein. You also acknowledge that this forum may be hosted outside your country and you consent to the collection, storage, and processing of your data in the country where this forum is hosted.
Comment