Chi Kung Meditation

Chi Kung~Qigong~Meditation

Introduction

China Hand Kung Fu Academy is dedicated to passing on the art of Chi Kung or Meditation.  Chi Kung, or Qigong, has been around for thousands of years and predates even the martial arts.  There are also thousands of different kinds of Chi Kung, with many different uses and applications.  China Hand Kung Fu Academy teaches health oriented Chi Kung and martial oriented Chi Kung. 

Health oriented Chi Kung has no application or use but to make the body healthy, strong, and vibrant.  Martial oriented Chi Kung will have the same effects but the methods of training are also tied directly to Martial Self Defense. 

If you do an internal style of martial arts, you are doing "Chi Kung."  Today, more people are teaching internal styles of Kung Fu, such as Tai Chi Chuan, but emphasize more the Chi Kung health side of the training because of the benefits derived from its' practice. 

The benefits of doing Chi Kung are:

• Stress ReductionStrengthening of Muscles

• Stretching of Muscles, Ligaments & Tendons

• Lowers Blood Pressure

• Improves Balance, Arthritis, Osteoprosis, Cardiovascular & Nuerological system..

• and the list goes on and on... 

Li Ching-Yuen was born in 1678 A.D. and died in 1928 at the age of 250 years old.  Li was a herbalist, and Chi Kung Master and lived in the mountains most of his life.

After his death, General Yang investigated Li's background to verify his true age and determined Li was telling the truth.  He authored a report "A Factual Account of the 256 Year Old Good Luck Man," below is his picture:

"As copied from The Complete Book of Chinese Health and Healing by Daniel Reid"

Li Ching-Yuen was born in 1678, during the seventeenth year of the Manchu Emperor Kang Shi's Reign. He left home at an early age and traveled around southern China with a group of itinerant herb traders, from whom he learned the basics of herbalism.

Subsequently, Li had the good fortune to meet several highly accomplished Taoist masters, who taught him internal alchemy and chi-gung and showed him how to utilize diet and herbal supplements for health and longevity.  Master Li was not a celibate. Over the course of his long life he married 14 times, and by the time of his death in 1933, he counted almost 200 living descendants within his extended family.

After his death, modern scholars confirmed his identity, traced his life all the way back to the year of his birth, and conclusively verified his lifespan. Master Lee's life demonstrates how well Taoist longevity techniques work when properly practiced.

Master Li continued to take long hikes in the mountains until the final years of his life; he remained sexually active for over two centuries, never became senile and died with all of his own teeth and most of his hair.

Master Li's Diet

Occasional small bits of meat. He was not a strict vegetarian.  Limited intake of grains and root vegetables. His daily diet consisted mostly of fruit lightly steamed vegetables. 

Ginseng, Gotu Kola, Polygonum Multiflorum, and Garlic.

* There is also a recipe for a Spring Tonic concocted by Master Li. 

...click here for more information about Li Ching Yuen

8 Pieces Of Brocade

Ba Duan Gin

Ba Duan Gin in English translates to “The Eight Pieces of Brocade”.  Ba Duan Gin is an ancient Chinese exercise developed to ones overall health, longevity, and rejuvenation of the body.  Ba Duan Gin is considered a nei chi kung exercise, or internal exercise.  Ba Duan Gin has two parts; the first part is standing stretching exercises, the second part sitting self-massage exercises.  It is these exercises that kept the Shao Lin Priests strong, healthy and vital, thereby, making them live a longer, happier life. 

Marshal Yeuh Fei, a famous Chinese Military General and creator of the Eagle Claw Kung Fu Style and the Hsing Yi Chuan Style created Ba Duan Gin.  It is said March Yeuh Fei originally developed twelve exercises and after some 800 years of being passed down from generation to generation, it has now taken the form of eight exercises. 

...click here for more information about the 8 Pieces Of Brocade

Classic Of Muscle & Tendon Exchange

Yi Gun Gin

Yi Gun Gin translated to the "Classic of Muscle & Tendon Exchange."  As quoted from Grandmaster Peter Kwok's book, Secret Health Teachings Of The Shao Lin Priest, copyright 1976 by Scientific Health News Service:

 ..."is the most famous but rarely known exercise secretly kept within the Shao-Lin priests for 4500 years.  It is not an exaggeration to say that the worldwide leading reputation in the martial arts earned by the Shao Lin Temple is mainly attributed to this simple and easy-to-learn exercise.  It is exactly this secret exercise that made the Shao Lin priests almost indestructable, having the ability to protect themselves from even knife stabbing and to practically walk through a wall."

This simple set consists of only 12 simple exercises. 

...click here for more information

Mental Focusing Form

I Chuan

Also known as: Yi Quan, Yi Chuan, Yichuan, I Chuan, Ichuan, or Dacheng, Da Chengchuan.

The Founder Great Master Wang Xiang Zhai (1887-1963)

Grandmaster Wang Xiang Zhai was born in 1885 in Hebei province of China, near Beijing. Due to sicknesses he suffered as a child, he was lead to the great Xing Yi boxer (Kuo) Guo Yun Shen to teach him exercises that would improve his health.  Wang was diligent and dedicated student.  In fact, Guo was so impressed with Wang that he selected him as the preferred student and taught him all his secrets. Guo Yun Shen already in an advanced age, was very strict in the training of the young Wang.

I Chuan is essentially formless and has its' main focus on developing internal power and strength of the mind.  it certainly has its martial applications and is heavily using principles and concepts that are indicative of all internal martial arts such as, Tai Chi, Pa Kua and Hsing Yi. 

Much of the initial development came from the Hsing Yi system.   This is a very powerful Chi Kung system and will exellerate one's internal training if practiced in conjunction with their internal systems.  China Hand Kung Fu Academy leans more to the Zhan Zhang or Standing Pole Methods of training. 

...click here for more information about I Chuan
 

Power Transmission

Fa Jing

Fa Jing is the tranmission of power.  You would think that expressing your energy or power is easy after practicing all of your Kung Fu forms.  However, you can have forms, but if your movements are not connected to your body movement and your mind at together, all you have is external power.  Learning to connect and express is what is brought through our Fa Jing training. 

Iron Palm Training

China Hand Kung Fu Academy trains in 2 disciplines of Iron Palm Training which are internal in nature with the intent to train in higher level achievements versus shear power training.  Our goal is to not only stregthen the body but to derive a high level of internal power with our striking. 

Shaolin Iron Palm

This iron palm set consist of serveral stages.  The first stage is to strike a mung bean bag until the mung beans are pulverized.  The second stage is to strike a gravel bag until the gravel is pulverized.  The third stage is to strike iron ball bearing bag.  Each stage requires your to strike the bag, self massage with Dit Da Jow and standing meditation or posting. 

...click here to see a student breaking after learning Iron Palm

Pa Kua Cotton Palm

This iron palm set is to simply strike a soft medium, such as a phone book, utilizing the waist and  Mind to extend the power.  Again, your striking session is finished with standing meditation.