"... if you do, difficult things become easy. if you don't do, easy things become difficult ..."
Shaolin Kung Fu is a Chinese Buddhist martial art created by Zen Master Bodhidharma and developed further at the Shaolin Temple in China, around 1500 years ago. This art form was designed to be both medicine and self-defense so it could help the Buddhist monks take care of their health, live a long and peaceful life and protect themselves, their loved ones and the Temple. Its traditional stances and techniques allow the body to move in a natural and enjoyable way.
Shao-lin means “young forest”, referring to the vegetation from the mountain on which the temple was built. Kung Fu means "work" and "time", or skill accumulated in time through practice, or hard work. A more known expression nowadays which can translate Kung Fu is Hard Work & Dedication. It can refer to any acquired skill, not just to martial arts; it can refer to cooking, painting, playing music or dancing too.
Its training involves a learning process and it requires time and dedication in order to be mastered so its benefits can reach towards the endless potential of this art.
All this training hasn’t been created just to help the body, but the whole being. The body and mind are linked together through our breath. The breath is the first that changes when something happens, in the body or in the mind. While practicing it is important to focus on the breath and on the movement and pay attention to the heart rythm and to what is being done. It is more than just an exercise or a sport.
Training with a present-minded attitude helps us discover our bodies and ourselves and become more aware. The traditional forms have been designed as a way of meditating in motion. All the training can be a meditation from beginning to end. Running will become running meditation, kicking will become kicking meditation and punching will become punching meditation. In this way, we can enjoy a clear mind and a good mood at the end of our session.
The traditional Shaolin Kung Fu training focuses on both the Internal and the External aspects of the body. Internally, we take care of our organs and of our brain, through the practice of QiGong and Meditation. QiGong is the science of self-healing through breathing and stretching exercises. It calms down the Nervous System and boosts the Immune System. It alleviates pain, slows down the aging process, helps with cell regeneration and regulates the blood and energy flow along the body.
All this training hasn’t been created just to help the body, but the whole being. The body and mind are linked together through our breath. The breath is the first that changes when something happens, in the body or in the mind. While practicing it is important to focus on the breath and on the movement and pay attention to the heart rythm and to what is being done. It is more than just an exercise or a sport.Training with a present-minded attitude helps us discover our bodies and ourselves and become more aware. The traditional forms have been designed as a way of meditating in motion. All the training can be a meditation from beginning to end. Running will become running meditation, kicking will become kicking meditation and punching will become punching meditation. In this way, we can enjoy a clear mind and a good mood at the end of our session.
The Kung Fu training will build up the joints, maximize strength and flexibility at the same time, enhance your stamina, improve coordination and easiness of movement, and offer you very simple and practical self-defense techniques. It also offers us a tool to train on our own, without needing extra equipment, a special environment or a team, without necessarily having to compete against somebody or reach a certain level before a deadline. It gives a strong foundation to the body, allows us to enjoy our journey and enables us to become free in our movement.
