anndody

The most commonly used Shaolin stance is mabu or horse stance which I wrote about here . In this blog post, I focus on the second most commonly used stance which is: Gong Bu.  Benefits: Strengthens the legs. Strengthens the spine. Is the key to unlocking the Shaolin forms. Centers and grounds the mind and body. Step by Step: 1) Stand straight. Draw your fists to your waist and turn your head to the left. 2) Step your left leg out to the side so your feet are wider than your shoulders and slowly squat into Ma Bu. 2) Turn both legs and bend your left leg as much as you can , keeping your right leg straight. Turn your body to face the left. 3) Remain here for six breaths. Check list: It's a good idea to check your stance in the mirror. Your back foot should be slightly turned in, it shouldn't be completely straight. Your back foot needs to be in line with your left foot. Your front knee should be over your front foot. Is your neck tucked in and your shoulders relaxed? Are you knee...

I have many bad character traits but one thing I'm grateful to my masters for teaching me is simplicity. Maybe I'm a little stupid but I don't think over and over again in the way I've noticed many of my Western students do. They run their problems round and round their mind like marbles. Shantideva said: “If you can solve your problem, Then what is the need for worrying? If you cannot solve it, Then what is the use of worrying?” This quote is very powerful because it moves us away from worry and inaction and gets us to the root of what we need to do. What is it that is making you anxious or worried? Can you do something to change it? If the answer is yes then do it. If the answer is no then you need to find a way to accept it. This is the end of the story. You don't need to think about this problem anymore. Move on.  If you find it hard to move on then this Chinese proverb is for you: 塞翁失馬焉知非福 (Saiweng Shima, Yanzhi Feifu). The Old Man Who Lost His Horse During t...

These are some of the questions I regularly get asked via email from my students. You can ask me questions by email: info@shifuyanlei.co.uk.  Q: What are the proper times to do Qigong? A: The only times that are not optimal for practicing Qigong is between 11- 12 in the morning and 11  - 12 in the night. If there is heavy rain or thunder then you should refrain from doing Qigong. Q: How many times should I practice Qigong if I'm a beginner? A: This depends on what you want to get out of Qigong. The first thing is you need to remember the movement and secondly you need to make the movement correct. If you don't spend enough time mastering the movement then you can't reap the benefit of the practice. Qigong is for your health so you should do it at least four times a week. Quality is better than quantity so a 20 minute fully focused session is better than one hour. It's best if you can make Qigong into a daily routine the same as if you eat your lunch or dinner and then i...

From a young age I was drawn to the image of the Buddha. I wanted to be like him, sitting peacefully with a smile on his face. But I couldn't understand why, when I sat to meditate I had so many thoughts whirling around in my head and I felt anything but peaceful and smiling. So one day I went and asked my teacher, 'How can I be like the Buddha?' He smiled and said, 'You already are. The Buddha is in here.' And he pointed at my heart. Don't get put off by the term Buddha. If you are not a Buddhist then you can call Buddha "inherent nature" or "God" or "love". We don't have to be a Buddhist to want peace, happiness, security and good health. And we don't have to be a Buddhist to realize that the external world can only give us security and happiness for a short time. True confidence, security, and happiness come directly from our mind. The Buddha said, 'It is our mind which makes the world." If we are feeling down ...