Sifu Joan Browne will be teaching 2 new Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung classes in London, starting on June 4th. Read full details...

Sifu Robin Gamble will be teaching a review class for Wahnam Taijiquan students in London on 11th June. Read full details...

Sifu Darryl Collete is organising the next Warrior Project in Edinburgh on the 11th and 12th of June. Prior booking is essential, to register or for further details please contact Sifu Darryl on Scotland@ShaolinWahnam.co.uk

Summer Camp: only 8 places left on the Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung courses, 9 places free on the Shaolin Kung Fu class and places are filling up quickly on the Taijiquan course. If you are thinking about taking part on any of these courses you need to contact me today. Read full details

Missing Out On Ancient Wisdom!

Despite the resources available today, many people would still not really know what the Shaolin Arts are or how they could help them with their feelings of depression, stress, fears, anxiety, or illness, let alone that it could teach them how to defend themselves. Instead they may wrongly assume the Shaolin Arts are just a system of fighting suitable only for people that want to learn how to fight. Or they may have never heard of them. More importantly, as a result they miss out on the many ways it can be used to enhance our daily living and give us more zest and strength for our work and play.

Shaolin Kung Fu-Not Just For Fighting!

Many schools of Martial Arts today are focussed on external training methods and developing fighting skills instead of considering the internal elements found in Traditional Shaolin Arts such as meditation for mental clarity or training energy to develop internal force. Training to get big muscles or how to knock someone out in the ring has some benefits but are obviously limited in their daily application, where as developing internal energy and developing clarity of mind can help us in everything we do i.e. work, play & overcoming illness.

Why People Stay Away From Martial Arts and What They Miss Out On

Because Martial Arts are often viewed upon as violent or a way to become a better fighter, people that want to find something to help them let go of stress or maintain their youthfulness and zest then opt for arts like Yoga, or meditation or Pilates. What they don't realise is the Shaolin Arts are also designed to help you overcome stress, remain youthful, and overcome illness, in fact there is no parallel in their effectiveness.

Diluting the Art. Why People Want Quick Fix Solutions

We live in a "Fast Food" industrial world, people don't have the time or the inclination to do several hours a day training so they can sit with their legs around their ears and hum "OM". Sports like Kick Boxing or Pilates classes serve a need, they give people an accessible alternative so they can feel like they are doing something worthwhile. And indeed they are, both accessible and worthwhile and they can make you feel good. Unfortunately some Martial Art classes also come with a risk to your health and well-being.

Losing the Ancient Arts

The trouble starts when the "Real Arts" get lost or degraded and I am sorry to say this has happened to many of them. Whilst you may learn some of the beautiful patterns that were part of the Arts heritage it is unlikely you will be shown how to actually apply them to a combat situation. Instead many schools work on the method of teaching you some patterns and then you spar. During this sparring session you hope to learn how to fight, and you better learn pretty quick as well or you are going to get hit, a lot. Then you take your bruised and battered body home with you and wonder where you went wrong and how come you now get hit more often then you did before you learnt self-defence? No wonder you think Kung Fu has nothing to offer you!

As a result of the fear of getting hurt many people rightly or wrongly stay away from the Martial Arts. The problem is not in the Martial Art, many of these were great Arts, the problem is in the methodology. It is how the classes are taught, and I can't blame the schools either because in a way it is our society that has encouraged it, if not demanded it. We don't like waiting, we don't want to catch fly in a chopstick before we can accomplish anything, we want to know now! It's the fast food syndrome in us that does it. Make it quick and make it instant. And this is where we go wrong, the Arts become lost because we water them down to fit them into our schedules and busy lives. Therefore we no longer gain the real benefits the arts originally had to offer and get hurt along the way, in more ways than one.

Finding the Solution

If you want to learn a sport, skill or Art then you are best to learn from a Master of competent Instructor. One could not expect to become an expert Surgeon by watching E.R or reading the A-Z of Surgery! Neither could you reasonably expect to overcome illness, stress, depression by learning an aggressive Martial Art.

Say you want to become an expert Golfer; you wouldn't choose to take Tennis Lessons now would you? Both may be sports but one clearly will teach you the correct methods. If you want to gain the extraordinary benefits that the Shaolin Arts profess to offer then it to would be best learnt from a Genuine Master or competent Instructor in the way it was intended to be taught, not watered down to suit your whims or fancies.

Training Sparring Systematically

This is where Shaolin Wahnam stands on its own in both methodology and application. The traditional Shaolin arts that I have inherited represent the culmination of over 1500 years of innovation, experimentation, research, and cultivation. Grandmaster Wong's methodology for training sparring is systematic and effective. Many kung fu schools today lack this methodology and therefore cannot apply their techniques in sparring. Those who train diligently using an effective method have no trouble applying their Kung fu techniques in sparring. The main reason students today fail to apply their kung fu is because they lack the appropriate methods to train sparring. There are 7 steps Shaolin Wahnam students are taught so they can learn how to fight using Traditional Shaolin Kung Fu Patterns and it is easy to see why trying to jump directly from Step 1 (forms) to Step 7 (free sparring) will result in failure every time. Jumping straight into free sparring is a guaranteed way to make your sophisticated kungfu techniques feel useless. (www.zenergyarts.com)

What the Genuine School of Shaolin Arts offer.

For centuries, these arts have helped people to:

• Heal a variety of illnesses, injuries, and diseases.
• Enhance physical abilities beyond the norm.
• Build internal force for martial arts.
• Boost concentration and mental clarity.
• Provide unparalleled solutions for stress.
• Restore or improve sexual function.
• Slow the effects of ageing and restore youthfulness.

Qigong. Another Secret of Shaolin Arts

The Shaolin Arts for many years were shrouded in secrecy and only taught to a very few of the most deserving people, monks and Generals alike. One of these secrets was the Art of Qigong. Qigong is simply another spelling for Chi Kung. Both refer to the same Chinese art, and both are pronounced as follow: chee ("cheese" without the ending); gung (rhymes with rung).

There are many different kinds, or styles of Chi Kung. A few examples are:
Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung, Taiji Chi Kung, and Wild Goose Chi Kung. There are also different categories of Chi Kung, like martial Chi Kung (for martial arts) and medical Chi Kung (for healing).

Is Chi Kung like Tai Chi?

They are similar, but with some important differences. Tai Chi Chuan (also spelled Taijiquan) is a martial art. Chi Kung is an umbrella term for various energy arts that may or may not be used for martial arts purposes. If Taijiquan is practiced in the way traditional masters taught it in the past, then it makes extensive use of Chi Kung. Some Chi Kung movements resemble those of Taijiquan, whereas many other Chi Kung movements are quite different.

What are the benefits of practicing Chi Kung?

There are many wonderful benefits that people derive from practising Chi Kung, and they may be generalised into the following four categories:

• Curing illness and promoting health.
• Enhancing vitality and developing internal force.
• Promoting youthfulness and longevity.
• Calming the mind and expanding the intellect.

Many types of Chi Kung emphasise only one or two of the above categories, but few cover all four. For example, most styles of medical Chi Kung aim mainly at curing illness, and virtually all types of sexual Chi Kung emphasise promoting youthfulness.

Shaolin Cosmos Chi Kung (the style taught by the Shaolin Wahnam Institute) is one of the few styles that span all four categories, making it exceedingly versatile.

Can Chi Kung help me?

Many health care professionals recommend Chi Kung as an important form of complementary medicine. Along with other kinds of Chinese medicine like acupuncture, Chi Kung is going through a period of blossoming, especially in this country and no wonder! The soothing and rhythmic movements of Chi Kung help to reduce stress, build stamina, increase vitality, and enhance the immune system. Qigong can improve cardiovascular, respiratory, circulatory, lymphatic, musculo-skeletal, and digestive functions.

Why would I practice Chi Kung?

People who maintain a consistent practice of Chi Kung find that it helps reclaim their vitality and health, as well as speed recovery from illness. Most importantly, Chi Kung can help establish or re-establish the body-mind-spirit connection, which for many people, is an intellectual idea rather than a concrete experience.

In the end, people practice Qigong for a variety of reasons. Some choose this practice to maintain health; others to heal their bodies; still others use it to calm their minds. The overwhelming appeal of Chi Kung is that everyone can benefit regardless of athletic ability, age, ethnicity, or gender.

How is Chi Kung related to Kung Fu?

All high-level Kung Fu makes use of the training of energy to develop internal force, as well as meditation for mental clarity. Without this, a martial art remains at an external, mechanical level, considered by Chinese martial artists as "Third Class Kung Fu" The internal force developed in high-level kung fu is not dependent on physical strength or size, and does not diminish with age.

More importantly in our modern society, this same internal force can be used in daily living -- to give us more zest and strength for our daily work and play. Kung Fu training, which includes Chi Kung, enhances harmonious chi flow, thus promoting health, vitality, and longevity.

What students have said after training with Shaolin Wahnam.

My co-workers call me "Smiley". Ha-ha, .I can't help but smile! Many say I look younger! I'm losing weight too!
Jeffrey Synder

It has been the pinnacle stage of my evolution and has broadened my horizons in ways I would never have thought possible. I had forgotten how much joy came with the training. I am still struck by how revolutionary it all still seems to me, how I had never come across anything like this in any other art before.
Darryl Collette

Now I feel like a new person, full of energy and vitality. My friends and family saw the difference in me, they said, "You are energetic now".
Cahyadi Kong

Final Word

The Shaolin Arts are more than a system of fighting. They are the crystallisation of 1500 years of Eastern Wisdom. They offer you the chance to develop your mind, body and spirit, to defend yourself using Genuine Shaolin Kung Fu/Tai Chi Chuan, to overcome stress, illness and depression, and experience joy and happiness. As indeed have over 2000 of Sifu Wong's students worldwide.

Sifu Tim Franklin Shaolin Wahnam Institute - UK Since the late eighties Sifu Tim Franklin has been deepening his skills in the Martial and Healing Arts. His passion for health and happiness has been the driving force behind his training with the Shaolin Wahnam Institute- The Path to increased Energy, Health & Happiness. Sifu Tim Franklin says the following about Shaolin Wahnam: "It was a Divine moment when I came across a poster advertising the Shaolin Arts. But what got me hooked was what happened during my first class. Unlike my former training in Martial Arts the students and I did not run around the room doing press-ups and building up a sweat but stood still with a smile on our faces. From the onlookers perspective the sight would have been odd to say the least, but what I experienced was a deep sense of joy and purpose. I had found what I had been searching for and it was right on my doorstep. I could never have imagined that standing still in a posture could be so hard and at the same time be so profound. They say when the student is ready the master will appear, never has a truer word been spoken. Shaolin Wahnam and Sifu Wong have readily given me so many gifts, bundles of joy, a wonderful opportunity to walk the path of the Shaolin Arts and the belief that I can make a difference." Sifu Tim Franklin holds classes in the Brighton/Worthing area of England. For further details on classes you can contact him on 01903 530306 or 07950 365879, e-mail: zbtimfranklin@hotmail.com