Hi everyone,
Im new here. I started studying Southern Shaolin Five Animals here in my city when I was about 18. I stopped when I was 21. Now Im 27 and am really keen on starting again and this time sticking with a regular practice! I currently have a green sash.
The foundation set of my style is something called Lohan. I know scholars dispute those people who trace back the origin of Kung Fu to the myth of Boddhidharma / Tamo. But, this Lohan set is said to come from Tao as well. He developed it to help Chan monks become strong enough to practice meditation.
I must say, there is something unique and incredibly about this Lohan exercise regimen which I want to discuss here. Ive only recently started working my way Through Yangs The Root of QiGong and my Qigong background is fairly limited but I suspect this "spirituality" of Lohan has something to do with Qi.
Lohan consists of 18 postures in which one stands for about 9-10 breath counts. Most of these stances are the foundations for martial applications, such as Mabo? (horse stance), lunge stance, girls stance, cat stance. further, many of these postures also involve stretching out onces hands. But there is also a strong internal element to this training.
Often when one imitates a type of punch whilst for instance in a lunge stance during Luhan, one pulls ones fingers back, whilst holding ones palms open (as though one were pushing someone). This, along with the general way lohan is executed makes one aware of the fact that there is energy in ones body and the more I do this set the more I beign to focus internally whilst practicing it.
I cant really put my finger on what it is, but there is, as I said something unique of this form. When I do it regularly I feel deeply at peace, mentally. I can feel qi in my dantien an am just so open minded about all the beauty there is in the world. It makes me feel more compassionate to people when I speak with stranger and I just generally feel so normal, freed from the usual suffering that defines some many lives.
Have people on this forum similar experiences? I used to do aQi Gong form every morning for about 6 months, but the "benefits" of proper soft Qigong were different. I cant really describe it.
It makes me wonder about what people like Shifu Nagaboshi Tomio have written in The Bodhisattva Warriors: The Origin, Inner Philosophy, History and Symbolism of the Buddhist Martial Art Within India and China, as well as Master Yang talking about the relationship between QiGong and religion (Taoism and Buddhism). It also makes me kind of sad that so many people enow a days think that martial arts is about what you see at UFC on TV.
I would very much appreciate peoples views on this topic.
Sorcerer