9 771358 377007 65

Lung NourishingLung Nourishing

Hung Gar Kung FuHung Gar Kung Fu

Health & Internal TrainingHealth & Internal Training

The SpreadThe Spreadof Wing Chunof Wing Chun

Chen Style Chen Style Grandmaster Chen XiaowangGrandmaster Chen Xiaowang

Issue 56 July/August 2001 Issue 56 July/August 2001 £2.95/$4.95(US)2.95/$4.95(US)

Grandmaster Ip Chun: his father & the popularity of this style of Kung Fu

Simple sitting exercises to strengthen the lungs and breathing

Iron Wire training - an advanced level but fundamental knowledge

Tai ChiTai Chi

Feng Shui PolarityFeng Shui PolarityWhen is north really south & vice-versa?

Defining Yin & YangDefining Yin & Yang

Qi Magazine 1

Cover: Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang

Qi Magazine is published by the Tse QigongCentre. Its aim is to bring you information notreadily available in the West.

Editor: Michael TseDeputy Editor: Darryl MoyDesign Assistant David DrennanAssistants: Sarah Bloomfield

John HayesMartin Gale

Legal Adviser: Tony Walsh

Proof Reading: Yvonne DixonMike Stenson

Marketing/Distribution: Jessica BlackwellSweden: Barbro Olsson

Consultants (Listed in alphabetical order):

Grandmaster Chan Chi HoGrandmaster Chen Xiao Wang

Grandmaster Ip ChunGrandmaster Yang Meijun

Columnists: Glen GosslingJ. Reynolds NelsonDr. Shulan TangSihn KeiAdam Wallace

Readers may contact any of our contributors c/oQi Magazine.We encourage all our readers to contribute articles, lettersor questions for possible inclusion in future issues ofQi Magazine.Articles appearing in Qi Magazine do not necessarilyreflect the opinion of the editor. Adverts appearing in themagazine are not necessarily endorsed by it or the editor.Exercises appearing in Qi Magazine are for referencepurposes only. Thus anyone wishing to study should seekqualified tuition.

Michael Tse 2001.All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be

reproduced, stored or transmitted in any way without thewritten permission of Michael Tse.

Advertising: Qi Magazine has proved to be an effectiveway of reaching a wide variety of people. All enquirieswelcome.For UK call: 0161 929 4485For USA call: (808) 528 8501

Subscription: Costs per year:UK £20 inc p&p.USA $35 inc p&pEurope £25 (airmail) inc p&p.Worldwide £35 (airmail) inc p&p.

For UK/Europe/WorldwidePlease send payment in Pounds Sterling. Payment can beby Credit Card or Cheque, drawn on UK bank, payable toQi Magazine:

Qi MagazinePO Box 59 Altrincham, WA15 8FS, UKTel:0161 929 4485 Fax: 0161 9294489

email: tse@qimagazine.com

For USA/CanadaPlease send payment in US Dollars. Payment can be byCredit Card or Check payable to Qi Magazine:

Tse Qigong CentrePO Box 15807, Honolulu HI 96830

Tel: (808) 528 8501 Fax:(520) 441 6578email tse@wildgooseqigong.com

http://www.qimagazine.comISSN 1358-3778 ... continued on page 8

In the Yuan Dynasty, a group of scholarswent to pay their respects to Master JungFung, a very famous and wise monk whoresided on Tianmu Mountain. Afterwards,they sat down with the Master asked ifthey might take this opportunity to asksome questions.

He nodded his agreement and sothe First Scholar asked, “Master JungFung, Buddhist teachings often speak ofa person’s karmic reward for their goodand bad deeds. It is said, ‘They are like ashadow, following the body wherever itgoes.’ Why is then that there are peoplewho practise kind deeds but their familyand their descendants are not prosperousand successful? On the other hand, thereare bad and wicked people who doimproper things, but their family anddescendants do quite well. Where has theLaw of Cause andEffect gone? Isthere no standardin the Buddha’steachings?”

Master JungFung answered thescholar saying,“Ordinary peopleare blinded byworldly views andhave not cleansedtheir minds ofimpurities andcannot see withtrue perception.Therefore, theylook upon truegoodness aswrongdoings andmistake truewrongdoings asgoodness. This isvery commonn o w a d a y s !Furthermore, these peopledo not blame themselvesfor badperception ontheir part, butinstead blamethe heavens fortheir misfortunes!”

The SecondScholar then said, “ Good is good andbad is bad. How can they be mistakenfor each other?”

On hearing this, Master JungFung then invited each of the scholars toexpress their thoughts on what was goodand what was bad.

The Third Scholar then spoke forthe first time and expressed his views asto what was good and what was bad.He said, “To yell at and beat others isbad. To respect and treat others in amannerly way is good.” But Master JungFung shook his head and said, “Notnecessarily”.

The Fourth Scholar said, “Beinggreedy for wealth and taking another’smoney is bad, not being greedy andabiding by proper ways is good.” AgainMaster Jung Fung shook his head andsaid, “Not necessarily.”

The remaining scholars allexpressed their own views on what was

good and bad butMaster Jung Fung stillreplied, “Notnecessarily”. So thescholars then decidedto ask the Masterwhat is reallyconsidered good andwhat is reallyconsidered bad.

Master JungFung said, “ To dothings with theintention of bringingbenefit to others isgood. To do things forthe sake of oneself isbad. If what we do isfor the sake ofbenefiting another,then it does not matterif we yell at or beatthat person, it is still

“When kindnesssprings from within

the heart, it is realgoodness”

Cover Feature...Cover Feature...Cover Feature...

Cover Feature...Cover Feature...Cover Feature...

22 Five Levels of TaijiquanTaijiquan is very difficult to master. Ittakes many years of diligent trainingto develop the skill. There are actually5 stages of development that you cango through, from beginner toadvanced. Each stage depends onyour understanding of the principlesof Taiji and whether you can embodythem in your movements.by Michael Tse

1 Editorialwith Michael Tse.

3 PO Box

9 Taiji and Pao Choi – Old and New FramesA true understanding of Yin and Yang is crucial to makingyour Taiji good. Within Chen Taiji each movement followsthese principles. However with Chen the way it is expressedis different depending on whether it is the Old or NewFrame.by Glenn Gossling

10 The Complexion and TCMThe condition of the complexion is not considered as anillness. Yet it is an important sign of health for everyone asthe outside mirrors the condition of the inside.by Dr. Shulan Tang

12 Lung Nourishing GongA continuation from last issue, more simple yet effectivesitting Qigong exercises that strengthen the lungs.by Zhang Guang De

14 Stop, Look and ListenFinding a good teacher is always difficult. But even whenyou have the best teacher in the world, it does not guaranteesuccess. You then need to know how to go about learning.by Darryl Moy

16 The Dao De JingThe Dao De Jing is a very important book and one that hasshaped the Chinese culture for many centuries. Here wetranslate and explain the first two chapters from the bookof Lao Zi.translated by Wo Dozi

18 Tit Sin Kuen Pai - Hung Gar Iron Wire BoxingThe Hung Gar style of Southern Shaolin Gong Fu is one ofthe best known. It is often seen as a hard external style,however, traditional Chinese skills are all a balance ofinternal & external. How is the softer side trained in HungGar?by Evert van der Meulen

27 The Great North-South DebateFeng Shui has a great many principles and rules. Manyrely on the directions of the compass. But do the rules workon both the Northern and Southern hemispheres?by Derek Walters

28 Lan Shou in Ren MenIn Ren Men Park, there are many different martial artsgroups. Here we take a closer look at them, and some ofthe other characters in the park.by J. Reynolds Nelson

30 Instructor InsightA look at two instructors of the Tse Qigong Centre.

35 Not just for HealthNowadays, many people train in Qigong. Though the mainreason to do Qigong is for your health, did you know that it isnot only for this? There are many other benefits as well.by Tse Sihn Kei

36 Da Cheng Chuan - Non-Stop Hitting TechniquesMore practical self defence techniques from the style of WangXiang Zhai.by Zhao Shao

39 the Spread of Wing ChunWing Chun is a very popular system of martial arts, with manypeople all over the world training. Learn why and how thesystem has spread throughout the world.by Grandmaster Ip Chun

42 Swimming Dragon GongThis exercise from the Dayan Gong system is very good for theback and kidneys.by Michael Tse

44 Evading Negative QiNegative Qi, as we all know can be very harmful. It is allaround us, in everyday life, so how can we deal with its effects?by Adam Wallace

45 Feng Shui and the BedroomYour bed is an important part of your life. In terms of FengShui it has a large bearing on your energy. The wrong bed,and position can create a lot of bad energy. Various differentexamples are discussed here.by Michael Tse

Qi Magazine 3

POBox POBox POBox...

Wing ChuntheHard WayDear Master Tse,

I have been taking Wing Chun forone year and Taiji for 10 months. ThoughI love the “hard” conditioning andtraining in Wing Chun, I feel I am moreinclined to the mastery of Taiji. My Sifudoes not teach the martial aspect of Taijibecause he says the Wing Chun trainingis more effective in that regard. What isyour perspective on this? Should onelearn Taiji only to derive its healthbenefits or should the martial techniquesalso be included in a Taiji class. Should Ilook to Wing Chun for my martialtechniques and Taiji for my internaltraining only? Thank you for any adviceand knowledge that you can share withme.Sincerely, KN,California USA

Dear KN,Thank you for your letter. I am not

sure what you refer to as the ‘hard’conditioning of Wing Chun. I personallydo not train with weights or sand bags orother martial training devices that I knowsome other schools employ. It is not tosay that this is wrong but I believe thatif you train the entire Wing Chunsystem in the traditional way, thenyou will cover both internal andexternal training. WingChun’s first formtrains bothstillness, helpingto develop thelegs andinternal energyin the body, andGong Lik. Thesecond form,Tsum Kiu, trainsfootwork and thethird form, BiuJee trains usingthe fingers and

elbow for strong attacks. The weapons,Baat Jam Do, train the arms, joints, andwrists to be strong but flexible as well ascoordination of movement with attackingand defensive postures, and the WoodenPole, trains the stance to be even morestrong. The Wooden Dummy

Hope House is dedicated to serving theneeds of families with children who areterminally ill or life limited.

It offers practical help andemotional support for the whole familyfor as long as it is needed. Every familyis different and Hope House has theflexibility to respond to eachindividual’s needs. The hospice reliesentirely upon charitable donations andreceives no statutory funding. Therunning costs are about £1,000,000per year.

In order to help raise funds, aMartial Arts spectacular is beingorganised in which many well knownmasters and teachers will be giving uptheir time to help support this valuablecause; they include, Tony Moore, PaulWhitrod, Krishna Godhania, GlennLobo and many more besides.

It promises to be a veryspectacular day and a chanceto see many different martialarts and teachers. If youwould like more

Charity Martial Arts SpectacularDeeside Leisure CentreChester Road WestQueensferrySaturday 15th September 2001-06-203pm to 9pm

details please contact:Michael Charlton on01244 401488or 07941 686045.

Martial ArtsCharity Spectacular

“If you train inthe traditional way,then you will cover

both internal andexternal training”

Qi Magazine 4

encompasses all of these and allows youto train kicking and use of energy inattacks. So it is not just about training ina ‘hard’ way, it must be balanced. If youtrain yourself to be hard all of the time,do you think this follows Wing Chunprinciples? In that case, how do you applysensitivity? Strong does not equalsensitivity. You must be relaxed in orderto feel and sense your opponent’s energy.This, along with centreline attacks, is thefoundation of Wing Chun principles.

As for Taijiquan, many people onlysee slow and soft movements thinking thatthis is all that there is. Actually, there aremany styles of Taijiquan, but it has beendocumented that all of these styles arederived from Chen Taijiquan, the founderof whom was Chen Wanting of the MingDynasty. During this time, there was a lot

of upheaval in the existing governmentand so there was a need for a fightingskill that could be used to protect and alsoattack. So Taijiquan is actually a martialart. If you ever see the Cannon Fist formperformed, then you can see immediatelyfrom the stamping, jumping, kicking andFa Jing that this is so.

So really, what you need to decideis what is fit for you. Both Wing Chun andparticularly, Chen Taijiquan, are powerfulmartial arts. Wing Chun may be quickerto be able to learn for self defence as itrelies on sensitivity, not strength. WhereasChen Taijiquan requires a strongfoundation and internal energy which

only comes from a long period of training.Whichever martial art you choose, youshould enjoy it and also make sure thatyour instructor is following the principlesof that art. Otherwise, no matter that youlearn both skills, you still may have onlyhalf an apple with each.Yours sincerely,Michael Tse

NegativeAdvice

Dear Michael,I would like your advice on the

following: Are a social worker andcounsellor ’s jobs dangerous andpolluting to the body’s Qi because theyare open to peoples’ problems? How canQigong help? Thanks and hope you will

reply soon because I thoughtof changing the above jobsmentioned.Regards, TCL,Singapore

Dear TCL,You are correct

assuming that these kinds ofjobs can bring more negativeenergy to the body. However,there are not many jobs thatdo not. Even myself, in givingQigong treatments to people,I will take on their negativeenergy. When we walk on the

streets, we maybe breathing in

the traffic pollution. If we travel we cannotalways eat the right foods. Maybe we goto visit our best friend who is a smoker.Do we avoid all these situations, notworking, not eating, not seeing friends?Of course not. Qigong is not aboutavoiding the world, but about how to findbalance. It is inevitable that you take onnegative energy just through daily tasksor your job or even at home. Your case isnot one in which you are being exposedto dangerous chemicals or radiation. Yourjob is about human energy. It may be thatyou can help many people through yourwork, so in that case it is very worthwhile.All you need to do is practise more, not

just before you go to work, but when youcome home as well, to release the energyyou gathered through the day.Yours sincerely,Michael Tse

Question:Q. I was wondering is there any

difference to my Qi development when Ipractise with my friend in the sameroom?

A. It depends on the person, howhealthy they are. If you are both quitehealthy, then it will create a stronger Qifield when you do meditation together forinstance. This is why I have everyone jointogether to do meditation in a circle atthe end of my classes. All together, itcreates a very strong Qi and theneveryone can benefit and start to feel theeffects of meditation more so than theywould on their own.

QigongInstructor?Dear Master Tse,

Thank you in advance for readingmy message, in which I have tried toexplain in detail the questions I have. Iam trying to find a way to make the studyand development of Qi the centre of mylife.

I am considering starting anacupuncture course this year, but my realdesire is to properly learn Qigong. I havesome basic experience, having studiedvarious martial arts, practised some Taiji,taken some Qigong lessons, and eachday I practise for an hour quiet Qigongmeditations to circulate the Qi in thesmall and greater orbits and a standingmeditation to develop Qi.

I have read as many books andarticles as I can lay my hands upon, andam now searching for the next step. Iwould very much like, at some stage, tolearn Hard Qigong, since along with allthe other benefits of this practice, Ibelieve that breaking a brick into twopieces with my palm would give me agreat boost of faith and help me to keepon the right path of practice. In a perfectworld, I would also become an instructorof Qigong and use Qigong healing.With that background in mind then, canyou tell me:

1. How long does it take tobecome an Instructor with your institute?

“Breaking a brickwith my palm would giveme a great boost of faith”

Qi Magazine 5

2. How is an instructor coursestructured? Is there a core syllabus ofpractice and techniques or does onespecialize immediately?

3. What is the cost associated withachieving instructor-level status?

4. What are my opportunities forlearning Hard Qigong, and how longdoes it take complete, say, Level 1?

5. Do your courses involvestudying in any detail the acupuncturepoints or Qigong massage oracupressure?

I look forward to hearing from you andto any insights you can offer onfinding a path.Yours gratefully, RB

Dear RB,You have a lot of ideas but the

best is you begin your studies and see howyou feel. If it is right, then everything will

develop naturally. You should studyQigong to make yourself healthy not withthe goal of being a healer or instructorfirst. Otherwise, your focus will be tooconcentrated on so many details and youwill miss the concept of relaxation andenergy.

When you come to the Centre, youare becoming a part of a family and weall respect and help each other. There aremany people who would like to becertified by the Centre, but whether theyhave the patience and heart is anothermatter. So first, I recommend you see ifyou enjoy the Qigong and if it is fit foryou and then, just take it one step at atime. When we taste too many things toofast, it can spoil your taste for what is right.The best is that you try one thing at a timeand see what you think. Then when youknow what is right for you, you canconcentrate to develop.Best wishes, Michael Tse

Dear Sifu,When people claim to see a ghost, are they really seeing a ghost or a

person’s spirit from another time and dimension or does our own mind-intent create these images? There are many children who claim to see ghostsor transparent figures in their houses. Also, are haunted houses affectedfrom a person’s own energy and Qi and perhaps very bad feng shui withinthe house? I have often heard about haunted houses and each time thehouse is based around a bad area or has a bad history. Thank you for takingthe time to answer my questions.B, Nottingham

Dear B,I think many people would like to know the answer to these questions,

even myself! I cannot answer this question based on my personal experienceof having seen a ghost myself, only on stories people have told me. For instance,in Hong Kong, one of my best friend’s wife says she can see ghosts , and notonly that, she also sees quite scary things like blood dripping down walls. Shesees all the time. Another student’s wife, says that her mother can see ghostsand once, when she was a little girl out walking with her mum and brother,her mum suddenly pulled them to one side, even though there was nobodythere. Afterwards they asked why and she said it was because there was aghost person walking in front of them and that she was giving way to him.

Even my own mother is very sensitive for these things. Once when Iwas a teenager, I had gone out with my friends to the Moon Festival. It wasquite late when I came home and I was very tired but before I could even sitdown my mum almost shouted at me, telling me to be more careful as I hadlet someone walk in the door after me. It made me have goose bumps on theback of my neck and it made me nervous for awhile because of course, I didnot see anyone there. Afterwards, I forgot about it as I did not want to thinkabout it. I know the more you think about these things, then the more sensitiveand open you become.Your sincerely Michael Tse

GhostsGhosts HONG KONGQIGONGMind Body Spirit

On 10 June, the Tse QigongCentre participated in a Hong Kong MindBody Spirit Open Day. Lawrence Tsedemonstrated some exercises from theBalancing and Healthy Living Gong sets,using them as examples of ways Qigongcan be used for healing certain illnesses.His demonstration stimulated a lot ofpeople to ask for information about theCentre. This is good as many Chinesepeople are often skeptical whether Qireally exists, particularly in commercialHong Kong. Qigong massage was alsooffered and it proved to be very popular,with many people, both Westerners andChinese, queuing up for a treatment.

BBC ExposesFake Qigong

BBC Radio 5 recently exposed afake Qigong teacher / healer during oneof their late night shows. The teacherwho is active mainly in Yorkshire andNottinghamshire has been chargingpeople upto £10,000 for treatment withpromises of miraculous cures.

Qi Magazine did discuss this veryteacher and his various exploits anumber of years ago. Unfortunately itseems that the person in question is stillup to his old tricks. Even more, he is evenusing the name Wild Goose. We can onlypresume he is either trying to attachsome authenticity to his style or oncemore attempting to mislead peoplelooking for the real skill.

We can see that as Qigongbecomes more and more popular, moreunscrupulous people will try and exploitit. All we can do is make sure that thetrue skills are preserved and popularised.Then when the general public is moreaware, they will not be tricked so easily.We would say to those looking for ateacher, to make sure you check theirhistory and background and also seesome evidence that their teacher hasgiven them authority to teach before youcommit yourselves, and to those whotake advantage of others “What goesround comes around.”

Qi Magazine 6

Dear Michael,I was reading your magazine

about Qigong and side effects and itprompted me to write. This is whathappened to me while meditatingsome years ago. I was seated in thehalf lotus position concentrating on myenergy going to my Dantian and fromthere to my Huiyin point and then tothe point on my back which is oppositeto my Dantian and then up my backto another point onto the head andthen guiding the energy back downto the Dantian.

I was doing this for some timeand the energy was runningsmoothly and my eyes were out offocus when suddenly all I couldsee was a line of energy goingaround my body following thepassage I described earlier.Then I could see my Chakrasglowing brightly and thenext minute it seemed likeI was out of my body andout in space. A lot ofstrange ideas startedrunning through mymind. Some of theseideas were aboutpressure points on thebody and how they weresimilar to the stone circlesand leylines on the earth.I also thought somethingabout the plants in theuniverse and this made merealise how we are all one with theuniverse or a heavenly body.

After this experience, quite afew months later, I had a nervousbreakdown. I still suffer with voices inmy head and also I am very sensitiveto energy. It sometimes feels likesomeone is sending bad energy to me.I also get a sensation like energy ballsin my body which are popping.

It is very strange, and wouldlike to know can you explain any ofthese experiences to me, please. Alsoare there any exercises which I can doto stop getting the voices and the othereffects as well. I realise you are not adoctor but would gladly try anythingto get better.Best wishes, A

Dear A,Qigong side effects are not just a

joke and can be serious as you havefound out. Qigong side effects can easily

happen whenwe try todirect ourQi using

t h e

mind and visualisation.This may not always be aproblem – but if the persondoes not know enoughabout how to settle their Qiand bring it back to theirDantian, then problems canarise. It is like leaving yourcar in high gear all the time.Of course, we know, weshould only use it at certaintimes, like when overtakinganother car to give us moreacceleration. But if you use it all thetime, even when just going to the shop tobuy bread or drive to and from work, it islike someone is putting pressure on youall the time. It will cause stress andnervousness and other problems.

Qigong is a very profound skill. Itcan be simple and it can be hard. It canbe deep and it can be shallow. But in allthese cases, one has to follow the rightprinciples. Too many people learn a littlebit and then think they know the wholestory. Actually, all they have seen is onechapter and do not even know theending. Some people do not even knowthat much, having only read a fewparagraphs before thinking they arequalified to pass on skill.

Qigong is a profound skillbecause it deals with energy and theinternal body and the mind. When weunderstand how Qi flows in the body andhow it relates to the channels andacupuncture points, when we understandhow it is dispersed through the internalorgans and feeds the cells and nourishesthe rest of the body, we know it is not

simple. That is not to say the beginnerneeds to understand Qi on this kindof level, but the instructor does. Thatis why each proper Qigong methodwill have its own principles whichneed to be followed. If an instructordoes not know the principles, thenhow can they teach their students

properly? In the end, students of theseunqualified instructors can findthemselves with some of the sameproblems which you have experienced oreven worse.

Qigong Side EffectsQigong Side Effects

Dr Xie Peiqi demonstrating meditation fromthe Yin style of Bagua Zhang

“One hasto followthe right

principles”

Qi Magazine 7

The style of Qigong which I teach,Dayan Qigong, does not use visualisation.Instead, the movements guide the Qi. Forinstance, in the movement Draw Wings tothe Back from Wild Goose Qigong 1st 64, we close the five fingers in a specialposition call Plum Blossom claw and thenbring the Qi back the Shenshu points,touching with the Hegu points. Thisstimulates the kidneys without us evenhaving to think about it. However, ifsomeone does not follow the principles andforgets to close the fingers or brings theQi to a different place on the body, then itwill not bring the benefit that it could.Other movements, if done improperly, mayhave a more serious effect, like backproblems or hypertension. If they are tryingto do visualisation of the Qi as well, it cancause mental problems.

Sometimes people put too muchemphasis on things, thinking that they willget a better result if they use lots ofconcentration. Just because we use moreforce, does not mean that it will have agood result. I have told the story manytimes in my lectures about the farmer whowanted to make his rice grow faster. Hegrew tired of waiting for it to grow taller,so one day he comes up with an idea. Sothat day, he tugged on each shoot, pullingit upwards a few centimetres, hoping tohelp it ‘grow’ faster. Of course, whathappened? The next day, he came back tohis field and all his plants had died.

Everything in life has to comenaturally. We cannot force results,particularly in Qigong. You should alwaysmake sure you study with a properlyqualified instructor, finding out who theirteacher is and who their teacher’s teacheris. Find out about the history of the Qigongmethod itself. How long has it beenaround? What are its principles? There aremany, many different Qigong styles tochoose from now days. Sometimes peoplewill learn more than one style and evenmix them up. This too can cause a badresult. If you study more than one style,then you should not practise them at thesame time, but always separate thembecause the energy they produce may becompletely different and not compatible.It could be like mixing vinegar and tea andtrying to drink it. This is why I alwaysrecommend that people study with aqualified teacher. Otherwise, you aredrinking from a cup that you do not knowif it is clean or dirty.Yours sincerely,Michael Tse

Tse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59

Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285

+44 161 929 4485tse@qimagazine.com

Everyday we receive many letters from people all over the world, sometimes asking for advice,sometimes just sharing their experience. Unless specifically asked otherwise, we will consider theseletters for possible publication in Qi Magazine. In this way, we all come together like a family andshare and help each other. That is the reason I began Qi Magazine and particularly the PO Box.- Michael Tse

If there is anything you wish to share with others, any news or any announcements you would liketo make, send them to us. We also welcome articles (800 - 1000 words in length) on topicsappropriate.

Please write to:

Qi MagazinePO Box 59,

Altrincham WA15 8FS. UK.email tse@qimagazine.com

Tse Qigong CentrePO Box 15807,

Honolulu, HI 96830. USA.email tse@wildgooseqigong.com

UK USA

Qi Magazine 8

considered good. If our intention is forself-benefit, then regardless of ourappearance of respect and courtesy, it isstill considered bad.”

“Therefore, when we practise kinddeeds with the sole intention ofbenefiting others, this is consideredbenefiting the public and if it is public,then it is real goodness. If we only thinkof ourselves while doing kind acts, thenthat is considered private benefit and thisis false goodness. When kindness springsfrom within the heart, it is real goodness.When we do good just for the sake ofdoing a good deed, then it is false. Inaddition, when we do good withoutexpecting anything in return, it isconsidered real goodness. “When wepractise kind deeds for some otherpurpose than to benefit others, it is false.Those who wish to practise true kindnessneed to contemplate all thesedifferences.”

After I heard this story from thebook of Liao-Fan’s Four Lessons, I wasvery impressed by this explanation.Master Jung Fung is right. Today we dothings and think we are helping otherpeople, but the result might not be right.We might even damage more things inthe long run. For example, it is verycommon to see homeless people in thebig cities in the West. Often when wewalk down the street, we see a homelessperson sitting in the street who is askingfor money. They might say they have noteaten for a long time and of course, wefeel sympathy and give that personmoney. However, do you think that theywill spend that money for food? If he doesspend it on food, then that is okay andwe have done something good. But if hedoes not, and spends the money insteadon alcohol or drugs, then we have done

I find that I am less upset and that thewhole day will be smoother.

Another example, when I go to thesupermarket, I no longer try to find theclosest parking space to the store.Instead, I will park further away and letsomeone else take that space. When Iam in London, on the underground orbus, I now prefer to stand if it is crowded,leaving that space for someone else.These are just a few small things we cando which will help others without othersnoticing or calling attention to ourselves.This is good for our heart and attitudeand affect our Qi, making us calmer. Thisin turn will make us healthier as we willnot be so stressful for things.

Sometimes we will do things thatwill affect other people negatively. Forexample, you like to listen to music loudly.That is fine if others around you do notmind or if you are on your own. Butmaybe your neighbour or your partnerdoes not like it. If you keep doing it, thenit is making more bad karma for yourself.

Confucius said, “Making otherpeople happy is your own truehappiness.”

something which helps that person harmthemselves and this is bad.

So if you are not sure, then whynot buy them food instead and give thisto them instead of the money. In this way,you know you have done the right thing.Today, many people think that by givingmoney away or helping others that theyhave done a good deed. For instance,say you want to heal someone or teachsomebody skill. Before you do this, first,are you healthy enough to heal? Are youqualified to teach? Or will you pass onanother problem to the person you aretrying to help? If you are ill and you givesomeone a treatment, you will pass onyour negative energy on to anotherperson. If you are ill, you should use yourenergy to make yourself healthy first.

After I heard Master Jung Fung’sexplanation of good and bad, it changedmy attitude for certain things. Forexample, when I drive now, I will giveway to other cars now, instead of tryingto be first or faster. This is good for otherpeople. Why do I have to be first? It doesnot cost me a lot of time but afterwards,

“This is good for ourheart and attitudeand affects our Qi,making us calmer”

Qi Magazine 9

Yin and Yang are at the heart of any system of Taijiquan. They have manyattributes. Yin and Yang can be dark and light, earth and heaven, death and life; anyphenomenon can be described in terms of Yin and Yang. For Taijiquan some of the moreimportant attributes are: movement and stillness, hard and soft, fast and slow, forwardsand back, open and close.

It can be said that Yin and Yang aremore clearly differentiated in ChenTaijiquan than any of the other

systems. Chen clearly has fastmovements and slow movements, hardmovements and soft movements. Thisis not to say that other styles do not useYin and Yang. Yin and Yang are, afterall, relative terms. You can make evermore subtle differentiations betweenshades of grey or you can have sharplycontrasting blacks and whites. In somesenses it is an aesthetic choice, in othersit is a matter of intention andapplication. Even within the Chensystem you can see different degreesof polarity between Yin and Yangwhen you compare Old and NewFrames, Taiji and Pao Choi.

In the Old Frame the Taijiprinciple is expressed in anumber of ways. The mostobvious is the concept of the circle.In the first of the silk reeling exercisesone hand is moved in a circle in frontof the body. During the movementaround the circle the hand movesfrom Yin to Yang and Yang to Yin.In this particular exercise thefurther the hand is away from theDantian the more Yang it is andthe closer to the Dantian themore Yin it is. If you are doingthe exercise with the right handthen there is a relationship ofequivalence between the righthand and the left foot. Anotherway of considering this exerciseis to imagine an invisible circlearound the body. This circlerepresents the limit ofmovement. Its centre is theDantian. The hand moves awayfrom the Dantian and when it reachesthe extreme limit it returns. The same istrue of the left foot. This is what is meantby opening and closing.

At the same time you learn to co-ordinate breathing in with opening andbreathing out with closing. Thus theinhaling and exhaling become part ofthe Yin Yang cycle. The Old Framegradually builds up layers of skill givingtime for each new skill to becomehabituated into the body by manyrepetitions. After several years of

practice the body should be sufficientlyconditioned to enable you to do the PaoChoi form without seriously injuringyourself.

The Pao Choi in both Old andNew Frames reverses the principles of theTaiji form. In the Taiji form Yin leads Yangwhile in the Pao Choi Yang leads Yin. The

Pao Choi emphasises the use ofFajing. Fajing is the method bywhich Taiji systems generatepower. There are a few Fajingtechniques in the first form but

they are usually first taughtwithout the Fajing energy.This is introduced lateronce the posture iscorrect and themovements are smoothand relaxed. It is notpossible to use Fa-jing when tense andif your posture isincorrect you willinjure yourself.To draw acomparison, it is

a lit tle likedoing one

f i n g e rh a n d

s t a n d s ;very fewpeople areable to do them

without spendingsome time refining theirtechnique andconditioning their body.

Taiji as a system works from softto hard. This is one of the ways in whichit balances itself as a system. Kung Fusystems often work in the reverse manner- starting with simple hard and energeticforms and then building up in complexityand introducing soft Qigong elements atthe more advanced stages. Taiji toughensthe body from the inside out.

The Chen New Frame is directlycomparable with the Old Frame. Bothstart with the relatively soft form basedon Taiji principles and then work throughvarious weapons to develop skill andpower finally arriving at the Pao Choi.

The real difference between theOld Frame and the New Frame is thatthe New Frame is never simple. It is likea symphony. Multiple refrains andmelodies interweave. In the New Frameeach limb is doing something different,sometimes co-ordinating and sometimescomplementing. Techniques are multipleand simultaneous. It is a high levelsystem. The Old Frame draws the circlelarge and uses it to define the limits ofthe body. The new frame draws muchsmaller circles. It assumes that youalready know the limits of your body. Itdraws several circles at a time and it usesseveral planes.

The New Frame uses spirals tocreate multiple centres that can shift andmove. This is the heart of its martialtechnique. You disguise your own centrewhile taking control of your opponent’sand by taking it outside of their limits,their body is forced to rotate around theexternal centre that you have created, orbreak. The theory is of course much moresimple than the practice. The beauty ofthe new frame is like that of a symphony.Although there is tremendous complexity,there is also structure and clarity. Themovements are dynamic; sometimes softand subtle and sometimes combininginto a unified sweep that delivers asudden burst of power that is shockingin its raw brutality. Like the bestsymphonies the New Frame is a culturalproduct that has been developed downthe ages. Many individuals sought andattained excellence. They passed theirskills down the generations until thegenius of Chen Fake refined them intothe coherent system which is distilled inthese forms

Glenn Gosslingemail: glenn@qimgazine.com

Taiji & Pao Choi,Old & New FramesTaiji & Pao Choi,Old & New Frames

Chen

Taijiq

uan

Qi Magazine 10

The condition of the complexionis not considered as an illness yetit is an important sign of health for

everyone. No matter if you are a younglady or an elderly woman, a young manor an elderly man. It makes no differenceif you are white, black or Asian race. Thehealthy complexion is bright and shinyand a good shape; not too fat or too thin,smooth and soft. A healthy complexion

l o o k senergetic, gives the bearer

more confidence and they look moreattractive.

The yellow Emperor said “IfYin and Yang are in good balance, thenyou will be healthy and look bright”. Ifyou have an imbalance between Yin andYang in your body it will show in a poorcomplexion. Chinese herbal medicinecan help you to balance the Yin and Yangand regulate the Qi and blood to improvethe complexion.

The most common types of poorcomplexion and the causes and

treatment are:1. A Pale Sallow

complexionIt usually accompaniestiredness, dizziness, poorconcentration or memory,insomnia, pale tongue witha thin white coating and adeep thready pulse. Mostusually seen in peoplesuffering from anaemia.Causes: Deficiency of bloodand blood fails to nourish thecomplexion.Treatment: Tonify the bloodto nourish the facePrescription: Gui Pi Wan, RenShen Yang Rong Wan, BaZhen Wan

2. Red complexionA bright red face, possiblyacne, dry itching skin,accompanied by hot flushes,headache, stress,palpitations, constipationand thirst. Red tongue withthink yellow coating and arapid pulse.Causes: Excessive bloodheat, rising liver Yang affectsthe factTreatment: Clear away theheat, cool the blood andcalm the liver Yang

Prescription: Jin Ju Di Dan WanZhi Bai Di Huang Wan,Xia Zi Qin Dai WanDiet: Jin Yin Hua, Bai Ju Hua madeas tea

3. Patchy ComplexionBrown pigmentation on the face,accompanied by backache, irregularmenstruation, dark red tongue. Threadyhesitant pulse, usually seen in womenafter labour.Causes: Deficiency of blood andstagnation of QiTreatment: Harmonise the Qi and bloodin Chong and Ren channels.Prescription Nu Bao, Tai Tai Kou Fu Ye,Shi Quan Da Bu WanDiet: Dan Shen powder, take it daily ascoffee

4. Puffy ComplexionPuffiness in the face and eyelids,accompanied by swollen fingers and legs,backache, water retention, difficultypassing urine, overweight, pale andenlarged tongue, moist white coating,deep slow pulse.Cause: Deficiency of the kidney YangTreatment: warm the kidney Yang toinduce urinationPrescription: Jin Kui Shen Qi Wan, WuPi Yin, Bu Zhong Yi Qi WanDiet: Yi Yi Reng, sweet corn, make it asrice pudding

5. Thin ComplexionThe face looks thick accompanied by poorappetite, chronic diarrhoea, andlethargic, pink tongue with a thin whitecoating, thready weal pulse.Causes: Deficiency of spleen QiTreatment: enrich the spleen to improvedigestionPrescription: Jiang Pi Wan,Bao He WanDiet: Fu Ling, boil it with soup

Dr. Shulan Tangemail: shulan@qimagazine.com

Good Chinese doctors can tell the conditionof your health just from your appearance. This isbecause your appearance is like a mirror image ofyour internal condition. Like everything in TCM,internal and external are linked together.

The Complexionand TCMThe Complexionand TCM

Tra

dit

ion

al

Ch

ine

seM

ed

icin

e

Qi Magazine 12

4 Cicada Takes Off the Shell.i. Lift both hands from the Futu points to the front of the

shoulders level, meanwhile breathe in with toes up. Fig 13ii. Bend the fingers first, then bend wrists, bend the elbows at

the end put hands in front of the shoulders; meanwhile stillbreathe in. Fig 14

iii. Turn your Hegu, Shangong, Erjieu, Sanjian, open to yourchest. Keep going down those acupoints, past the armpitsand then pass through urinary bladder channels up to thecoccyx meanwhile breathe out with toes down. Fig 15

iv. Bring both hands to the side of the waist with both wristsbending, meanwhile breathe in with toes up. Fig 16

v. Bring up both hands to the shoulders level and still keepthe wrists bending, breathe in at the same time with toesup. Fig 17

vi. Drop both hands as at the beginning, Laogong points onFutu points. Fig 18

vii. Repeat all the movements three times, breathing in the sameas the last two movements and with the same sound. Relaxand tense are the same as well, only the concentration ison the Laogong points this time.

5 Zhao Jun Combs Hair.i. Sit still on the chair, rest your hands at Futu points, breathe

in with all toes up, both palms into the Futu points.ii. And then lift up both hands to the shoulders level. Fig 19iii. Breathe out, squeeze all toes, relax the hips, lift up the left

hand to the left side of the face with palm facing out, andthen bring the right hand to the left side of the face withLaogong point facing the Taiyang point like combing thehair, take the right palm slowly down from the top to theneck. Fig 20

iv. Breathe in, pull right hand back across to the right chestwith palm up, bending the middle ring and small fingersand open the thumb. Then push out the left hand forwardwith the same hand gesture as right palm. Look at theShanyang point on the left index finger. Fig 21

v. Slowly drop the right hand with the palm facing the body,to the Futu point on the thigh, at the same time slowly dropthe left hand to the Futu points. Laogong to Futu points asbefore. Meanwhile breathe out squeezing the toes andallowing make “Tsue” sound. Fig 22

LungNourishing

GongPart 2

fig 13

fig 14

fig 15

fig 16

fig 17 fig 18

fig 19

fig 20

fig 21

fig 22

Qi Magazine 13

6 Two Dragons Play with the Pearl.i. Sitting in the same position as before with palms Laogong

points on the Futu points, and gently rub them, lift up allthe toes.

ii. Lift up with both arms up, squeeze all the toes as youbreathe in. Fig 23

iii. Turn the body to the left side, right arm up, palm facesbackward, meanwhile left palm turns to the back, palmfaces outside. Fig 24

iv. Keep turning the body to the left side as the right armfollows. Fig 25

v. Then lift both arms to the shoulder level and repeat themovement on the other side. All the movement are thenlike two dragons playing with a pearl. Do 9 times oneach side.

vi. Afterwards stretch both arms forward. Fig 26vii. Slowly drop both palms on Futu points.viii. Then hold the fists, draw them back to the waist. Fig 27

7 Supporting the Heaven Gate.i. As breathing in, lift up the right arm and left leg, drop the

left palm, head turns to the left side at the same time. Fig28

ii. Breathe out, drop the left leg as spinal position with palmsturning into fists to withdraw back to the waist and thenthe head turns back to the front.

iii. Repeat those on both sides 24 times. When breathing out,make the “Tsue” sound.

8 Shou Gong.i. Sitting as before, rest both palms on the Futu points. As

breathing in turn toes up, turn head to the left and botharms up to the shoulder level. Fig 29

ii. Close up both palms, and then slowly drop them to theFutu points. Fig 30

iii. At the end, breathe out, and make “Tsue” sound, palmsrest at the Futu points. Repeat all a total of 9 times.

iv. At the end rest your palms to Ginanyuan point which is atthe Dantian area, For men the left hand in and for womenright hand in. Breathe naturally for a few minutes.

When doing this Lung Nourishing Gong one needs toconcentrate on the movements with the breathing togetherand relax the body. Make sure your know all the location ofthe acupuncture points.

Remember with more practice you will get a lot morebenefit with your lungs and it is good for all kind of conditions

by Zhang Guang De

fig 28 fig 29 fig 30

fig 26 fig 27fig 23 fig 24 fig 25

Qi Magazine 14

When you can find a good teacher, you are very lucky.However, when you do find the teacher you want, you thenhave to find out how to learn the skill. Even with themstanding in front of you, you might miss it.

Chan and Ma sat and watched as theirSifu was teaching a group ofstudents. The students had only been

studying for a short while and their skillwas a little rough.

“Ma, watch how they learn fromSifu,” said Chan. Ma was a little puzzled,“What do you mean?” He asked. “Justwatch and then tell me what you think.”

Ma watched and tried to work outwhat he was looking for. He knew Chanhad something in mind and he wantedto see if he could work it out. Hecontinued to watch as their Sifu taughtmovements from a Qigong form andthen they went on to a martial arts form.Then they all followed their teacher toperform the movements they had justlearnt as a group.

“Who do you think has picked itup the best?” Chan asked him. Manodded towards one student who wentthrough the form at the same pace astheir Sifu. “I think he has remembered

what they have been shown better thanthe others.” Replied Ma. “Why do you saythat?” Asked Chan. “Well, he can gothrough the form and keep up with Sifu.”

“What about Li, at the back?”Chan nodded towards one student at theback. Ma knew he was good andpractised very hard. But as he watchedhim now, he saw his movements were

not smooth andhe even missedout parts now andagain. This wasbecause his head was always turned sohe could see their Sifu. “I don’t think hehas remembered as well as the others.”

Chan justnodded again,but did not saya n y t h i n g .Then thel e s s o nfinished and

their Sifu toldthem all to have

a rest and comeback in two hours.

As was normal, mostof the students stayed for a while togo through what they had learnt.

“Come on let’s go and havesomething to eat and come backlater,” said Chan.

After the break, the groupreturned and their lesson beganagain. Ma and Chan sat and watched

again. Their Sifu went through the thingsthey had learnt earlier in the day andcorrected postures and movements. Thenonce more they all followed him as agroup.

“Who do you think is the bestnow?” Chan asked Ma. After observing,Ma replied, “The same one as before.”Chan smiled and asked, “How about Li?”Li was still looking at their Sifu and againhis movements were a little broken up.“He still does not seem to haveremembered it yet,” said Ma.

Then, their Sifu told the group togo through the form on their own, oneby one. As each took their turn, Manoticed that while most remembered thesequence, their movements were veryjerky and not smooth.

Then it was Li turns. To Ma’ssurprise, he remembered all themovements and did not pause, but even

“When you followyour teacher, payattention to whathe does”

Stop, Look & Listen

Cli

mb

ing

the

Mo

un

tain

Qi Magazine 15

Tse Qigong Centre UKPO Box 59

Altrincham WA15 8FS0845 838 2285

+44 161 929 4485tse@qimagazine.com

better, his move-ments, thoughnot perfect, weresmoother and theflow was muchbetter. He lookedat Chan who wasgrinning at him.“You see,” saidChan, “actually Liis the best.”

“Its notthat he did notremember, heremembers very well. He takes everyopportunity to watch Sifu so he can notonly remember, but also pick up theattitude and more importantly the

energy. Yousee theeasy part isrememberingthe move-

ments. Thehardest part is

catching the energy.This part no one can tellexactly how to do it orgive to you, even Sifu.He can only giveexamples to suggest itto you.”

“What do youmean?” Asked Ma.“Well, suppose you hadto describe the taste ofan orange to someonewho had never tasted

one? The only way is try and giveexamples based on what that personunderstands. So when Sifu gives you anexample you also have to keep watchingand looking, that way you will not only

see detail in the movement, but also startto see the flow and energy. This is thepart that takes many years to achieve.Some people never get this part as oncethey remember the movements, they stoplooking. Did you notice that most of thegroup while they were keeping up withSifu, none were actually watching him,only Li did so.”

“So the others were not followingwhat Sifu was doing, they were doing theform as they thought it should be,” saidMa. “Exactly” said Chan, “they stoppedlooking at Sifu and missed the chance tolearn. When you follow your teacher, youshould pay attention to what he does andhow he moves, not do the form as youwould normally do. Otherwise, how willyou improve?”

“He who takes the longest strides,does not walk the fastest, he who doeshis own looking sees little, he who defineshimself is therefore not distinct” recitedMa. Chan just smiled

By Darryl MoyDarryl@qimagazine.com

“The hardest part iscatching the energy”

Qi Magazine 16

Chapter One – Dao De Jing

If you can explain Dao, then this is not Dao.

If the things can be named, this is not the proper name.

This means Daoism cannot just be explained by givingit a label. It is based upon how you feel and your understandingat that moment. For instance, if you have an itchy back, then itis hard to explain to someone how to find and scratch thatexact spot.

Chinese say, “You might understand it, but I cannotexplain it.” This is how much of Chinese culture was developed,based upon feeling and enlightenment. Some things cannotbe touched, cannot be seen, cannot be proven by science butcan only be felt. Once you feel, then suddenly you realise youunderstand it.

Many times people ask me how they can getenlightenment. Basically, when the person asks this question,they are not ready yet for enlightenment, even if it is rightthere in front of them. I can only answer, that when the time isright, they will know and also understand. Therefore, Chineseculture and philosophy have developed very differently thanWestern science. Daoism, often written as Taoism, is like this.

Nothing is the beginning of the universe.

Something is the mother of the universe.

This means that everything starts from nothing. Therewas no universe, there were no dinosaurs, there were no humanbeings. No you and me. Nothing happened or changed. Oncethings happen, then it is like a mother. A mother createschildren, but in this instance, mother also means parents. Thingscome, we are here, the universe is here, then all things arecreated and many situations also arise from this. This is nature.

If you can allow yourself to be empty, then you will findthat many interesting things will happen.

When you are something, you will see the results.

To be empty is to not wish for anything or want to changeanything. We will find that there are so many things that younever expect will come. And when they come, they will comeproperly and steadily.

However, people think to do nothing is a kind of laziness.This is wrong. Laziness is looking for comfort for yourself. To beempty you can stand still and do nothing, like in meditation.Do one thing with concentration and consistency, with no

The Dao De Jing is said to havebeen written by Lao Zi between 770-476B.C. It contains a wealth ofinformation and thinking, and explainsand interprets the Universe throughunderstanding the Dao (Way). Herewe present an interpretation andexplanation of Lao Zi’s writings.

The DaoDe Jing

Qi Magazine 17

the Dao De Jing

the Dao De Jing

external changes, this is emptiness. However, inside, manythings are changing and it is these changes that are interesting.They are positive and natural and the right way to progress.This is the same as a lot of Qigong principles. When we practiseand empty the mind, this is how the Qi will develop. This ishow all the Daoism magic develops, because they constantlydo one thing without being affected from outside.

To be something, means you want something. You willsee the result. For example, I take a bus from the town to myhome. This iss o m e t h i n g .Because youwant somethingand are makingplans for this,then it can easilybe affected byother things. Forexample, therecan be a trafficjam or it cansuddenly start pouring with rain and you have forgotten yourumbrella. You can even meet up with a friend and your friendbuys you dinner and gives you a lift home, so you do not needto take the bus at all. This is why when you plan to do something,the result can be varied. Daoism says that if you do not want tohave a bad result, then do not plan. You plan, it can be eithergood or bad or even both. The same, if you buy a lottery ticket.Most of the time you will lose, but maybe one time you willwin.

In the past, Chinese thought was such that you expectedthe result to be bad before you planned anything else, insteadof just thinking of the positive result. A wise person alwaysexpects things to go wrong, but they know how to cover it.

Nothing and something arise from the same source. Theyare unpredictable, ongoing and changeable. Everything isbecause of the interaction of something and nothing.

This is the conclusion for this chapter. It tells us thateverything is based upon something and nothing. For example,today is a holiday and you stay at home and do nothing, notgoing out and so your mind is very peaceful. But say that later,you decide to go to do your shopping and then eat a mealoutside. You enjoy the time but by the time you get home, youmay feel tired. However, it is not even that simple. In thebeginning, you plan to stay home and do nothing, to enjoy aquiet time. During the day, though, maybe a friend stops byunexpectedly or suddenly you find a good book to read. Whenyou begin to read, your mind is stimulated and so you makesome notes about what you have read. Over time, those notesmay even become a book someday. If that happens, it still isthe case that the book arose from the decision to stay at homein the beginning.

This tells us that even nothing will create something,this is because nothing is completely empty. Only active andpassive. Staying at home doing nothing is passive, open toinfluence. When we plan to go out for shopping and dinner,you might spend more money than expected, buy the wrongthings or even find a good bargain. When you go for dinner,you may choose the wrong food and get food poisoning andgo to the hospital. At the hospital, you may meet the beautifulnurse and fall in love and then get married and have children.Therefore, everything is based upon something and nothing.All the universe is based upon the principle of cause and effect.

Chapter Two

Everybody knows what is beauty, because of this, uglinessexists.

Everybody knows that good exists, therefore, bad also exists.

Lao Tzu is very clever to look at things like this. Becausepeople only see beauty and ugliness and goodand bad, they forget, that without this contrast,one cannot appreciate the difference between.If you think yourself so pretty, remember, thereis always someone with more beauty. If youtaste something very delicious, we should knowthat there is something even better. However,we should not look at the things like this. Weshould be ourselves and discover our ownpotential and develop it, instead of trying tocompete with others. Instead of being jealousof others, take the opportunity to respect andlearn from somebody better than you.

Nothing and something create each other.

Difficulties and ease complement each other.

Long and short define each other.

High and low reflect each other.

Melody and harmony balance each other.

Front and back support each other.

The above describes different situations, like good andbad, happy and sad, etc. They cannot exist on their own, theyneed an opposite to define, support or complement each other.For example, if everybody does the same thing, then there isno comparison between easiness and difficulty. If there is onlyone measurement, there is not tall or short. Therefore, weshould be happy with what we are without comparing to others.

A high level person will teach without words, leading by theirexample.

Everything comes in the right time and happens in the rightmoment.

A high level person creates but not own;

Does but does not expect rewards or results;

A high level person, when successful, does not claim success,drawing no attention.

Hence, everything lasts forever.

This is high level, being there and educating people,but they do not notice. Because you are not trying to blameanybody or earn any results, just act with a true heart to help.Therefore, everybody benefits for what you have done. Theydo not even notice you have done things to help them. TheDao De Jing, educates us to be a person like this. This kind ofpersonis like nature and gives us tremendous things, like food,space air and everything to survive. Even we do not notice. Ifyou can be a person who can behave like nature, then you arehigh level

Translation by Wo Dozi

“A wise personexpects things to gowrong, but knowshow to cover it.”

Qi Magazine 18

It has long been a goal of mine topublish an article that accurately presentsthe richness and depth of Iron WireBoxing. Nam Siu Lam Kuen (NanShao Lin Quan, Southern ShaolinBoxing) is generally considered a hardexternal boxing system that focuses onanimal and elemental boxing techniques.

Tit Sin Kuen PaiTit Sin Kuen Pai

Hung Ga Kuen (Hong Jia Quan, Hung Family Boxing)is especially famous for its hard fighting techniques.To this end many articles that I have come across inEnglish print, although mentioning Iron Wire as aform trained to improve one’s health, have focused

primarily on the physical Iron Shirt side-effects. Long timepractitioners of traditional Chinese martial arts, however,know that internal and external cannot be separated –external arts eventually turn internal and internal systemsmanifest externally.

Within the Nam Siu Lam Hung Ga Kuen systemas passed down by Lai Ng Sam (Liu Wu Shen), Iron

Wire Boxing teaches much more than the IronShirt side effects we often see demonstrated

in the West. Iron Wire Boxing is consideredthe foundational pillar of our system and

is often one of the first forms I teachmy students. This is significantly

different than most Wong Fei Hungbranches of Hung Gar which

teach Iron Wire Boxing as thehighest or last form of the

system. Within our lineage,Iron Wire Boxing consists

The Artof IronWireBoxing

The Artof IronWireBoxing

Qi Magazine 19

of 14 sections totalling 216 movements or postures - relativelylonger than taught in the various Wong Fei Hung branches ofHung Ga Kuen. The difference in length, however, is of littlerelevance to the nature and focus of the form itself. The formpresents as a balance of soft and hard, slow and fast, and fluidand abrupt movements – a harmonization of Yin and Yang. Itis this depth and richness that are the exact reasons I introduceit to my students early on to build a proper foundation forTraditional Southern Siu Lam Boxing.

Growth in traditional arts is not a matter of weeks oreven years. Traditional arts are a path of life that requiredecades of hard work. Traditional Siu Lam arts provide thepractitioner with a means by which to strengthen their body sotheir mind may grow. Just as it takes many years for a seed togrow into a tree and bear fruit, so too it takes many years forthe human body and mind to develop. If we wish to enjoy thefruits of our labours then we must plant the seeds early on.Within our lineage Iron Wire Boxing is the seed from which thebody and mind can ripen.

HistoryLooking back to the life of

Tit Kiu Sam provides us with aglimpse into the origin andpurpose of training this system.

Tit Kiu Sam was bornLeung Kwan, the third son of theLeung family. His family waswealthy and paid for him to studyunder several famous masters.The instructor who had the mostsignificant influence on LeungKwan’s development, however,was the monk Kwok Yan. It wasKwok Yan who taught him theRock Body and 12 Kiu Sautechniques and it was throughtraining these techniques that Leung Kwan eventuallyearned the nickname Tit Kiu Sam. Kwok Yan’sinfluence was such that Leung Kwan spent many yearsliving at the Ching Chuk Temple (Qing Zhu Si). Duringthis time Leung Kwan’s perspective on life and thefocus of his martial arts training were no-doubtedlyinfluenced by the Buddhist teachings of the monks.These principles would later be passed down throughIron Wire Boxing.

The form provides the practitioner with anintroduction to the dynamic yoga principles that arecentral to Buddhistic boxing. It is this concept thatdifferentiates our lineage from the common idea thatHung Gar is a hard fighting style. Within our curriculum,fighting skills are secondary to a practitioner’s personal andspiritual development. This may seem odd to many practitionersof Southern arts but we need only consider the goals of a monkto understand this perspective. Nonetheless, we must alsoremember Leung Kwan was, at his core, a martial artist andnot a monk, so it should be no surprise that Iron Wire Boxingcontains many principles to improve one’s martial techniques.In the end however, the merging of mind and body forharnessing martial power or developing the spirit is the same.

Many Hung Ga teachers claim Iron Wire Boxing mustonly be taught to the most advanced students as it is too

dangerous for the beginning student. I do agree internal healthor martial exercises must be practised under the guidance of aqualified instructor, but I do not believe one must be a martialartist to practice Iron Wire Boxing. We should remember thatLeung Kwan taught this form to his friend, Lee Chong, a schoolteacher who was very ill with lung disease. Through dailytraining of Iron Wire Boxing Lee Chong’s health improved andhe was cured of his disease.

Internal ConceptsJust like other internal arts, Iron Wire Boxing focuses

heavily on the Three Treasures (Jing, Qi, Shen), proper bodyalignment, and specific breathing techniques. Iron Wire Boxingalso includes the use of specific emotions and sounds tofacilitate the generation, movement, and release of Qi.

In terms of health the relationship between Jing, Qi,and Shen (a concept well understood within Internal Boxingstyles) is that through building the body’s Qi we can convert itto Jing which is then used to nourish the Shen. In practicalterms this means Qigong is used to nourish the body and

s u p p o r tspiritual growth.

As far as martial artsare concerned I like to

describe Jing as the vehicle, Qias the fuel, and Shen as the

driver. This means it is the Shen(mind) that ultimately controls the manifestation of Qi. Inlearning to control the Shen, a focused practitioner can leadthe Qi to any place inside or outside the body: an ability thathas obvious relations to both healing and martial arts.

Through training Iron Wire we learn the flow of Qi canbe regulated through controlled muscular tension. Aspractitioners of internal arts know well, the more the joints orgua are open, the smoother the Qi will flow. In Iron WireBoxing, after the Qi is led to an area we then lock or store itthere through the use of specific muscular tension andappropriate visualisation. This concept can be easily seen inthe movement Tsai Kiu (Zhi Qiao) where the practitioner turns

“The form providesan introduction todynamic yogaprinciples”

Qi Magazine 20

inward withthe emotion of sorrow and a strongcontraction of the forearm (kiu sau, qiaoshou, bridgearm) thereby compressing thegenerated Qi into the deep tissues of the arm. Likewisewe can see the use of body alignment and breathingtechniques combined in the technique Ding Gam Kiu(Ding Jin Qiao) where we combine the softening andspreading sound “Hoh” with a posture where the hipgua is open, the shoulders are dropped, and theelbows sunk. Together the posture and soundallows the Qi to be softly spread out to the KiuSau (Qiao Shou) and throughout the body.

Integration of emotions within themartial arts is quite rare. In Iron Wire aspractised within our lineage we use the FourFeelings of joy, anger, elation, andsadness. Incorporating the emotionsteaches the practitioner how to harnessthe power of each emotion (think of

t h emother wholifts a car off herchild) and how emotions can directthe movement of Qi within the body. Emotions andsounds have specific directional flows and organs they affect.Anger, for example, is a direct experience of Liver Qi rising inthe body. Joy, on the other hand, has a relaxing or settlingmovement; elation disperses excess Qi towards the surface ofthe body; and sorrow is a withdrawing and condensing of theQi inwards. The constant change of emotions also teaches

the practitioner to recognize each emotion within their bodyand how to let it pass or balance it with another emotion.

The Seven Emotions are long considered a major causeof disease within Chinese medicine and are certainly the largestobstacle to spiritual development within Buddhism. Each

emotion affects specific organs and can benefit ordamage one’s health. Within our version of

Iron Wire Boxing we mainly affect fourorgans (although their paired organs are

also affected): the Kidney, Heart, Lung,and Liver. The Kidneys are affected

through the generation of Qi andits concentration in the Dantian.Joy and Elation both affect theHeart, Sadness the Lungs, andAnger the Liver. When we lookto the role of each organaccording to Chinese medicaltheory the purpose of theform becomes quicklyobvious. The Kidney is oursource of life. The Lungsdominate our Wei Qi(Defensive Qi) which isclosely related to ourimmune system and the

development of a martialartist’s Iron Shirt. The Qi of

the Lungs also supports theHeart’s function of smoothly

moving blood in the body. TheHeart is the house of our Shen,

our spirit, and as such directlyexperiences all emotions and

controls our state of mind andspiritual development. Finally the

Liver dominates the free flow of Qiwithin the body. The only Zang or

Yin organ not directly affectedthrough Iron Wire Boxing is the Spleen

which controls our digestive function.However, when we look to the

generating and harmonizing actions ofthe form we can recognize that strong

Kidney Qi will directly support Spleenfunction while a properly functioning Liverwill not attack the Spleen and so there isno need to directly address it.

Sounds are also incorporated tofurther support the generation andmovement of Qi and regulate the breath.We use 17 different sounds within our

lineage. Some sounds are made uponinhalation while others are made when exhaling,

some are high pitched and some low, some are risingand some sinking. Each sound has a specific direction

of movement and organ it effects. “Hai” is the sound of Yanganger and therefore affects the Liver. It strongly courses the Qi(the function of the Liver in TCM) and raises it towards thesurface of the body. This sound is used with Wai Bong Sau(Outer Bong Sau) where tension is built up and explodedoutwards in a position that activates the Gallbladder and Dai

“Harmonization ofthese concepts willtake a lifetime”

“Harmonization ofthese concepts willtake a lifetime”

Qi Magazine 21

Channels through the twistingof the waist. If you make thesound yourself, you will noticeit begins low in the Dantianand ends in the throat – a risingsound. “Tsaaah” is the soundof sorrow, affects the Lungs,and is an emotional turninginward. It is used with Tsai Kiu(Controlling Bridge) where theforearms are contracted in sucha manner that the Lung and itspaired organ the LargeIntestine are contracted whilethe other meridians of the arm

are stretched. As you can see sounds are used for the effect theyhave themselves and combined with postures for their influenceover specific organs.

The above form the core principles of Iron WireBoxing’s internal concepts. Harmonization ofthese concepts will take a lifetime andcertainly benefit the practitioner on manylevels. Guidance from an experiencedinstructor becomes obviouslynecessary when you consider thepower created by bringing togetherthe mind, breath, emotions, sound,and body. A well-schooled teachershould be aware of common side-effects of improper training and knowhow to adjust a practitioner’s form,training, and lifestyle to treat theproblem and prevent it’s recurrence.

External ConceptsExternally, Iron Wire Boxing is

composed of 14 sections of variousisometric and isotonic exercises thatare combined with the differentemotions, sounds, and breathingpatterns. Each emotion has a specificfacial expression, breathing pattern,and sound; these in turn support eachphysical technique. To the novice,watching the form usually results inlaughter. To the advanced practitioner,there is recognition and appreciation of arare internal form.

As mentioned above, Leung Kwan was a first a martialartist and so it is not surprising that Iron Wire boxing teachesmartial techniques which can be found in the Twelve Bridge-hand

techniques or Kiu Sau Faat (Qiao Shou Fa). The 12 bridge-handsare techniques and principles that teach the practitioner how tomake contact and bridge the distance between with theiropponent. These twelve bridge-hand techniques form the coreof Hung Gar boxing’s famous hand techniques, but can also befound in other southern styles such as Wing Chun Kuen (YongChun Quan) and Choy Li Fut (Cai Li Fo).

Hidden within the movements of Iron Wire Boxing are alsothe six elbow techniques, an aspect that is rarely taught. Learningto use the elbows, however, is an important step in understandingproper body mechanics and is very useful for applications. Thenext time you have an opportunity to observe the form look beyondthe hand techniques to find the power of the elbows. This is animportant aspect of Iron Wire Boxing.

Within our lineage the entire form takes about 11 minutesto perform. We finish by performing Yau Lung Pa Kwa Kuen,Swimming Dragon Ba Gua Fist (You Long Ba Gua Quan) to helpbalance the intense nature of Iron Wire. It is also advisable tospend some time in seated meditation. Yin and Yang must always

be balanced.Although Tit Kiu Sam was a small, thin

man, it is said he was able to lift six men andcarry them 400 metres. In reality it is very

unlikely any person has the physical strength toperform such an act, so the question is how

did this story develop? Tit Kiu Sam livedin a secluded Buddhist society for manyyears studying Siu Lum arts. Throughthe dynamic yoga exercises helearned from Kwok Yan, Tit Kiu Samwas able to bring together mind,body, and spirit to perform someamazing physical feats.

Iron Wire Boxingrepresents a culmination of Tit KiuSam’s martial experiences andcan lead a person to be able toperform similarly amazing feats ofphysical strength, but that is notthe purpose of this form. Tounderstand Iron Wire Boxing weshould look back to Tit Kiu Sam’slife and how he taught the form.Harmonization of the emotions,cultivation of the Three Treasures,and mobilization of the body’sinternal awareness all leadtowards the monk’s goal of ahealthy body and mind. In the endthis is just one step on the pathtowards spiritual enlightenmentbut a very necessary one for theremaining changes to occur.Despite my years of training I stillconsider myself a student of thissystem and enjoy interaction withother serious practitioners. It isthrough open communication

that we can develop a betterunderstanding of the many rich arts

handed down by the monks from China, please send anycomments to Qi Magazine and they will be forwarded to me

Evert van der Meulen

“Iron Wire Boxingteaches much more thanthe Iron Shirt”

Qi Magazine 22

Qi Magazine 23

If one hundred people study Taijiquan, then maybe only fiveof these people can use it for self defence. Why is it likethis? Because most people only study Taijiquan for health.They only practise the forms and many have never even doneTui Shou (Pushing Hands). Many do not even realise Taijiquan

is a martial art. However, did you know that Tui Shou and formsare equally important.

Tui Shou can help you understand forms, and forms improveyour Tui Shou skill. Tui Shou can help you understand how tocontrol your energy and how relaxed you should be. Many peoplewho do only forms, will never be able to understand how muchyou need to relax to relate with another partner. We always thinkwe are relaxed, but when you touch hands with another person,we are still quite stiff. Because you understand pushing hands, italso means you understand the application of the movement.When you do the form, you can relate how to do it properly.

Traditional classics on Taijiquan mentions that there fivedifferent levels of skill. If you just want to do Taijiquan for health,then it is not necessary to know these five levels, however, it willimprove your Taijiquan.

Five Levelsof TaijiquanFive Levelsof Taijiquan

Chen Taijiquan

Most people want to be good at what they do.The study of Taijiquan is no exception. In order to begood at Taijiquan, not only do your movements haveto be good, but also your energy and spirt.

As people train and become more experienced,there are certain stages that they go through. If youcan understand where you are with your training, itcan help you to see where you are going and what elseyou need to do.

Qi Magazine 24

Level OneThe name, ‘Taiji’, originally comes from the book, Yijing.

Yijing means the Book of Changes. Generally, this book is usedfor prediction, however, it is also an immense book on thephilosophy on the universe which tells us why things change. Itis a very profound book for anyone wanting to understandChinese skill and culture.

The Yijing says that Wuji creates Taiji. Wuju means‘nothing’. Taiji means ‘something’. Taiji creates ‘Liangyi’ whichmeans Yin and Yang. Liangyi creates ‘Sixiang’ which meansfour images. Sixiang creates ‘Bagua’, which means eightsituations. This means that everything is both multiplied anddivided into infinity. It looks very simple but actually there is alot of meaning underneath.

Chinese mathematics is also based on the principlesfound in the Yijing. Traditional Chinese mathematics believesthat each number has its own energy and relates to all thethings in nature. For instance, when there is one person eatingin a restaurant alone it is a much different energy than fivepeople eating together in the restaurant. So this is how theYijing can show us how things change. For example, a horse istreated as the number one and a cow is number eight, goat isnumber seven.

When we study Taijiquan, we should understand thebasic prin-ciples of theYijing. Forinstance, Wujiis nothing. Taijiis an objectwhich containsYin and Yangtogether. TheFive Elementsare also part ofthis knowledgeand the samefor Bagua. TheFive Elementsare wood, fire,earth, metaland water.

We should understand all of these as they are principlesof the Yijing and apply to our study of Taijiquan. For example,Wuji is just like when we stand in Zhan Zhuang position. Yourmind and everything should be empty and so you become partof nature and your Qi becomes strong. When our Qi is strong,then we will be healthier and our physical body will be strong.In the future, when you do Fajing, you will even be morepowerful. Also, when we start the form, it is like Wuji createsTaiji. Every movement contains Yin and Yang principles.Sometimes we open our bodies, which is Yang and sometimeswe close and this is Yin.

Forward is Yang and stepping back is Yin. Walking tothe left is Yang and walking to the right is Yin. Up is Yang anddown is Yin. Breathing out is Yang and breathing in is Yin. Thewhole Taijiquan form follows this principle.

It is so simple to understand when we explain it.However, it is very difficult to put it into practice, following theTaiji principle. We often say that a beginner is ‘One Yin and

nine Yang’, like a hard stick. This is because when a beginnerstarts the form, they are just copying the movement from theteacher. They still do not see the relaxation of the movement.They still do not understand to co-ordinate the principles withthe movement. Just like a baby learning to walk, in thebeginning they are quite imbalanced. This is very naturalthough, because the beginner will firstly spend the time justtrying to copy the movement. They will not consider about thedetail.

This is understandable but many people, when theyfinish the form, all they can think about is learning anotherform. Today, there are so many Taijiquan forms:- short form,long form. However, traditionally, there were only two forms:-one was a slow form, which is the basis of what we see today,no matter what style of Taijiquan. These are all based uponthe first form. Once we learn the first form, we shouldconcentrate on all the details. Short form is good for beginners,but at the end, long form is traditional.

Level TwoAfter you have at least 3-5 years of practice for the first

form, then you can learn the second Taijiquan form, which iscalled Pao Choi or Cannon Fist. Without the first formfoundation, we cannot do the second form. The first form islike learning how to walk and the second form is like learninghow to run. For the beginner, when learning the first form,there is a lot of stiffness throughout the body. The teacher willnot even have time to correct all of it because your body is notready. It is like trying to do the splitz. If your body is not flexible,you will not be able to do it until you have a lot of practice.

I have seen occasionally a Taijiquan demonstrationwhere I do not even want to watch. It is not because theirmovement is not good enough but it is because they claim tothemselves to be a Taijiquan master, saying how many yearsthey have studied. However, their movement is still very stiff.

We have all gonethrough this stage butwe should be humble tocarry on our studiesinstead of just knowingthe form and then startto spread a low qualityof skill on to otherpeople.

If somebodywants to study Taijiquanwith you but you do notfind you have thatquality, then you shouldintroduce them to yourteacher. There are somepeople who will neverimprove their qualitybecause they lack theskill of observation andcannot judge higher orlower quality. So theywill not be able to

improve themselves. If anybody studies Taijiquan who has goodeyes and can distinguish between higher and lower quality,then definitely they will improve in the future. Having 90%

Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang supervising some studentsdoing Pushing Hands

Grandmaster Chen Xiaowang and Michael Tsedoing Tui Shou

Qi Magazine 25

Qi Magazine 26

stiffness in the beginning and 10% relaxation is okay forbeginners but do not be satisfied to stay with that level. Topass this will usually take about six months to complete and tobe able to move onto level two. Some may have already begunto learn Tui Shou but others may not have started yet.

If you start doing Tui Shou in this level, you may beuncomfortable and your muscles will be tired, stiff andaching. This is because you use too much energy.However, on this level, you will find your health isimproving. Your blood circulation will be better andyou will have more energy for other things. Already,you will have gotten a lot of benefit from levelone. Sometimes, if you miss a day’s practice, youwill find your body stiff and easy to be tired.

After six months, we will pass on to leveltwo, which is, ‘Two Yin, Two Yang is ordinaryskill’. You will find it more comfortable to doyour form, however, you will find outyourself, the blockages and stiffness inyour body. This level can be another yearor another ten years. Why do I say this?Because this level is based upon yourunderstanding of the Taiji principle. I haveseen people who have been practisingTaijiquan for a long time but theirmovement never really improves. I feel pityfor them. There are a lot of blockagesand stiffness still in their movementbecause they do not pay attention tocorrect movement. Then their problembecomes habit and then is very hardto correct.

It is just like hammering a nailinto the wood. With the first hit, you justtap the nail into the wood to hold itsteady. With the second hit, you can hit a bitharder, to make it go deeper. However, thereare some people who are too eager and whowill hit the nail too hard at the second stage.What does it mean to hit the nail too hard inrelation to Taijiquan. It does not mean youpractise a lot. Of course, to practise a lot is good.It is how much you like to show off your skill inthe public, being too proud of yourself and yourmovement. However, you forget one thing, theenergy that flows along the body. I have seensome people doing the form where everything isvery external with too much concentration on avery low stance and Fajing. They are missing theco-ordination of how the movement shouldconnect with the Dantian.

Of course, for the outsider, it looks veryimpressive, but for somebody with Taijiquanquality, they can see the blockages and themissing connections. Still others think Taijiquanshould be very slow. They think by slowing downthe form, that this is relaxation. However, this kind ofmovement will make the person feel cold and sleepy. Or theirmovement will be highly exaggerated, collapsing their chestby rounding their shoulders too much. All this is because theyhit the nail too hard and it becomes crooked. This creates moreblockages in the body. So when we come to the second level,

after you know the form, we have to be careful of ourmovement. We should follow the Taiji principle in which everymovement comes from the Dantian. In Chen style, we call this

Chan Si Jin. Everything we move, either rightor left, forward or backward, should all come

from the Dantian. The hands do not lead,but should follow the body.

Chinese martial arts talk aboutthe Six External relations. This meansthat no matter what the movement,

the following relationships apply:- legand hand connect, elbow and knees

connect, shoulders and lower backconnect. There are also Six Internal

relations which are:- heart and mind, Qiand strength, bone and tendon. Follow these

principles to improve your position andinternal energy, but be careful of your posture,for example, shoulder up, hips out or tensionon the arms or wrist. Whatever the stance, itshould be clear. Every movement shouldrelate with the whole body. Qi should flowalong the whole body and every movementshould flow together without hesitation orstopping. Keep the weight centred and donot shift the weight in an exaggeratedmanner which will break the Qi flow.Sometimes, you may find you are doing verywell and everything is

flowing naturally. Another day, you may find not smooth atall, but this is natural for level two.

I have met some people, because they cannotmanage Chan Si Jin, or spiral energy, that they have givenup their Taijiquan. So, in this level, it is better to concentratemore on relaxation and the correct position, letting your

teacher or seniors help you with any mistakes you have.Do not concentrate too much on Fajing or this coulddamage the correct position. At this level, the movements

should flow like waves. When one movement begins, thenthe next one should already be beginning, flowing smoothly

together. For Tui Shou, you already understand how to dopushing hands, but still when you are pushing or trying tocontrol somebody, you are still using so much energy, evenwith someone more junior than you. So still, your self defenseis not yet developed enoughto be continued... by Michael Tse

“Everythingwe move,should all

come from theDantian”

Qi Magazine 27

It is an intriguing argument. But alas, one which does notbear close scrutiny. A demonstrably simple answer is thatthe compass needle always points to the North, irrespective

of whether one is in the northern or southern hemisphere.Another is that the Sun alwaysrises in the East, whatever partof the globe one may be at.

Then again, a moment’sthought will uncover theproblem that if rules of FengShui are to be reversed for thesouthern hemisphere, wheredoes the reversal begin? Whathappens at the Equator: doesFeng Shui suddenly reverse asone crosses the road? But thequestion of where the northernand southern hemispheres lieis not so acutely defined.Between the tropics of Cancerand Capricorn, the sun willcross over the boundary line atsome point in the year – for longer the closer one is to thegeographical equator. Any suggestion that rules must bereversed for the southern hemisphere must therefore takeaccount of the fact that Feng Shui could change from one dayto the next; even, if one is going to take this matter to its ultimateconclusion, during the course of the day. But there are manyother reasons to show that the philosophies cannot be bent toaccommodate the argument that the south is reversed.

The first is to remember that the association of theelements and trigrams with the seasons is purely a notionalone. While we might consider the trigram Li to lie in the southand Kan in the north, this only holds true when we are workingwith the Post-Heaven sequence. In the Pre-Heaven sequence,the trigrams are not associated with these directions, but withEast and West respectively.

Thus, although the association of the elements with theseasons can be a useful aid to memory, and a way ofunderstanding the latent forces of the elements, thecorrespondence should not be taken too literally. After all, even

in the northern hemisphere, places such as India, Arabia orNorth Africa regard the cool north as beneficial, while the sun,far from being a warming source of energy, is actually adestroyer of vitality. But the principles of Feng Shui calculationare not altered to suit the climate.

We can add to this the fact that the most populatedarea of the northern hemisphere is the ‘temperate’ zone. There

are very few inhabited places, remote and scattered as theyare, lying in equivalenttemperate latitudes in thesouthern hemisphere.Most people are familiarwith geographical globeswhich reveal the Pacificside of the Earth to be apractically landless vastexpanse of water. But itis not generally realisedthat if a geographicalglobe is stood on its NorthPole, the southernhemisphere would be

seen to have a wide continuous belt of ocean in the regionwhich corresponds to the continents of North America, Europeand Asia.

Then there is astronomical correspondence to consider.The principles of Feng Shui are universal in that the NorthernSky and the Great Bear are always above the North Pole, andthe Southern Sky, with the Southern Cross are below the SouthPole. The ancient Chinese sages were well aware that the Earthwas a sphere, even though symbolically, it was referred to assquare. The Chinese pantheon includes Nan Ji Lao, the OldMan of the South Pole. Curiously enough, what they did notgrasp was that once the equator was crossed, the climatesreceded, and thinking that the world became hotter and hotteras one ventured southwards, Nan Ji Lao was always portrayedcovered in flames!

So the question of whether the principles of Feng Shuiare reversed for the Southern Hemisphere, the answer has tobe a resounding ‘No’

by Derek Walters

The GreatNorth-South Debate

One of the most frequently asked questions regarding FengShui is: What happens in the Southern Hemisphere? Since the Sunreaches it’s highest point in the North, and since the seasons are thereverse of those in the Northern Hemisphere, ought not theprinciples of the Eight Trigrams and the Five Elements be reversedas well?

“Theprinciples ofFeng Shui areuniversal”

Qi Magazine 28

Shan

gh

ai

Journ

al

Lan Shou in Ren MenAnyone who travels to Shanghai will

eventually walk through the CityCentre Park known locally as Ren

Men Park or The Peoples Square. Builton the grounds on the old Racetrack, thePark is nestled among the soaring Glasstowers and pre-liberation western stylearchitecture near Nanjing Road. It is amodern style park with many tree-linedavenues, a large lily pond, andornamental flower beds. Thereare also many hidden rockgardens and bamboogroves suitable forpractising Taijiquan andQigong. This is the city’spremier Showcase Parklocated near many 5 starhotels and the centralshopping district. But it isalso a local park for manyof the older Shanghaifamilies that have lived inthis district forgenerations. Because ofthis there is an incredible

variety and depth of martial arts andQigong being practised here.

We go to the park daily to trainwith our Lan Shou Quan teachers. LanShou is a rare form of Northern Shaolinthat was brought to Shanghai fromTianjin in the 1920s by Master Fu. Hehad five local disciples including QinZhong Bao and Ye Xaio Long, both of

whom are still alive. Master Qin, who is78 years old, still practises and teachesin Ren Men Park, the only Shaolin groupto do so. It is the oldest age class we haveever participated in, the average age ofthe practitioners being 52. Having saidthat however they have all beenpractising the forms of Lan Shou for30 years or more yet still

have the youthful vigour and enthusiasmof first year students.

As I mentioned, the park hasa rich diversity of traditional practices foranyone wishing to study Chinese Gongfu or Qigong. There are at least twoXingyi teachers of both the Hebei andHenan styles; Chen, Yang, Wu, and Sun,styles of Taijiquan; two different Tui Shou

(Push Hands) groups, single and doubleFan form classes; both straight sword,and broad sword form classes; and theubiquitous longevity Qigong classes. Inaddition to this, there are many hiddenand some famous teachers lingering

within the grounds practising their artsin secret. There are also the

park characters, three ofwhich bear mention. One

we call the jester as hedresses like a characterfrom the Chinese operaevery day and cruisesthe park waving his fanand making commentson everyone’s efforts.Another is thewhistling man who inaddition to doingwhat looks like thetwist backwards,whistles shrilly in timewith the otherpeoples movements.Finally there is thelaughing man wholaughs wildly andsometimes endlesslywhile standing on hishead in the grass.These three really addto the ambience of thepark and make thepeople hanging from

trees or bouncing up anddown while clapping their

hands seem commonplace.Ren Men Park is by far our

favourite park in Shanghai. For a citycentre park, not unlike Regents Park inLondon, Central Park in New York City,or Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, ithas remarkable energy, vitality, anddiversity. When you come to Shanghaiyou really should make the time everymorning to join in and practice with thelocal people and observe the specialShanghaiese flavour of Chinese Gongfu& Qigong

by J. Reynolds Nelsonemail: JRN@qimagazine.com

This issue we will be talking about the famous Peoples Square, or Ren MenPark and the Masters of Qigong and Gong Fu and other characters associatedwithin it.

“The parkhas a richdiversity oftraditional practices”

Qi Magazine 35

In the past, when it was the Emperor’sbirthday, he would receive a wish offive blessings. These were for

longevity, wealth, love of virtue, healthand to die a natural death. No onewishes to be ill or to suffer an accidentwhich shortens their life span. However,it is natural to die. There is a time whenwe must all pass on and make way fornew trees to grow and then these toomust give way to another generation ofsaplings and so the cycle goes.

Qigong can help make ourjourney easier and then,when it is our time topass, we can do so withpeace. We can do sobecause we are inharmony with nature. Ifdeath is as natural as going to sleep, whocan fear this? But if it is painful anddebilitating, who does not fear it. If weare healthy, then we know that when thetime comes, we can go gently. Qigongcan help us harmonise both heart andmind and body and spirit. When all arein balance, we can understand and area part of the great universe. We knowthat we are but just one small speck andthat we should use our time here on earthto contribute something worthwhile. Thisis true immortality: to leave behind afootprint that is remembered and is aninspiration and guide to those followingon behind.

However, our society is sopreoccupied with trying to prolong life,that the very methods used may createmore disharmony in the body. We usemedicines that in combination withothers, may become toxic or even lethal,causing more health problems instead ofcuring the total body. We run a race withtime, feeling upset when we see onemore wrinkle or grey hair. We see themlike ticking hands of a clock, telling usthat our time is going by.

I have begun to find more greyhairs lately and for awhile it upset me

that is me. I am content now with who Iam and what I am doing, but I could notsay the same of myself ten years ago.

I waslost, trying to

make lots ofmoney so I could

have a house andhave the freedom

to do what I wanted.However, I found I had

to compromise not onlymy health but my heart

to do that and in the end, I found I didnot need that much. My priorities shiftedso although I still love to travel, it is nownot just to have a good time on holiday,but to enrich my soul and learn aboutothers and also to teach and helpintroduce more people to Qigong.Sometimes travelling can be too muchand I find myself floating in a cloud ofjet lag, rather than being rooted in soiland growing. It is then I decide I mustlisten to my body and settle my Qi.Because of my Qigong training, I canunderstand this.

But how many people do not listento their bodies. They listen to theirparents telling them to make lots ofmoney, they listen to their friends tellingthem to come out and have a good time.But between working and playing, whattime is left for themselves and the quiettime when one’s body and mind rests andrecovers. When we do not listen to ourbody, then we are out of tune with natureand this disharmony is what leads todisease.

So Qigong is not just for health. Itis for understanding ourselves and natureand for living in harmony with the cyclesof the universe, living, dying and beingreborn

by Sihn Keiemail Sihnkei@qimagazine.com

because inside I feel half my age but withmore wisdom. Then yesterday, I lookedin the mirror and felt proud of those greyhairs. Each one of them is a symbol ofsome difficulty which I have managed toovercome. They were opportunities inwhich I had to develop myself andbecome

a wiser and betterperson for society.

Old age is notto be avoided but to beaccepted and madefriends with. It is areminder that weshould not squanderour time andresources but use

each moment wisely. Ifwe do this, we will find

we are living inthe presentmoment andnot ‘living’ onthe future. This

is how Qigong canhelp us. Q i g o n gbalances our emotions by

making the internal body andorgans stronger. When our lungs

are strong, we will not be depressed.When our kidneys are strong, we will notbe fearful. And then, when we are in tunewith nature, we find that material thingsbecome less important.

When I was twenty, I used to loveshopping and buying nice clothes. Now,I buy what I need for my life, with only afew rare extravagances. Less and less doI have that feeling of wanting to dress toimpress another. I dress for what I do and

LifeTra

inin

g

Although the primary purpose of practising Qigong is to be healthy,Qigong is not just for health and longevity. I believe that not all of ushave the fate to live to be one hundred years old. If we did, could youimagine the drain on the earth’s resources? So if this is true, why do weneed to practise Qigong?

Not Just for HealthNot Just for Health

“Old age isnot to beavoided ”

Qi Magazine 36

Da Cheng Quan

Da Cheng Quan is one of the valuable methods of Chinese martial arts . It was created by Master Wang Xiang Zhai andit is a collection of the essence of Shaolin Quan, Xingyiquan and Baguazhang. Its emphasis is on practical fighting skill.The “Non-stop Hitting Techniques” are the basic techniques which are very powerful and useful fighting techniques.

Non-Stop Hitting Techniques

White Snake Spits the Message withCrane Steps

Individual Practicei. Stand with the right foot forwards and the whole body

relaxed. Hold two loose fists with the right hand forwardsand the left behind to protect the chest.

ii. Slightly move forwards and use the right hand to block tothe right side.

iii. Then turn the right hand down and the left hand up, as ifblocking two attacks from both sides. At the same time,kick with the left foot. Fig 28, 29 & 30.

You attack your opponent firsti. Step forwards with the right leg and attack your opponent

with the right hand. Your opponent blocks you. Fig 31ii. You continue to attack your opponent with your left hand

and he blocks you with his right hand. Fig 32.iii. You then suddenly grab both his hands and kick him with

your left leg. Fig 33.Opponent attacks you firsti. If your opponent attacks you with his right hand, you block

with your right hand. Fig 34ii. Grab him with your right hand and at the same time push

him to the right side using your left hand to help by pushinghis waist. Fig 35

iii. When he loses his balance, kick his back. Fig 36

fig 28

fig 29

fig 30

fig 31

fig 32

fig 33

fig 34

fig 35

fig 36

Qi Magazine 37

Pushing to the Side and ContinuingPunch

Individual Practicei. Stand with your right foot forwards, right hand open to the

side and the left hand down. Fig 37ii. Turn the body to the right side and attack with the left hand.

Fig 38iii. Suddenly turn back to the left and attack with a low right

fist. Fig 39Attack the Opponent Firsti. Attack your opponent with your right hand, and he blocks

with his left hand. Fig 40

ii. When your opponent starts to attack you with his right hand,your right hand makes a circle to trap his arms together.Fig 41

iii. Lean your body to the right to make your opponent lose hisbalance. Then suddenly attack his stomach. Fig 42

Opponent Attacks Firsti. When your opponent attacks with his right hand, block him

with your right hand. Fig 43ii. Then grab his right arm with your left hand and move your

right hand back to grab his left hand. Fig 44iii. Pull up his right hand, then suddenly drop your right hand

to punch his stomach. Fig 45by Zhao Shao

fig 37 fig 38 fig 39

fig 40 fig 41 fig 42

fig 43fig 44

fig 45

The Spread ofThe Spread of

Wing ChunWing Chun

Qi Magazine 40

W hether they are just beginners or moreexperienced people, I would estimate thatthere are about 1 million people practisingWing Chun. In the 20 years that my fathertaught, he relied on his own resources and

received no outside support. So the fact that Wing Chun becameso popular is quite remarkable. In fact, there are actually someWing Chun practitioners who are investigating why Wing Chunis so popular. In this article, I will express my ideas of why thisis so and why it is still spreading.

In Wing Chun, or in fact anything you do, to be successfuldepends on two things. The first is yourself, whether you havethe talent and determination to reach your goal. The second isthe support you receive from the people around you. So one isan internal factor and the other is an external factor.

Wing Chun is not only for self defence or fighting, it isalso for self development and health. Wing Chun is well knownfor its skills of self defence. Since it is a martial art, this part

should be quite obvious and has been spoken about manytimes, so I do not want to repeat this.

Instead I would like to concentrate on the elements thathave made Wing Chun so appealing to students and how ithas become so wide spread.

In Wing Chun we have an exercise called Chi Sau thatis very good. If you don’t know how to fight, then this exercisehelps to teach you how to fight. If you only studied the forms ofWing Chun, then you would still not know how to fight. WithoutChi Sau, the only way to learn the fighting skill would be tofight with other people. This process is quite long and hard. Atthe beginning you will get beaten up and possibly suffer manyinjuries before you learnt the skill. Before you reach that levelyou might even give up. However, with Chi Sau the learningcurve is much quicker and you will not have to suffer as much.For this reason people like Chi Sau since it helps them to learnself defence much more quickly and safely.

Another reason Chi Sau is good is that it is good foryour health and your body. How is Chi Sau good for yourhealth?

Today many people are concerned about theirhealth as they lead very stressful and busy lives. As a resultthings like Qigong, Yoga, Taiji and other exercises are verypopular as people want to learn how to relax. When youcan let go your mind and relax then automatically this willbenefit your health. However, to be able to do this is noteasy. If I asked ten people to relax and think of nothing,then out of these ten people only one or two would beable to do this. However when you practise Chi Sau youdare not think about anything else, otherwise youropponent will hit you. Also when you are doing Chi Sauyou must relax or else again you will be defeated.

In Chi Sau you are also constantly moving and sothis constantly exercises your body. Therefore practising ChiSau in the correct way will definitely improve your health.

People can be very easily excited or become nervous.When they are at this stage, they are easily prone to makingmistakes. When you are excited, you will not be able tothink clearly as your mind will not be calm. A Wing Chunpractitioner should be able to empty his or her mind. Anexperienced practitioner of Wing Chun will be able toaccomplish this and can control their mind. So anotherbeneficial side to Wing Chun training is it changes youreveryday attitude, making you calmer when dealing withpeople in general. So Wing Chun is good for your healthand your character and this is most important. PersonallyI have found Wing Chun and Chi Sau very beneficial. I amwell in to my seventies, but I am still very fit and active.

These are some of the main elements that havemade Wing Chun so appealing. However to understandwhy Wing Chun is so popular we need to also understandhow Wing Chun spread out.

In the 1950s, there was only one University in HongKong and places there were very few. As a result manystudents had to go abroad to further their education. HongKong was a British colony and so they usually went to

Ip Man starting teaching Wing Chun in the 1950s in Hong Hong and he died in1972. In just over twenty years of teaching he made Wing Chun very popular and itspread throughout the world.

Qi Magazine 41

places like, England, America, Canada and Australia, placeswhere they spoke English.

Ip Man found that some of the best people to teachwere students who were at the age when they would be goingto university, as they were able to understand the concept andmethods he was teaching, and were very enthusiastic. Onleaving, these students found it hard to keep up their WingChun training, as they did not have anyone to Chi Sau with. Sothey would go to my father and ask him what to they shoulddo. He would tell them they should find afew friends, teach them how to do Chi Sauand so they could continue their trainingwith them. This the students would do, andat the beginning there would be only two orthree friends who they taught and they wouldnot charge them. At the time Chinese martialarts were getting more popular and after awhile, more and more people would that someone was teaching. Then more people wanted to learn. Thestudent would then start to charge for the classes. After thestudent graduated from university, he could have up to onehundred people training under him. Because of this the studentwould start to think about making a living from teaching ratherthan getting a job using their university degree. So a lot ofthem stayed in the countries where they studied and taughtKung Fu and many of them went on to become famous teachers.Bruce Lee went on this very same route.

The spread of Wing Chun in English speaking countriesis due to these reasons, due to the university students. The factthat Wing Chun could spread so easily through this route is avery positive point, but there is also a bad point to this.

When the student went abroad, it was likely he wouldnot have completed the whole Wing Chun system. There weresome people who had completed the system and were moreexperienced. They would take the whole Wing Chun system tothe country they went to, but there were many others who hadbarely learnt half the system. Some had only just startedstudying Tsum Kui (the second form), so they would go abroad

with only half the system. That is why there is such a contrastbetween different teachers of Wing Chun.

Like today, everyone knew that there were three forms,one dummy form and one Baat Jam Dao form in Wing Chun.So those students who had not completed the system wouldadd things themselves try and complete their system. The firsttwo forms, especially the first form Siu Lim Tao, most hadcompleted, and so these would all be the same. However, sincethey did not know the later forms like Biu Jee and the knives

they had to createtheir own forms ratherthan admit that they didnot know them. So thedifferences in teachers are due to their own making and sothat is why we have so many “styles” of Wing Chun.

When teaching, the worst thing that happens is whensomeone asks why is your Wing Chun different from anotherteacher’s Wing Chun. However, the teacher will never say thathe made this part up himself and so would say that Ip Manpersonally taught them these different forms in secret. In sayingthis, the teacher does not realise that he is in fact ruining thereputation of his own Sifu, Ip Man and his attitude to teaching.

When Ip Man was teaching, he would never teach oneperson a special technique and not teach the others. He thoughtto do this was immoral and so he treated everyone the same.I hope that in future people will not continue on this path andkeep saying these things, as it damages my father’s imageand is morally wrong

by Grandmaster Ip Chun

Grandmaster Ip Chun with his father Grandmaster Ip Man

“The student would startto make a living from

teaching”

Qi Magazine 42

Swimming Dragon Gong

The Dragon is a symbol of China, as we see very often in many Chinesestories. Swimming Dragon Gong is one Qigong form from Kunlun System. It isvery dynamic and challenging, and the movements imitate a dragon’s behaviour.

23 Holding the Qi Ball, Observing the World from Heaven

a. Step forwards with your left foot and then stretch the left hand forwardswith the right hand behind it, so the Laogong points on the palmsface each other as if you are holding a Qi ball.

b, c, d.Keeping walking, alternating steps from left and right in ananticlockwise circle taking eight steps. At the end, you should haveboth feet together.Meanwhile, keep rotating the Qi Ball forwards with both hands. Makesure you keep the Laogong points facing each other.Bagua steps are very important in the Dayan Qigong system. The eight

directions relate to different organs. At the same time we gather the Qi byrotating the Qi ball. This makes the Qi in the circle very strong and also thehands become very warm and full of Qi.

24 Returning Back to the Original Placea. Still holding the Qi ball, first, move your left foot behind your right

and let your body turn to the left. Remember to keep both handsholding the Qi Ball.

b. Turn on your left foot, 180 degrees anticlockwise. Then turn on yourright foot 180 degrees anticlockwise. You should then finish facing tothe right side. Also remember to keep the Qi ball in the hands.

a b cd

a b

Qi Magazine 43

26 Worship Buddha in Four Directionsa. Bend forwards from your waist 90 degrees, keeping both hands on the kidneys.b. Straighten up.c. Turn 90 degrees to the left by turning your left foot to the left and stepping round

with your right foot to bring it next to the left foot.d. Repeat movement a to c for the other three directions.

This bowing movement looks similar to the way Buddhists bow to statues of Buddhaand this is where the movement gets it name. The movement allows the kidneys to gatherQi from four different directions.

a

b

a b

c

d

a (front)

25 Qi Flows From Heavena. Bring both hands to the Dantian.b. Slowly bring the hands around the waist to the kidneys.

In this movement, after we have been holding the Qi ballwith the hands, we bring the energy back to the Dantian. Wethen pass the Qi to from the Dantian to the Kidneys tostrengthen them.

Qi Magazine 44

Qi

Matt

ers

Qi which is circulating, pure, and fresh, is considered ‘positive’ whilethat which has become static and stagnant (associated with illness and decay)is referred to as ‘negative Qi’.

Negative Qi is absorbed by the bodythrough any variety of ways:polluted air, poor quality or spoiled

foods, alcohol, drugs, caffeine, nicotine,and even other people. The body alsocreates negative Qi itself from simplyremaining inert for extended periods oftime. According to Chinese medicine,doors only become insect-riddled andtheir hinges only rust due to lack of use,so the body needs movement to releasenegative Qi and remain in good health.

When the body is injured, Qi flowis impeded and this causes pain. Theblocked Qi leads to blood stagnation andthe afflicted area turns dark. In the caseof many injuries while most Westerndoctors would recommend complete restthis may only worsen the condition.Gentle movement increases Qi flow andremoves theblockage, thusaiding therecovery.

Mosquitoesare attracted tostagnant water butthey are notresponsible for itsstagnation. Like-wise, diseases donot cause illness.They are the resultof negative Qia c c u m u l a t e dwhere the body isalready weakened and sick; this isbecause the fresh Qi cannot reach thatarea. Hence, cancer attacks a smoker’slungs or a glutton’s colon etc.

The act of breathing involves theexchange of stale air for the fresh. Qiwithin channels of the human body needsto be changed like the oil in a car. Unlikea car’s oil, which is changed every sixmonths, the body’s Qi should be changeddaily to function optimally and remainin sound health. When you practiseQigong, the acupuncture channels aremore open to receive Qi so the betterthe environment the better the result. Ifyou were to practise in New York’ssubway, you would only absorb negativeQi and accelerate your demise.

The air is charged with electrons.Negative ions (by Western definition) arebeneficial to health while positive ionstrap dust particles and pollution, robbingthe air of healthy Qi. In the countryside,the estimated ratio of negative ions toposit ive is 50:1 while in heavilypopulated cities it is two positive to onenegative ion!

Central-heating and air-conditioning destroy negative ions andmake you feel sleepy which is whyQigong should never be practisedindoors with the windows closed. Thosewho work in offices opposite computersemitting radiation, breathing stale,recirculated air, and sit for hours withoutmoving or stretching absorb negative Qiin abundance, and should pay attentionto this.

Clearand pinkishcomplexion,bright eyeswith strongspirit, andsoft and tautskin are allevidence of positive Qiwithin the bodywhile greyish, green/yellow, or pallidcomplexion, listless eyes, and slack skinall indicate a predominance of negativeQi.

Have you ever wondered whycertain people, including familymembers, always leave you feelingutterly exhausted after they depart? Theanswer lies in the fact that they have

discharged their negative Qi onto youand taken your Qi. Massage therapists,psychologists, and social workers facethis problem every day. Surprisingly,many have no methods for protectingtheir bodies against sick Qi, or releasingit, and eventually become ill themselves.Some basic methods to block negativeQi include folding the arms across thechest (to ‘close’ the body), pacing aroundinstead of sitting still directly opposite thepatient (to prevent negative Qiaccumulating), and avoiding direct eyecontact (as the eyes are ‘energy gates’through which Qi is passed andreceived). To release negative Qiafterwards shake the hands (and body)vigorously, and stamp the feet.

Sky Qi enters the body throughthe Baihui point (crown of the head) andis released to the earth through theYongquan points (sole of the foot). It can

also be released through the Laogongpoints (on the palms) and through thefingertips. It is best to releasenegative Qi to the earth, and whenyou become angry and feel like

shouting atsomeone gooutside andyell at the

trees; they arestrong enough to take it.

When your feet ache you can situp straight on a chair and place the

feet on their sides so the soles faceinwards, one in front of the other.This opens Yongquan andsmoothes the channels of the

legs, allowing negative Qi toflow down and exit the body.After a few minutes, or whenyou feel like changing, just

switch the feet.In any battle, it is best to know

your foe. Throughout life, negative Qi isa constant enemy and while we cannotever completely avoid it, we can defendourselves, and discharge it. The morepositive Qi we cultivate the more we canlessen the harmful effect of negative Qi

by Adam Wallace.adam@qimagazine.com

Evading Negative QiEvading Negative Qi

“Negative Qi is aconstant enemy& we cannotcompletelyavoid it.”

Qi Magazine 45

Fen

gSh

ui

Feng Shui and the BedroomFeng Shui and the Bedroom7. If while lying in your bed you

can see lots of advertising lights, then itwill affect your eyes and your mentalenergy. It may even affect yourrelationship. In this case, you shouldblock the lights with blinds or change thedirection of the bed so that you cannotsee the lights.

8. This is a very similar situationbut in this case, car lightsshine in the bedroomwindow while theyare driving past ordriving in. This willaffect concentrationand will make thepeople living theirhyperactive as theycannot get a peaceful mind. Ifyou can, cover the window so thatany lights will not affect the inside.

9. If one of the bedroom lightshas burnt out or if the light istoo dim, causing toomuch darkness, itwill causer e l a t i o n s h i pproblems andmight evenattract thingstoo Yin. Replacethe light bulb orput in a brighterlight in the lattercase. A bed-room lightshould be brightwhen you needit and be able tolight the wholeroom. You can have asecond light for readingbut other than this, thereshould not be any artificial lightthat shines into the room fromoutside.

10. Some people like to decoratetheir bedrooms with lots of posters oftheir heroes, like a rock star or movie star.This is fine in the bedroom, but shouldnot be so obvious that when you lie inbed you can see it or when you walk in

straight away. It will affectyour energy by creatingtoo many daydreams andcause you to loseconcentration for workand study. In addition, theposters should not be toobig either. You should nothave posters of scary

things in the bedroom as this can createbad energy and luck and evennightmares. It can even make the personhyper and lose energy. It is better to havenatural scenery or nice paintings of thingsthat make you calm and relaxed. This isthe best for the bedroom. Pictures or

posters should not be too exciting,unusual or stand out. If you like heroposters, you can put in an area whereyou will not see it straight away.

11. If you can see the sky whilelying in bed, this is very good and willgive you a good future and make yourmind calm and have good energy.

12. If you can see a mountainfrom your bed and the mountain ishealthy, (by this I mean not broken, hasvegetation and is living), this means yourfuture will gradually improve andprogress, including finance and career.

13. If, from your bed, you can seeanother building that is blocking you,then it means your future will beuncertain and you find you are notmaking progress.

14. If you can see healthy treesfrom your bed, it means you will havefamily and a good relationship.

15. If while lying in bed you cansee other people’s family and they cansee you, that will create a lot of secretsand imagination between both houses.Relationships and friendships can bedeveloped. You can put blinds up or turnthe bed to a different angle so you cannotsee each other.

Last time we talked about some conditions of thebedroom and here we continue with some more cases.

“Pictures orposters should

not be tooexciting” Car lights shining in the

bedroom window can affect your concentration

Big or scary posters can affectyour concentration and make you loose energy

Qi Magazine 46

16. If your bed is positioned sothat it is in the middle of the room, withspace all around, you will lose yourdirection. It is like floating in a boatwithout a rudder or sail. You should havethe head of the bed against the wall,which will give you support.

17. If you have bunk beds, higheris better than the lower bunk, but it isstill not that good. The higher bed willmake that person over the top while thelower bed will make that person moreintroverted, even depressed. So it isbetter to have both beds on the samelevel.

18. If you have a bed that has acanopy all around, or curtains like in theold Emperor’s beds, the person may feellike they are being protected, but actuallyit is like living in a cave. They may not be

practical and feel insecure and needsomeone to protect them all the time.

19. If the bed is in the centre ofthe room, it should still be closer to onewall, rather than evenly balancedbetween the two. It will affect therelationship, like the two will want toseparate.

20. If the bed has one side againstthe wall, then this is good for relationshipand love. However, if the bed is in thisposition, then the room should not be toolarge, then it is like both people beingtrapped. It should be balanced.to be continued.... by Michael Tse

“If your bed ispositioned so that it is inthe middle of the room,with space all around,you will lose yourdirection”

Seeing a healthy mountain and landscape from your window is good

A bed with acanopy can make you

feel smothered and insecure

If your bed is in the centre of theroom, with nothing around it, thenyou can lose your direction

Wye College, Wye (nr Ashford), Kent: 22 to 27 JulyThis course has proven to be one of our most popular courses ever. It will be of interest to anyone, beginner or senior, who wants to improve or learn Wing Chun. This is a rare opportunity to have several devoted days to training intensively with Michael Tse. He will cover techniques and applications of Chi Sau, forms, Baat Jam Do (Wing Chun knives) and the Wing Chun Pole. It is planned that he will also cover for the first time some Wooden Dummy techniques in the course.Tse Qigong Centre Members in adv: £430. (non refundable deposit £100)Non Members in adv: £470. (non refundable deposit £100)

An opportunity to study intensively with Michael Tse, in the peaceful surrounding of Wye College

Summer 2001Summer 2001

Residential CoursesResidential Courses

To book & for more information contact:To book & for more information contact:Tse Qigong Centre PO Box 59 Altrincham WA15 8FSTse Qigong Centre PO Box 59 Altrincham WA15 8FS

Tel 0161 929 4485 Fax 0161 929 4489 tse@qimagazine.comTel 0161 929 4485 Fax 0161 929 4489 tse@qimagazine.com

Wing Chun Kung FuWing Chun Kung Fu

Triple Crossing Triple Crossing Spiral GongSpiral Gong Wye College, Wye (nr Ashford), Kent: 9 to 14 AugustThis is an usual form which uses spiral and crossing movements to help balance the energies on both sides of the body. As we age, we develop habits of using one side of the body and brain more than the other. The crossing movements in this form help the Qi to connect both sides of the body, helping to prevent stroke or mind problems in the future. Tse Qigong Centre Members in adv: £430. (non refundable deposit £100)Non Members in adv: £470. (non refundable deposit £100)