Shaolin Qi Gong

MARTIAL ARTS / HEALTH The great teacher Bodhidharma is credited with the creation of Shaolin Temple Qi Gong and kung fu in the 6th century CE. Motivated by the terrible physical condition of the monks who spent all their time meditating or copying scrolls, his two-part system promoted physical as well as spiritual fitness and became the basis for all the martial and meditative arts taught in the Temple. These ancient practices increase physical health and vitality, enhance creativity, and can be practiced well into old age. Author Shi Xinggui, a Shaolin monk, explains the fundamental principle of Qi Gong--the art of mastering energy (qi) and moving it through the body--and provides clear demonstrations of all the positions and movements. In order to develop qi attentively, it is necessary to cultivate the art of slowness in both movement and breathwork. Xinggui provides both a short form and a long form of the daily exercises, with lessons on heart centering, organ strengthening, and balancing the energy using the three dantians--the three energy centers of the body. A 53-minute DVD of the exercises performed by the author is included. SHI XINGGUI became a student at the Shaolin Monastery at the age of eight. His teachers there included Masters Shi De Shin, Xu Xi, De Su, and De Duzan. In 1988 the author won the National Championship title for kung fu (70-kg class) in Shaolin and again in 1993 and 1994 in Zheng Zou. He received his diploma in 1989 from Master Shi De Yuan. He now lives and teaches in Goldegg, Austria.