THE UK SUMMER CAMP 2011
A chi kung class at the UK Summer Camp 2011
Alex Baranosky
Shaolin Wahnam USA
23rd July 2011
The UK Summer Camp 2011
Ahhh, home at last from the beautiful southern coast of England.
Wow. What a great week!
First, The People:
It can't be overstated how much fun I always have with my fellow Wahnam brothers and sisters. Seeing chikung novices experience chi flow for the first time, or seeing them get teary when they feel the amazing cosmic love for the first time; that is always priceless.
Sparring with my Wahnam kungfu brothers between classes was great, and we also enjoyed great times on the town. Please stay in touch and if you are in the Boston area I would love to show any of my Wahnam family around town.
The Course Itself
Day 1, Generating Energy Flow:
Returning to the core of our practice. Relaxing, smiling from the heart, without a care in the world. The more I relaxed the more energy I had. I enjoyed taking my sense of relaxation to a deeper level, feeling relaxation ripple down my body as I practiced Lifting the Sky.
Day 2, Cosmic Breathing and Sinew Metamorphosis:
I had some amazing chi flows this day. Such simple exercises made me feel like I was charged with internal force; chi flows like I was possessed with a powerful invisible warrior. Again, the more I relaxed the more the warrior within grew in power. Felt alternately like a tiger on fire or a battering ram.
Hungry Tiger Charges at Prey
Day 3, Drunken Eight Immortals (morning), 18 Lohan Arts (evening):
Morning - Went through the set learning it in greater detail than I could via the videos. Nice.
Evening - Learned the first 6. This day was really amazing. Each of the exercises was amazing in its own unique fashion.
Lohan Worships Buddha made me feel like my heart was at peace. It sounds simple, but the level of peace was remarkable. It made me realize (again) how precious these arts are.
Reverse Hanging of Double Hooks and Double Hooks Hanging on Wall made me feel charged with energy down to my bones, charging my 'hooks' with energy.
Shake Head Wag Tail and Rhinoceros Looks at Tail both were remarkable exercises that charged my spine with cosmic energy. In the chi flows following these I felt my spine charged with white energy; I felt energy from the cosmos flowing in from above, filling the spine region and flowing throughout my body into the bones and teeth. I could actually "see" in my mind's eye the energy going from the cosmos, filling my spine area, and flowing smoothly through my bones and charging deeply into the bones as well. This was very cool
Big Boss Lifts Bronze Vessel left me very much charged with internal force, more in the muscles than the previous exercises.
Day 4, Drunken Eight Immortals (morning), 18 Lohan Arts (evening):
Morning - Today we learned to apply the flow method to parts of the set. First we got picture perfect form, then linked the patterns together so that they flowed together as one long pattern. Then we used the mind to direct the movements, and finally we used the mind to increase the flow many times over, which increased the force.
Amazing. It felt like I could move like the wind with great force, yet getting less tired than I did when we practiced the set slower, without using the flow technique! This feels like the number one secret taught in this course - if I master this one technique I will be very quick, very powerful, and have amazing stamina from the ever-flowing chi. So I plan to spend much time with this skill.
Evening - we learned six great patterns for exploding force in different ways. Amazing. Let's just say these patterns had me punching the concrete walls.
Day 5, Drunken Eight Immortals (morning), 18 Lohan Arts (evening):
Morning - we went over tons of applications from the set together in groups of four. This was fun and informative. I learned a lot. I have soooooooooo much to practice. These applications are serious business.
Evening - The final six patterns taught were for agility and flexibility. What I experienced personally was a little more wall-punching and a great feeling of softness. Interestingly, I was punching walls, and yet feeling 'softer'.
Chi flow right after Hungry Tiger Charges at Prey had me make the most ferocious tiger claw sound as the force rushed into my claws one at a time. Amazing.
Night Guard Tests Sea created a wonderful joyful peace in my heart.
Old Monk Takes off Shoes and Swallow Flies through Clouds both stimulated the 5 gates and really gave me a great feeling of soft solidity. Hard to describe, but my feet sort of felt like they were walking on pillows for a few hours after the course ended.
Day 6, Drunken Eight Immortals (morning & evening):
Morning & Evening - many many patterns applied to both kungfu as well as toward other martial arts. I felt abnormally tired and grumpy on this day, and felt like the pattern applications were a little over my head - I have a lot of applications to practice here. A LOT. But when I get good at them, well WHOA watch out!
Post-Course Changes:
Since the courses ended I've noticed my arms have become very light, and I can move them much faster than ever before. I don't use any muscular force and they can move very very quickly continuously through patterns like Beauty Looks in Mirror and Low Hand Sweep, Horizontally Sweeping a Thousand Armies, Poisonous Snake Emerges from Pit, Offering Wine, and Hang Lotus (back fist). Maybe it came from the cloud hands-like parts of the Immortals Set, or maybe it was simply a transmission from Sifu! It is remarkable either way really.
Also, my girlfriend has remarked already that I seem different. She can't quite place it, saying I feel more assertive in a good way.
I also feel different. I feel like my priorities have shifted. I feel a greater need to enjoy my life, and to help all sentient beings have good lives; like I can't really have a good life without all of us having good lives. I am reflecting on the teaching "Goodness begets goodness" which is resonating inside of me.
Thank You Sifu.
Alex
_________________
"Take a moment to feel how wonderful it feels just to be alive."
- Sifu
If you can walk one mile, you can walk a hundred miles."
- Sigung Ho Fatt Nam
An interesting scend during the Drunken Eight Immortals course
The above discussion is reproduced from the thread Drunken Eight Immortals Kung Fu in the Shaolin Wahnam Discussion Forum.
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