Qigong

Qigong involves the use of breathwork techniques alongside slow, controlled movements, allowing you to flood your cells with oxygen and the body's vital energy, also known as Qi. 

Qigong allows your Qi to begin to flow, unlocking new potentials and enhancing your health.  

Qigong can be traced back over 4,000 years and has been used to improve; immunity, balance, joint and muscle strength, mental health, vitality and awareness by Taoists, Buddhists and those studying martial arts. Often referred to a "standing or moving meditation", Qigong is a low impact, all in one practice that can be used to strengthen both mind and body. 

Qigong is the perfect first step for those who want to live a long, disease free life and gain control of their emotions. Soon after beginning practice you will start to notice that you have more energy, get sick less often, can concentrate for longer, deal better with stress and have a stronger, more balanced body.

No martial arts experience is necessary. Anyone can learn Qigong at any age.

In his words - 'Martial arts had already been part of my life since my teenage years. Over the course of my life I have achieved a 2nd Dan black belt in Shotokan Karate, competed in both Kata and Kumite, and taught martial arts for more than 30 years.

I first came across Qigong in 1974, while living in Amsterdam, through Daniel Reid’s The Tao of Health, Sex and Longevity. The book introduced me to Qigong, meditation and Taoist practices. It was the beginning of a shift in interest to a more internal practice and an understanding of the relationship between the body, mind and energy.

My practice deepened through the teachings of Shaolin Master Shi Heng Yi and time spent living and training at Shaolin Temple Europe in Germany. There, I was introduced to Yan Shou Gong, an internal martial arts practice that I have since continued studying with Master Yap and other teachers, including through intensive training in Kuala Lumpur. I have also studied Han Yang Ru Yi (Qigong Healing) with Master Dennis Wang.

Another important influence has been the meditation work of Dr Joe Dispenza. After experiencing a period of intense stress, I began practising his meditations consistently, eventually meditating twice a day for almost a year. I found that combining this approach to meditation and changing habitual emotional patterns with the principles I had learned through Qigong profoundly changed the way I approached my own wellbeing.

Today, my teaching at Casa Shen brings these different strands together. It draws on more than three decades of martial arts teaching, over 25 years of Qigong practice, meditation, internal martial arts and energy work to help each person develop a practice suited to their own journey.

Through Qigong specifically, I will help you understand how to:

• Breath with your diaphragm; awakening the true potential of your immune system
• Improve posture, enabling you to stand tall 
• Focus your mind on one thing for a prolonged period of time, allowing the recognition of true peace
• Let go of stress, anxiety, worry and fear and start to understand your mind
• Perform both soft and more strenuous Qigong movements
• Connect to your higher self, spirit and the Universe'