It’s most important to stay loose and relaxed in mind and body. To enjoy your life, you must be relaxed. When we were children, our bodies were loose, relaxed, and flexible. We could do splits, flips, jumps, and twists without thinking about it. We were pure mind in babies’ bodies.

But you’re never too old — we just get too tense, too stiff. We think too much. One of the most important lessons you can learn doing the Shaolin Workout is how to get back that childlike relaxation and flexibility — to be at home in your body again. It makes no difference if you are in your twenties, fifties, or eighties. Relax. Never feel old. Tell yourself you’re not getting older every year — you’re getting younger!

Sifu explains that there are two kinds of meditation: action meditation and no-action meditation. In the West, we’re most familiar with the no-action kind. We can all form images of Buddhist monks sitting with their legs crossed and their eyes closed, still and silent, for hours and hours, as they strive to achieve enlightenment.

The only problem is that too much no-action meditation can be as bad for your joints, your back, your neck, as sitting at a computer all day. This is what Da Mo saw happening to the monks at Shaolin. They spent so much time sitting in meditation that their bodies were as stiff as wooden dolls. He saw that Ba Tuo had not given them the proper tools to adapt Buddhism to Chinese life. Why do we meditate? To cleanse our minds and open our hearts. But if we burden our bodies with tension and pain, our minds and hearts can’t be cleansed. Your mind and your heart and your body are inseparable.

Kung fu is action meditation. The goal of kung fu is to relax your body and your mind, to extend your body and your mind, to cleanse your body and your mind. To be relaxed in your body, and relaxed in your life, is how you live fully in the present, experiencing this moment, here and now.

In our modern world, there’s another benefit to action meditation. We all have lives, jobs, families. We have wonderful things coming into our lives every day. Who among us has the time to sit and meditate for hours a day, like monks in a monastery? As you’ll find out, a half-hour of action meditation can be as liberating, for your body and your mind and your heart, as several hours of no-action meditation.

Kung fu and martial arts represent a refined form of action meditation. But any exercise program can be a form of action meditation — running, swimming, playing tennis, riding a bike. In the West, we speak of that point in an exercise routine where we “get in the zone,” where we “release endorphins,” where we achieve “the runner’s high.” Those are all Western ways of approaching the same concept: action meditation. A relaxed mind in a relaxed body.

As you go through your day today, relax. Stay loose. Be flexible in your body and in your mind. Enjoy your beautiful life every minute of the day.

Reprinted from: The Shaolin Workout: 28 Days to Transforming Your Body and Soul the Warrior’s Way by Sifu Shi Yan Ming 2006 Rodale Inc. Permission granted by Rodale, Inc., Emmaus, PA 18098. Available wherever books are sold or directly from the publisher by calling (800) 848-4735 or visit their website at www.rodalestore.com.

an excerpt from the book The Shaolin Workout
by Sifu Shi Yan Ming
Published by Rodale; May 2006;$29.95US/$39.95CAN; 1-59486-400-4
Copyright 2006 Sifu Shi Yan Ming

Sifu Shi Yan Ming, a 34th-generation Shaolin warrior monk, is respected not only in the martial arts world but also in the entertainment world by stars like Jet Li, Jackie Chan, Wesley Snipes, and the Wu-Tang Clan. His kung fu classes have been featured in USA Today, The New York Times, New York Daily News, and Entertainment Weekly. Brian Gray of Inside Kung Fu magazine has called him a “living treasure of China.” He has also appeared on the Discovery Channel, MTV, and CNBC, among other major networks. Sifu Shi Yan Ming lives in New York City.

Tags: Wing Chun, Kung Fu, Las Vegas Kung Fu School, Las Vegas Wing Chun School, Lo Man Kam, Lo Man Kam Wing Chun, Martial Arts Self Defense

The symptoms of ADHD can be devastating for school-aged children, but they can be even more debilitating for adults who feel like they don t have a place to turn for help. Adult ADHD has the same symptoms as those present in children (including inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity). The fast-paced lifestyle that many adults lead also adds stress that can aggravate the symptoms. However, training martial arts is a great way to alleviate these symptoms and overcome the stress they cause.

THE SYMPTOMS

1. Inattention.

The first symptom of adult ADHD is the inability to focus and lack of attention. This includes not being able to follow through on tasks, not being able to focus on what other people are saying and not being able to organize thoughts, tasks and activities.

2. Hyperactivity.

The second symptom of adult ADHD is hyperactivity. People who suffer from this symptom feel the need to fidget with hand and feet. They also tend to get up out of their seat often (even when it s not an appropriate time) or simply feel an urge to move around. They also tend to talk excessively and are always on the go .

3. Impulsivity.

The third symptom of adult ADHD is impulsivity. People who have difficulty waiting their turns, who often interrupt and who answer questions before they ve been completed may suffer from this symptom.

THE TREATMENT

Training martial arts solves for these symptoms of adult ADHD. To be successful in whatever martial art you choose, you need a high level of physical control. The only way to reach this is through lots of practice and self-discipline. This ability to control your body also helps you to discipline your mind. These two skills feed off of one another and carry over to other parts of your life. The more you learn to control your body, the more you control your mind. The more you can control your mind, the more you ll be able to control your body. This control carries over to other parts of your life as well: Once you can control your body while training, you ll be able to start controlling your urges to move and fidget. The same goes for your mind. As you discipline your mind, you ll be able to concentrate and focus on your daily activities, your job and your relationships.

In addition to practice and self-discipline, martial arts teach breathing techniques. Many of them use the slow breathing techniques that have been used by martial artists for centuries. Similar to how specialists help people deal with panic attacks and stress, martial arts use breathing techniques for both physical and mental health and to create the body and mind connection. This connection allows you to run at a peaceful and happy level because you have achieved mastery over your mind and body.

If you re still not convinced, take the word of someone who s experienced the effects personally: Jody Walsh spent most of his life not finishing projects and dealing with hyperactivity. He wanted a way to treat his ADHD symptoms without relying on medication for his entire life. That s when he decided to start training martial arts at Temple Kung-Fu Studios. The first thing I noticed was that the breathing techniques helped me to calm down, be patient and focus on one thing at a time, he says. The physical applications showed me to be more aware of what my body is doing at all times.

Even if you haven t been officially diagnosed with adult ADHD, you may suffer from some or even many of the symptoms. If so, you owe it to yourself to start alleviating the stress in your life. The self-discipline and self-awareness needed to train martial arts helps you stay in control of your environment and life. The best place to find these skills is at a fine martial arts school. Why not give it a try? You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

To make it even easier, I ll help you get started. Just contact me and I ll send you my free report on how to pick a martial arts school.

If you are interested in learning more about how martial arts can help change your life, please contact one of my three locations in Bellevue, Lynnwood or Kent, Washington at 800-508-6141 or martialadvice@hotmail.com to set up a free 2 week trail orientation.

Also, please see our web pages at www.kungfutemple.com and www.martialarts-instruction.com.

Sincerely,
Robert Jones
Master Instructor
Temple Kung-Fu Studios
Masterjones@kungfutemple.com
1-800-508-6141

Mr. Robert Jones runs three successful martial arts schools located in Bellevue, Lynnwood, and Kent Washington. He has been helping families make positive changes in their lives through martial arts for over 20 years. He has also written two guides on how to pick a martial arts school. One for adults and one for parents wanting to pick the right school for their children. He can be reached at martialadvice@hotmail.com or at the Academy of Kempo Martial Arts. 800-508-6141.

Tags: Wing Chun, Kung Fu, Las Vegas Kung Fu School, Las Vegas Wing Chun School, Lo Man Kam, Lo Man Kam Wing Chun, Martial Arts Self Defense

In judo it is important to throw your opponent by making use of his loss of balance, the law at work here is the law of gravity. We know that Sir Isaac Newton discovered the law of gravitation by seeing an apple fall from a tree. All bodies in the universe attract one another. For instance, the earth attracts the bodies near and around it. In turn they also pull the earth.

Since the power of attraction, according to Newton, is proportional to the mass of the body that attracts, the larger the mass of the body, the larger its attraction. All bodies near the earth fall to the earth because it has an immense mass. An airplane or a bird starts to fall to the ground as soon as its power of flight is exhausted. The force of attraction between the earth and a two-pound weight is twice that between the earth and a one-pound weight.

The attraction between the earth and a body is called gravity. When gravity is represented by weight units, it is called weight. Now let us consider the application of the law of gravity to judo. The heavier the opponent, the more difficult it is for you to move him horizontally. It is even more difficult for you to move him vertically. On the other hand, a larger gravity acts on him to make him fall.

In judo gravity may be represented as a force pulling the opponent downward. If you want to make him fall, you make him lose his balance;that is, you cause his center of gravity to go outside the base. Then the gravity that acts on him works for you to make him lean or fall. Let us study the action of the law of gravity by illustrations.

Lets assume that you and your opponent are standing face to face. When your opponent advances towards you to take hold of you by the left lapel. At the same time you withdraw as much as your oponent advances. If your oponent is mentally or physically unable to let his advanced foot advance again, he will lean forward, lose his balance, and fall.

Also, it is obvious that the same thing will happen when the stability of the legs supporting the trunk is taken away. When your opponent takes a larger step forward than usual, you merely sweep his advanced foot away in the direction of his advance,(de-ashi-harai, or advanced foot sweep). By doing this, you will drop him with the gravity acting on him directly.

Finally let us consider a case in which the opponent is downed by the nullification of his resistance to gravity. It may be difficult for you, because of the weight advantage of your opponent, to lift him with your arms. But it is easy to support him at the center of gravity with your loins as he leans forward. Look at the seesaw in the above figure.

A long board is supported at the center of gravity, so that the gravity on one side is equal to that on the other. Thus a slight force can rotate the board around the fulcrum. After making your opponent lean forward, support him at the center of gravity with your loins. No matter how much weight he may have, a slight pull can rotate him around your loins. To support your opponent completely at the center of gravity with your loins is the key point of such hip throws as o-goshi, o-tsuri-goshi, ko-tsuri-goshi, hane-goshi, etc. Visit http://www.realniches.com/archives/category/judo/page/3/ to know more about Judo techniques.

Visit http://www.realniches.com/archives/2005/06/most-important-techniques-in-judo.html to learn the most important techniques in Judo.

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Tags: Wing Chun, Kung Fu, Las Vegas Kung Fu School, Las Vegas Wing Chun School, Lo Man Kam, Lo Man Kam Wing Chun, Martial Arts Self Defense