The Shaolin Initiation

When I was a young boy I would always find the easy way of doing everything.

If there was a way to cut corners or make a system of working that took the strain off, I would find it.

Then I found martial arts.

Initially I started training in Tae Kwon Do which was the only available martial art in my small town. I tried to do the same thing with this martial art that I had done with most of my other chores, taking these intense physical exercises and searching for an easier way to perform them, while still appearing to be using huge amounts of effort to keep my instructors unaware of my…well, laziness (thou, when looking back, I’m positive they knew).

Funnily enough, my favourite thing to train was kicking, meaning that I never took the easy way out of this particular training. Making me at the time an amazing kicker. What I began to find is that my other skill sets began to grow better vicariously. My balance became great, my jumping skills grew and my over all strength and flexibility got better and better.

I realised that by really putting 100% effort into one type of skill training, you influenced other areas of your physicality as well. By the time I had started training in Shaolin Kung Fu, I had put this into practice in a lot of different ways.

My training in Kung Fu (on the other hand) would take this premise to a new level.

The name ‘Kung Fu’ literally means ‘Task Master’ meaning that a Kung Fu master is one that is a master of mastering tasks and skills.

There is an adage that I frequently use in teaching which is, “when you train for the hard, the easy becomes easier but when you train for the impossible, the hard becomes easy.”

I realised that more people need to know this information and have these skills to keep a healthy and happy body.

I have recently decided to hold a bootcamp for Shaolin Kung Fu principles and exercises, which I will hold in New Zealand (my country of birth).

I want to be able to share the many principles and exercises that strengthened my body and mind throughout the years that have helped me recover from injuries all the way from broken legs to being paralysed and back.

I was lucky enough to learn early that a supple, flexible body is less likely to suffer an injury or strain. Which helpfully was reinforced in me many times for many years with phrases used in the martial arts.

Not to over load you with kung fu sayings but, “Be supple, like a bamboo shoot, because the mighty oak is the first to be chopped down. When swung at, the bamboo flexes with the blow, flicking back at the axeman’s face. The oak resists, and looses pieces of itself with each swing of the axe. Be supple.”

I like this saying a lot and use it’s beautiful message to a number of steroid enhanced athletes who believe that the bigger they are the tougher they are.

Remember, we must be supple of both body and mind. Like the bamboo, we should have an unwavering goal direction, which in the bamboos case is straight up. Although we must be supple enough to swing with the movements and blows that will always come our way.

I hope that many of you are able to come and join me for two days of amazing kung fu lessons where we will live of “Pulse and Water”. This will help clean and train our insides as well as our outsides.

Along with our physical training, we will be training in one pointedness or one mindedness which is a mental focus skill which can allow you to reach new heights in your physical/mental abilities.

Bodiharma, the original mind behind Shaolin Kung Fu said, ”

“Ami tu fo”

 

Glen is leading a Shaolin Initiation Bootcamp in New Zealand.

2 Days Of Wisdom, Challenging Beliefs And Profound New Techniques To Allow You To Obtain A Shaolin Monk Presence In Everything You Do’

For more information Click Here.