The other day a good friend and long-time practitioner of Kung Fu asked my why I’m so big on Lohan Chi Kung and Chen Tai Chi.
There are many reasons, but the easiest to understand is this: there’s only so much you can do physically before your body breaks down. And when it breaks down – it breaks down HARD.
From the serious Kung Fu practitioner to UFC fighters to the big league football players to the professional boxer, hard-style martial artist, amateur wrestler, weight lifters or dancers, there will come a point in time when your body is so racked with pain that it becomes impossible to continue.
Whether you’re Conor McGregor, Muhammad Ali or Dan Gable – whether or not you’re considered a “God” in your sport or martial art – eventually Nature will force you out of the game.
But, before that happens you could add years to your game and quite possibly retire from it relatively unscathed – if you know and practice Lohan Qigong.
In fact at nearly 60 I can still keep up with the younger ones in many ways. Only last week I helped with moving my aging father out of his big home. I had to carry huge pieces of furniture and giant potted plants onto trailers and a removal truck with my son. I was tired at the end of the day but had plenty of energy left and did it all again the next day, that’s because I move from the inside-out instead of the outside-out. And doing so gives me an unusual strength, quickness, agility and flexibility. Not to mention POWER.
For me, I’ve improved the physical while working on the energetic or internal.
A few years ago I slowed down on all the hard-style, hard-core training, mostly physical exercise and replaced it with Lohan Qigong and Chen Tai Chi, most of which was taught to me in China. My only wish is that I made the transition sooner as I’d have endured a lot less pain.
As a result I now have a body that is loose, quick, powerful and flexible. This is not something most 40+ athletes can say. Many are so stiff and get injured easily while engaged in their chosen sport.
They may hide behind their big muscles and strength and tell you that they have no aches, pains or injuries, but I know better. In private I’ve spoken with many of these strongmen, and they’ve told me about all their injuries that they need to “train around.” Or they go on periodic bodyweight only routines. Why? In order to heal all the injuries caused by their tough guy approach to training. And they think their method of training is smart or scientific because it gives them big muscles. Big stiff, inflexible, pain-absorbing, injury-prone muscles.
For me, I have found the best way to train is to do so in a way that integrates and harmonises mind with body – not one that forces mind over body or body over mind. I still do my hard physical training but now I balance it with the softer internal arts in order to rebuild my energy for repair.
In my opinion, hard-style exercise is only beneficial till around the age of 40. After that, if your head doesn’t get the message from your body, you will age faster and become less functional with each passing year. Why? Because hard-style exercise depletes your body of energy. You don’t notice it when you’re younger – but at some point it’s pretty obvious. Unless you choose to block reality and pretend it isn’t so.
Losing energy and function is not something that happens with Lohan Qigong or Chen Tai Chi you continue to gain – even in your 50’s, 60’s and beyond.
Always remember that water wears away rock. Water is supposedly gentler – but it carries tremendous force. Remember what Bruce Lee said “be like water my friend”. Maybe this is what he was referring to.
Just think what obstacles can be removed in your own life by practicing Lohan Qigong.
Come join me and you’ll be a changed person for sure.
Bruce Lee Become Water my Friend
