I wanted to share some thoughts about One Finger Shooting Zen and its elusive cousin, Two Finger Shooting Zen. I’ve never written about this before, so grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if that’s your thing), and let’s dive in!

Where It All Began: One Finger Shooting Zen

I originally learned One Finger Shooting Zen back in 1997. I flew from NYC to San Francisco, officially to attend a qigong workshop, but really to get private Shaolin Kung Fu instruction from my ex-teacher. In our evening sessions in a hotel hallway, I was surprised to learn that One Finger Shooting Zen, which I had already learned from his book, contained 4 sequences. The book had only shown one. Gotta love those secrets!

Years later, I had a similar experience with another teacher. I had learned one of his palm techniques from his book and DVD. Later, I found out that the DVD had intentionally taught the technique incorrectly as an (apparently unsuccessful) attempt to guard the secrets.

I talk more about this phenomenon in my book, but here’s my point: The history of qigong (including tai chi) is riddled with secrecy. Once you’re aware of this fact, you can navigate more easily.

I didn’t steal any of my secrets (ahem, unlike the patriarch of tai chi, but that’s another story). I earned them from my teachers, so I’m free to share as I please. But honestly, even if I HAD stolen them, I’d still share them with you. The age of secrecy is over, and I will NEVER keep them from you.

Creating Two Finger Shooting Zen

As far as a I know, the Two Finger Shooting Zen set that I teach is my own creation. By that, I mean this:

• I extracted 4 secret qigong sequences from a long and difficult Shaolin Kung Fu set.
• I organized these 4 sequences in the same format as One Finger Shooting Zen.
• I used the same qigong principles that I was taught for One Finger Shooting Zen
• I taught this new set to qigong students, without them having to learn a long and difficult kung fu set.

Basically, I just codified the set. All the real creation was done by past masters (in this case, female masters—more on that below).

The set that I extracted these 4 sequences from is called the Shaolin Flower Set. As is often the case with traditional kung fu sets, the qigong was hidden in plain sight. Past masters often did this to keep secrets while still passing down knowledge to those who they deemed worthy.

Once you know what to look for, the secrets are easy to find. In this case, I found them easily because of my experience with One Finger Shooting Zen.

The Power of Female Kung Fu Masters

Did you know that two of the most famous kung fu masters in history were both women? I’m not talking about the most famous female masters; I’m talking about the most famous masters PERIOD!

Ng Mui (伍枚, Wú Méi), one of the legendary Five Elders of Shaolin, and her disciple, Yim Wing-Chun (嚴詠春), will both appear on any list of the top kung fu masters of all time. In fact, Wing Chun Kung Fu is still one of the most widely practiced styles in the world. This is the style depicted in the popular “Ip Man” movies.

It’s inspiring to know that two of the most influential figures in kung fu history—both women—practiced and refined the Shaolin Flower set, and thus, Two Finger Shooting Zen. There’s a legend about Ng Mui, a Buddhist nun, that I will summarize, just for fun. Some of it is probably fictional, but it still proves an important point.

Ng Mui: The Nun Who Stopped a Feud

Kung fu masters in the past sometimes got in feuds. One master would be killed in a duel, and then their fellow disciple or family member would challenge the winner, kill them, and thereby perpetuate the feud. This would go back and forth, with senseless fighting and killing on both sides.

Legend has it that Ng Mui acted as a peacemaker in one of these feuds. What you need to understand is that the half dozen people involved in the feud were all powerful masters. But then Ng Mui showed up, said, “please don’t fight any more,” and everyone stopped!

Whether this legend is true or not, it has circulated through Chinese culture for centuries. China has a long history of sexism, but for some reason, kung fu masters are often excluded.

In this case, a famous kung fu legend involves a badass female nun who was not just powerful in terms of kung fu, but also in terms of wisdom and authority. She told a bunch of legendary fighters to stop their feud, and they stopped. How cool is that?

The Five Gates

Fun fact: The Two Finger Zen hand posture recently made an appearance a popular video game that chronicles the adventures of the Monkey God, Sun Wukong. You’ll also see this posture in kung fu movies. But what’s it all about?

Two Finger Shooting Zen is probably a historical development from One Finger Shooting Zen. As the name suggests, it involves a hand posture that uses two fingers. Sometimes, this hand posture is called a Dragon Claw. Like One Finger Shooting Zen, there are 4 sequences in Two Finger Shooting Zen.

Both sets use a combination of fists, Tiger Claws, Snake Palms, and blocking techniques.These hand postures help to get qi through what is known as the Five Gates:

1. Dantian
2. Shoulder
3. Elbow
4. Wrist
5. Fingers

The 5 Gates are areas where qi naturally get stuck. There’s something about both the One and Two Finger hand postures that encourages the qi to flow through these gates. And once it’s flowing, we can “fill” other, more martial hand forms with our qi.

Training on Stance

Two Finger Shooting Zen involves a combination of stance training, breath control, and directing the qi through the 5 Gates. Ta Chong, or “training on stance,” is fundamental in Shaolin Kung Fu. The stance helps us gather the energy, and then we practice moving that qi through the Five Gates.

What I find most interesting is that “training on stance” is arguably more useful for healing than for fighting. With both One Finger and Two Finger Shooting Zen, you’re not just building external power. These techniques cultivate deep, internal energy—what the Chinese call neijin.

Healers will find this kind of training to be incredibly valuable. Whether you’re an acupuncturist, massage therapist, osteopath, or chiropractor – developing neijin will naturally enhance your skills. You don’t even need to learn any formal qi healing, although that can also help. Simply practicing techniques like One or Two Finger Shooting Zen is enough to enhance what you’re already doing.

The internal energy developed through One and Two Finger Shooting Zen has health benefits that go far beyond self-defense. These techniques can improve qi and blood circulation, increase vitality, and cultivate a deep sense of calm and mental clarity.

Check This Out

Here’s an old video of me doing Two Finger Shooting Zen outside of my studio in Florida, circa 2014:

So those are my thoughts. One and Two Finger Shooting Zen aren’t just relics of a forgotten kung fu past; nor are they secrets inaccessible to the average qigong practitioner. These arts are still very much alive. I would even argue that they are more relevant today than ever before!

Here’s something that inspires me: I’ve already taught One Finger Shooting Zen to more students than any of the masters in my lineage. And with my new Qigong 301 program, the same will soon be true of Two Finger Shooting Zen!

The age of secrecy is over, and I’m determined to share everything I know with you, openly and without any BS.

The post The History of Two Finger Shooting Zen appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Have you ever felt like you’re suffering through something, only to realize there’s a smarter, easier way to achieve the same results? That’s how I felt when I first learned the Horse Stance.

I suppose all humans suffer one way or another, but traditional qigong masters had a talent for amplifying it with their training methods! And their favorite method was to torture new students with the Horse Stance!

The Old Way of Learning

In my book, I paint a picture of the traditional way of learning qigong and kung fu. Here’s an excerpt:

During the first week of training, you learn the Horse Stance and nothing else. The master shows you how to take a stance roughly double the width of your shoulders, how to sit deeply in the stance with your back straight, how to hold your fists at your waist, and how to breathe. Sitting in the stance, your legs begin to tremble after just a few minutes. When you rise up in the stance to give your legs a rest, the master simply tells you to sit back down again.

That’s it. You go to the master’s house every day to practice. And I mean practice! There is virtually no instruction. What little instruction you receive involves the master whacking or poking you with a thin bamboo cane saying, “Not correct.” Your legs are so sore that you can barely walk, but you persist.

After two weeks, the master teaches you another exercise called Lifting the Sky. He shows you the form but doesn’t mention the breathing. You copy his breathing as best as you can.

So now your practice sessions consist of grueling bouts of the Horse Stance followed by easy sessions of Lifting the Sky. You look forward to Lifting the Sky because it’s so much easier than the Horse Stance. You take short breaks to drink some tea, and then you rush back to practicing, eager to prove your commitment to the master. You are persistent because you don’t want to bring shame to your family by quitting.

You learn nothing about the theory of qigong, very little about breathing. The main piece of instruction that you receive is “not correct” without ever learning what actually is correct. Not once does the master say, “good job!” or even “correct.” Whenever he looks at you but says nothing at all, you feel proud of your progress!

On your 108th day of training, the master says, “fang song” in Chinese, which means “release and soften.” He shows you how to relax more in both the Horse Stance and Lifting the Sky. You’re amazed at how big a difference this makes! He also teaches you a new exercise called Three Levels to Earth, which involves squatting up and down. It’s a nice break from the monotony of the Horse Stance.

Let’s be real—this old-school method would never fly in today’s world. It wasn’t just the physical pain that was tough—it was the emotional toll of the method. You’d get no feedback other than a disapproving ‘not correct,’ and you never really knew if you were on the right path. It was grueling in every sense.

My Early Training

My early qigong training was less intense than this, but barely. When I was an apprentice in the 1990s, the emphasis was on something called jibengong (基本功), pronounced a bit like the English words “gee been gone”, but with a g at the very end. This term roughly translates to “fundamental power training.”

My former teacher viewed jibengong as the foundation for both qigong and Shaolin Kung Fu. And so my early years were filled with the Horse Stance and its variations, like Luohan Carrying Water and Golden Bridge.

In retrospect, I believe that this traditional method gets things exactly backwards. Those 3 techniques – Horse Stance, Luohan Carrying Water, and Golden Bridge – are not for beginners. They are for intermediate and advanced students!

Old school teachers weren’t really building a solid foundation in their students; they were just weeding out all but the toughest and most physically talented specimens! If you work your students so hard that only Olympic-level athletes can endure it – then you’re actually just SELECTING people with a naturally strong foundation.

What Beginners Really Need?

As I said, I think that the Horse Stance and its variations are for intermediate and advanced students. There are better things to teach a beginner. For example, I believe that all beginners should start with the following:

• Entering Zen
• Smiling from the Heart
• Dynamic Qigong (like the 8 Brocades or 18 Luohans)
• Flowing Breeze Swaying Willow

These techniques will build an ACTUAL foundation in students regardless of their natural ability. As an added bonus, you won’t scare away 99% of your students with the Horse Stance!

Keep in mind that I myself would not have survived an old school method. I was young and strong when I began learning, but I was also sick. I would not have made the cut.

In other words – the old school approach could have killed me. I desperately needed qigong, and in the end, it saved my life. Luckily, my teacher wasn’t old school enough to turn down American dollars. He loosened his traditional standards because he knew they wouldn’t work for Westerners like me.

A 21st Century Method

A more modern approach to the Horse Stance is as follows:

First, you need to learn the basics of the 5-Phase Routine. You can do this with my book, my Qigong 101, or my Qigong 201. (Note that my Qigong 301 program DOES NOT teach the 5-Phase Routine. You are expected to have learned it elsewhere.)

Second, open the leg meridians. You can do this with a wide variety of dynamic qigong exercises. Here are some examples, separated by the program they are taught in:

• Qigong 101: Nourishing Kidneys; Three Levels to Earth; Dancing Crane; Lifting Heels, Bear Walk
• Qigong 201: Holding the Feet; Heaven and Earth; Old Man Taking Off Shoes; Rhinoceros Looking at Moon

Third, learn the Big Universe. This technique will open both the arm and leg meridians. With these meridians already open, the Horse Stance will not only be easier; it will also be more productive.

Fourth, learn either One Finger Shooting Zen or Two Finger Shooting Zen. Both of these techniques involve sitting on either the Horse or Goat Stance. The key here is that the top half of the body is doing dynamic qigong, which makes it easier to sit in a stance, probably because of the distraction. Learning the hand postures will also make Golden Bridge much easier.

Fifth, learn the Horse Stance.

Sixth, learn Golden Bridge and Luohan Carrying Water.

The Variations

Here’s an old image of me doing the Horse Stance. As you can see, the hands are at the waist. It looks simple, and it is, but it’s one of the hardest things you’ll ever do.

Next, we have Luohan Carrying Water. The stance is the same, but the arms are floating. Legend has it that the Shaolin monks would carrying buckets of water from the nearby stream. Some even think that Luohan Carrying Water was practiced with buckets or weights.

And finally, we have Golden Bridge. Again, the stance is the same, but we add the One Finger hand postures, similar to One Finger Zen and Two Finger Zen.

Want to Learn More?

I’ve put all of these techniques– the Horse Stance, Luohan Carrying Water, Golden Bridge, and Two Finger Shooting Zen, into my new Qigong 301 program. We will learn them systematically, and without all the suffering!

The post Old-School Horse Stance Training Almost Killed Me – A Modern Solution appeared first on Flowing Zen.

One of my kung fu teachers refused to shake hands with anyone.

He was a bit of a germophobe, but this was primarily a cultural thing. Shaking hands is a Western custom that, although widespread in Asia, still hasn’t been completely adopted.

One time, I saw him meet with a high-level CEO (who was learning kung fu and qigong) for a private session. The CEO offered his hand with a big smile and…

…my teacher left him hanging. Ouch!

Confused, the CEO looked to me in puzzlement. (I was there as liaison between him and my teacher.)

I just smiled and motioned to my teacher, who was now offering a Kung Fu hand-salute.

Clumsily, the CEO returned the salute.

This happened years ago — long before the pandemic taught us to rethink the custom of shaking hands.

Today, it’s the opposite. It’s the norm to be left hanging if you offer your hand. I mean, what are you thinking?!? Put that thing away!

I once asked my teacher why he didn’t shake hands.

“Strange custom,” he said. “People shouldn’t do it.”

Recently, Dr. Anthony Fauci said something similar: “I don’t think we should shake hands ever again, to be honest with you.”

I agree with him. I think it’s time to retire the habit of shaking hands.

The Typical Alternatives

There are several alternatives to shaking hands:

• bowing
• prayer palms
• the fist bump
• the elbow bump
• the footshake (yep!)

But there are some problems with all of these options.

The bumps — whether with a fist, elbow, or foot — are risky. If you get that close, you’re breaking the 6-foot social distancing rule and you run the risk of spreading or contracting the coronavirus.

That leaves us with prayer palms and bowing if we want to keep our distance

But bowing feels weird to me — and I say that as someone who spent many years bowing in karate classes. I’ve even been complimented by a native Japanese person on my bowing etiquette. No easy feat!

Still, I can’t see bowing catching on in the Western world, and especially not in the US.

Prayer palms also feel a bit weird to me. If a Zen teacher showed me prayer palms, I would of course return the gesture! But if my nephew did it, I would just give him a strange look.

Enter the Shaolin Salute!

I’m going to offer you an alternative that gives you a good layer of protection.  As a bonus, it will make you feel like you’re in a kung fu movie, which is always a good thing.

The Kung Fu Salute, also called the Shaolin Salute or the Martial Salute, is an ancient custom that probably dates back to the Zhou Dynasty (1046-256 BCE). In Chinese, it’s usually called:

武 术 抱 拳 礼
wu shu bao quan li
The Martial Fist-Covering Ritual

Often, this is shortened to bào quán (抱拳), which means Covering Fist.

In ancient China, it was used to show that you had peaceful intentions and that you were not carrying a weapon. Or if you were carrying a weapon in your hand, like the Chinese straight sword (jian), then you were covering it with your palm to show that the sword would remain sheathed.

How to do the Salute Correctly

In the image at the top of this article, Jet Li is showing the correct salute (taken from one of his movies).

1. Make a fist with your right hand
2. Cover the fist slightly with your left hand (watch the video)
3. Gently extend the salute from the heart area
4. Smile!

Watch this short video to learn how to do the the salute properly.

The Common Salute

Don’t confuse the Shaolin Salute with the Common Salute (作 揖 zuo yi). Notice the floppy arms and the relaxed palm. Sometimes, a bow is combined with the salute and sometimes people will “shake” the salute up and down gently.

You’ll see the Common Salute used as a greeting among Chinese people, especially during festivities like weddings and Chinese New Year. But you will never see this salute used by martial artists.

Traditionally, men make a fist with the right hand and women make a fist with the left. It’s interesting to note that this distinction was never made with the Shaolin Salute. Despite the history of sexism in China, female kung fu masters were respected as highly as male ones.

Yin and Yang, Dragon and Tiger

There are many interpretations of the Shaolin Salute.

My favorite is as follows:

The right fist symbolizes the Tiger, and the left fist symbolizes the Chinese Dragon. Together, the Dragon and Tiger symbolize the forces of yin and yang. In other words, the Shaolin Salute is a symbol of balance and harmony in all things.

I also like that it expresses the Shaolin attitude of non-violence — but with an edge. The Shaolin Monks were peaceful Buddhists, but they were also formidable fighters capable of defending themselves from bandits and gangs when necessary.

I like to sum up this philosophy as follows:

Using the Shaolin Salute

For years, I taught martial arts classes, specifically Shaolin Kung Fu and Tai Chi Chuan. In these classes, we always began and ended the class with the Shaolin Salute.

But I never used the salute in my qigong classes. I was (and still am) determined to make qigong accessible to everyone, so I did away with traditions that I felt were unnecessary, like the salute, the Chinese suit, and the teacher/student hierarchy.

Nevertheless, the Shaolin Salute is part of the qigong lineage that I teach. So if you have been practicing our qigong for a while, then you can feel good about adopting this custom.

Like with the CEO I mentioned above, I think you’ll find that many people instinctively return the Shaolin Salute.

Often, it becomes a conversation piece. This can be a good thing, especially with people who are not yet on board with social distancing. Rather than talk about distancing, you end up talking about the Shaolin Salute.

And who knows. In the end, maybe you’ll encourage a few people to take up qigong! [They can even learn qigong for free from me in my COVID-19 support program.]

What do you think? Will you use the Shaolin Salute when greeting people?

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post The Kung Fu Salute: An Alternative to Shaking Hands appeared first on Flowing Zen.

“Do you sell Chinese incense?” I asked.

The year was 1995, and the young man behind the counter seemed to be a caricature of a NYC smoke shop employee. He had thick dreadlocks, a Bob Marley t-shirt, and he looked stoned out of his mind.

I was not his usual customer, however. I was there on a very specific mission.

“Sure, we’ve got incense, man,” he said. He gestured casually in the direction of the incense sticks, right next to the bongs.

“I’m looking for really long sticks,” I said after taking a quick look and not seeing what I wanted. “Like a foot long.”

“Yeah man,” he said. “We’ve got some like that.” He disappeared into the back of the shop and returned with a foot-long tube covered in Chinese writing. It smelled like smoky perfume.

Mission accomplished! I paid the man and left the shop with thoughts of my Incense Stick Horse Stance…

Incense Stick Horse Stance?

When my first Sifu proudly said that he had an “incense stick horse stance,” I was confused. My mind immediately went to that old kung fu movie with Jackie Chan.

In the movie, Jackie Chan’s character was punished in the Horse Stance, where he had to sit with bowls of hot tea on his thighs, shoulders, and head — plus a hot incense stick below his butt (see image below). I assumed that this is what my teacher was talking about.

This particular teacher of mine was extremely stern, and asking questions was tricky business. At times, a question would get you a swift rebuke. Other times, you would be rewarded with a fascinating lecture.

I was intrigued by this “incense stick horse stance” idea, and I wanted to know more. One night, a bunch of us took our Sifu out to a Japanese restaurant, and I saw my chance. Sake was flowing freely, and I worked up the courage to ask him a question.

“Sifu,” I said, filling his sake cup in the traditional manner. “Can you tell us more about the Incense Stick Horse Stance?”

He paused for a moment, and I was afraid I was about to get reprimanded. But he broke into a big smile and then proceeded to tell us how hard it had been to get his Horse Stance up to one incense stick.

“My training was tougher than yours will ever be,” he said. “We just sat and sat in Horse Stance, watcing the incense stick burn and enduring.” He paused and sipped his sake.

“And not one of those sissy incense sticks,” he clarified. “Chinese incense sticks!” He held both index fingers about 15 inches apart, indicating the length. “At least one hour,” he added as he drained his sake.

Aha! That’s when I suddenly understood. My Sifu didn’t use an incense stick below his butt; he used it to time how long he could endure in a horse stance!

He was right to be proud. To do a horse stance correctly for 1 hour is an amazing feat. Most people can’t do 2 minutes. Even college athletes can’t make it past 5 minutes.

The Origin of the Method

When you’re deep in meditation, the passage of time can be elusive. This is probably why monks began using incense sticks to time their meditation sessions.

Actually, there’s something called an Incense Clock (香鐘, lit. Fragrance Clock). This is an ancient Chinese timekeeping tool that uses incense sticks. It’s a clever idea. You can read more about it on Wikipedia.

I don’t know if kung fu masters (including tai chi masters) got the Horse Stance idea from monks, or from the Incense Clock. Either way, this incense trick can still be found in many different schools of kung fu.

Unfortunately, it’s a dying art, which is a shame. I think that many 21st century students can benefit from this method.

Let’s see if we can keep it alive in a more modern context.

Who Can Benefit from This Method?

If you learned qigong the traditional way (see #18 on this list), then you would be taught the Horse Stance, and nothing else, for the first 3 months of your training.

As you can imagine, if I taught the traditional way, then I would have exactly 4 students (you know who you are).

Teaching qigong in the 21st century needs to be more modern. Most of my students are not interested in a 1-hour Horse Stance. They just want to get healthier, and a 15-minute daily qigong session is challenging enough.

The beauty of the incense stick method is that it can be used by students at all different levels.

You can benefit from this method whether you are:

• a new qigong or tai chi student struggling to practice 15 minutes a day
• an ambitious kung fu student who likes the challenge of a 30-60 minute Horse Stance
• a seasoned tai chi practitioner who wants to increase their practice time

I’ve already written trillions of articles about willpower and discipline. Do we really need another article on the subject?

The answer is yes. We need all the help we can get. I think that this incense stick trick is another good tool to keep in your box.

If this article inspires one person to be more diligent with their practice, then I’ve done my job as a teacher.

Japanese vs. Chinese Incense

For most of you, the foot-long Chinese incense sticks won’t be helpful. They simply take too long to burn.

Sure, you could cut off some of the stick to shorten the duration, but there’s a simpler method.

I like this Japanese incense. My first Sifu would call them “sissy sticks,” but that’s okay. I think underneath he would be happy that people are using the method, even if it’s an abridged version.

These sticks are shorter and last for about 20-30 minutes, depending on the humidity. So they are already more useful than the foot-long ones.

But Japanese incense is different. There’s no stick running down the center. The entire thing burns, which means that you can also break the sticks in half — and still use both halves.

These sticks are perfect for setting a minimum practice session for qigong, especially with Flowing Zen Qigong where the standard session is about 10-20 minutes.

A big box contains 200 sticks, and also comes with a little holder that works great. They also have smaller boxes of 50, and you can buy them in many different scents.

How to Use Incense With Your Qigong or Tai Chi

By now, the method should be pretty clear, but here is the step-by-step breakdown:

Step 1: Light your incense stick. I keep a small Bic lighter inside my box of incense. The Japanese incense above comes with a small stick holder, so the entire thing is self-contained. The ashes just drop down onto the sticks, so there’s no mess.

Step 2: Begin your session as normal. Don’t do anything special, but try to make it a really high-quality session in order to set your baseline. (If you don’t know any qigong, click here to start learning for free.)

Step 3: Look at the incense stick. How much is left? Did it burn down completely?

Step 4: Rinse and repeat. Try to develop the habit of simply lighting the incense stick to initiate your practice session. Even if it’s just going to be a short session, try lighting the stick anyway.

Why It Works

Of course, you can use a digital meditation timer, a cube timer, or a sand timer. I’ve used all of these, and they can be helpful.

But I still prefer the incense stick. Here’s why I think it works so well:

1. The Visual Reward: There is a feeling of intense pride at watching your box of incense sticks empty gradually over time. I like to write the start date on the box so that I know how long it takes me to go through all 200 sticks.

2. The Olfactory Reward: For me, the smell of incense is wonderful. I guess this is where the word “inspire” comes from because as soon as I light a stick, I’m inspired to practice.

3. The Power of Ritual: If you light an incense stick every morning, it becomes a ritual. Later, simply lighting the incense stick will help to initiate your morning practice, even if you’re feeling lazy.

4. Analog vs. Digital: I don’t know about you, but the last thing I need is another digital device in my life. I appreciate analog options whenever I can get them, and incense is as analog as it gets!

5. Portable Discipline: When I travel, it’s easy to bring my ritual with me. The smaller boxes of incense work great. Be aware that some hotels frown on incense, but I tend to stay in Airbnbs these days anyway.

Wrapping Up

There you have it, the simple incense stick trick that can dramatically improve your willpower.

How do you feel about incense? Love it or hate it? Do you have a favorite kind? Let me know in the comments below!

And if you decide to give this trick a try, I’d love to hear how it works for you. 

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Build Willpower like a Kung Fu Master with This Incense Stick Trick appeared first on Flowing Zen.

Sometimes, emails arrive in my inbox with questions that beg to be answered with a video.

A few weeks ago, a sincere young man named Nick sent this question.

“I read online that qigong is a style of kung fu. Is it true? I’m confused.”

Well Nick, the internet can be a pretty confusing place! With so much information at your fingertips, it’s hard to separate the true from the false.

Normally, I would write a blog post to answer Nick’s question. But this time, I decided that a video would work better.

Videos are a fantastic teaching tool because they give me the ability to demonstrate my answers. I can also pronounce confusing Chinese terms.

I shot this quick video in the Ozark mountains after giving an advanced qigong workshop to a wonderful group of students at the Stone Wind Retreat.

If you’re still confused about how kung fu relates to qigong, then the video below will help.

Here are some of the topics covered:

• The real meaning of kung fu…
• How Tai Chi Chuan fits in…
• The confusion with wushu…
• Various styles of kung fu:
  • The Shaolin Five Animals…
  • Wing Chun Kung Fu…
  • Tai Chi Chuan…
• The dividing line between qigong and kung fu…
• The flowing characteristics of Tai Chi Chuan…
• Cursive writing vs. block writing in kung fu…
• Is Lifting The Sky a form of kung fu?
• Can you fight with Golden Bridge Qigong?
• One Finger Zen Qigong
• Shooting Arrows Qigong
• Martial vs. Non-martial Qigong.

Watch the video for free here:

I’ve written on this topic before. If you’d like to read more, here are 4 good places to start:

1. The Difference Between Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Chai Tea
2. How Tai Chi Lost Its Mojo
3. The Difference Between Kung Fu, Gung Fu, and Gung Ho.
4. The History of Qigong and Tai Chi: Facts And Myths

Do you enjoy video blogs like this? If so, let me know in the comments below.

Normally, I prefer to use the written word along with images, but videos can be super helpful. I hope that you found this video helpful. If you’d like me to shoot more like this, then make sure to let me know! 

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Kung Fu vs. Qigong: A Quick Visual Explanation appeared first on Flowing Zen.

“What are you talking about?” he said. “Tai chi is MUCH older than qigong!”

I raised an eyebrow at this. Probably two eyebrows since he was being so aggressive.

I shouldn’t have been surprised. Earlier in the conversation, this so-called “expert” had also insisted that the “chi” in tai chi means “energy”.

It absolutely doesn’t.

And tai chi is not older than qigong  — not by a long shot.

The man I was chatting with, let’s call him Dan, had presented himself as a tai chi instructor and an authority on the subject.

But his statements about qigong and tai chi were unequivocally false.

Unfortunately, untruths like this abound in the the world of qigong and tai chi, causing confusion for students.

Let’s correct some of those myths, shall we?

(Note: If you want to skip all the history, then scroll down to the video at the bottom, which will give you a super-simple 6-minute explanation, along with a few demonstrations.)

How Old is Qigong?

Qigong is an umbrella term for a variety of ancient Chinese healing arts, all of which focus on cultivating the qi, or internal energy, especially for health, vitality, and longevity.

The most important thing you need to know about qigong is that it works wonders for self healing. In that sense, it really doesn’t matter if it’s 1000 years old or 4000.

But I LUVS ME some history, and I find the history of qigong to be fascinating.

First, let’s clarify that qigong is a modern, umbrella term for various Chinese energy arts. In the past, these arts were called by many different names. Today, because they all share similar theories on energy cultivation, we lump them all together under the single term qigong.

Here are a few examples of the historical evidence we have regarding qigong:

• ca. 5000 BCE – archeological evidence (pottery) shows a qigong posture that looks just like a famous technique called “Hugging the Tree” that is still practiced and taught today.

• ca. 400 BCE – The Classic of the Way’s Virtues (The Dao De Jing, 道德經) by Lao Tzu (老子) speaks about focusing on your qi through breathing, and about cultivating softness (a hallmark of qigong).

• ca. 400 BC – Chuang Tzu (莊子) talks about how past masters breathed qi down to their feet, which is an advanced qigong technique.

• ca. 300 BC – The Circulating Qi Inscription (Xing Qi Ming, 行氣銘) basically describes the Small Universe Qigong technique, another advanced qigong method.

• ca. 200 BC – The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Medicine (Huang Di Neijing 黃帝內經), which is the fundamental text of Traditional Chinese Medicine, speaks about breathing qi and keeping the mind tranquil and promote longevity. It also talks about Qi Circulation Theory, the Theory of 5 Elements, and the Theory of Yin and Yang

As you can see, there’s considerable evidence suggesting that qigong is older than Jesus. And many scholars think that it might even be older than the pyramids!

But what about tai chi? How old is that?

How Old is Tai Chi?

Let’s get back to my conversation with Dan, the tai chi “expert”.

In an attempt to prove his earlier statement about tai chi being older than qigong, Dan said the following:

“The I Ching talks about tai chi, and it was published in the 9th century BC!”

If Dan could have dropped the mic and walked off stage, I think he would have.

Dan struck me as one of those guys who doesn’t let a few pesky facts get in the way of his opinions.

Despite his confidence, Dan’s statement is ridiculous.

I wouldn’t criticize a beginner for a statement like this, but an expert should know better.

Unfortunately, his opinion is shared by others. I see it popping up more and more often in the tai chi world.

Let’s bust this myth that tai chi was created in the 9th century BC.

Putting the Chuan Back in Tai Chi

The I Ching (The Book of Changes, 易經) is an ancient Chinese divination text.

And technically, it DOES talk about tai chi. But not the tai chi that Dan was talking about.

I’ve written about this before, but it bears repeating:

Tai chi, the beautiful, slow-motion martial art that is good for the health, is actually called Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳).

The “chuan” at the end makes a big difference.

Look, I’m guilty too. It’s easier to just say “tai chi”. But when we leave off the “chuan,” we’re not talking about the same thing any more.

Instead, we’re talking about the ancient Chinese philosophy of yin and yang. You already know at least one thing about this philosophy:

This symbol above is called the tai chi tu. Tu in this case just means “symbol” or “diagram”.

In other words, tai chi (太極) is a philosophy, whereas Tai Chi Chuan (太極拳) is a martial art.

Of course, Tai Chi Chuan incorporates the theory of yin and yang, thus adding to the confusion.

What The I Ching Really Says

Dan was correct that the I Ching speaks about tai chi (the philosophy)

But he was false in asserting that it speaks about Tai Chi Chuan (the martial art).

When it comes to the origins of Tai Chi Chuan, Dan wasn’t off by a small amount.

If someone said that Jesus was born 1000 years ago, that statement would be more accurate than Dan’s.

In that case, they would only be off by about 1000 years, whereas Dan was off by at least 2000!

The Actual Origins of Tai Chi

There are 2 main origin stories for the martial art called Tai Chi Chuan:

• Story #1 – Tai Chi Chuan was created by the Taoist monk Zhang Sanfeng in the 12th Century AD.

• Story #2 – Tai Chi Chuan was created by Chen Wangting in the 17th Century AD.

Many modern scholars subscribe to the 2nd story because of the lack of evidence to support the Zhang Sanfeng theory.

But even if you believe that Zhang Sanfeng created Tai Chi Chuan — that’s still 2000 years later than Dan’s origin story.

The Grandmother of Tai Chi Chuan

Okay, so we’ve established that Tai Chi Chuan was created — at the absolute earliest — in the 12th century AD.

And we’ve established that qigong was created — at the absolute latest — in 200 BC.

So that’s a difference of 1300 years — MINIMUM.

In truth, the difference is likely a lot more than that.

I like to say that qigong is the grandmother of tai chi. It’s not just one generation older, but two.

Qigong is not the parent of tai chi because there were other arts in between, notably Shaolin Kung Fu.

What About Shaolin Kung Fu?

If there is a parent for Tai Chi Chuan, it’s undoubtably Shaolin Kung Fu.

Whichever origin story you subscribe to for Tai Chi Chuan — it leads back to the Shaolin Temple in China.

If you believe that Zhang Sanfeng created Tai Chi Chuan, then you must also acknowledge that he spent time learning kung fu at the Shaolin Temple.

If you believe that Chen Wanting created Tai Chi Chua, then you must acknowledge that his home town in Henan province was quite close to the Shaolin Temple. Plus, by the the 17th century, most martial arts in China had been influenced by Shaolin Kung Fu one way or another.

Shaolin Kung Fu is generally viewed as an external martial art, like Karate. But there were secretive internal branches of Shaolin Kung Fu as well.

It’s safe to say that without the internal practices of Shaolin Kung Fu, Tai Chi Chuan would not have developed.

Similarly, it’s safe to say that, without the internal practices of Shaolin Qigong, Shaolin Kung Fu would not have developed.

In other words, Qigong is the grandmother, Shaolin Kung Fu is the daughter, and Tai Chi Chuan is the granddaughter.

Now don’t get me wrong. I absolutely love Tai Chi Chuan, and practice it every day. In fact, I prefer it to Shaolin Kung, which I practiced for many years.

But I also love Grandma Qigong.

And many people prefer qigong simply because it’s not a martial art, and because it’s simpler.

This video below was taken during a workshop that I gave in Mexico City. It will give you super simple overview of the history of qigong, Tai Chi Chuan, and Shaolin Kung Fu, along with a few quick demonstrations.

If you’re like me and you like reading about history, then the following articles will be a big help:

The Difference Between Tai Chi, Qi Gong, and Chai Tea

The Difference Between Kung Fu, Gung Fu, and Gung Ho.

The Man Who Made Shaolin

History of Qigong: The 18 Luohan Hands

History of Qigong: Sinew Metamorphosis

History of Qigong: Bone Marrow Cleansing 

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post The History of Qigong and Tai Chi: Facts And Myths appeared first on Flowing Zen.

If you’ve ever watched a kung fu movie…

…now hang on a minute!

Are there people reading this who haven’t watched a kung fu movie?

If so, then stop reading right now, go rent Drunken Master with Jackie Chan, and then report back to me when you’re finished.

Okay, now where was I?

If you’ve ever watched a kung fu movie, then you’re probably familiar with this line:

“Right then! What’s your style?”

You’ll often hear this just as one of the bad guys strikes a fancy schmancy kung fu pose. It’s time for kung fu fighting!

What’s all this talk about “style,” and what does it mean for the modern practitioner of qigong or tai chi?

I’m going to clear that up for you.

By the end of this article, you’ll understand what a qigong style is (and isn’t), and whether or not any of this stuff even matters to you.

What IS My Style? 

Here’s my dilemma.

Imagine the scene above, with the bad guy striking a kung fu pose in front of me and saying, “Right then, what’s your qigong style, Mr. Anthony!” 

Now imagine me responding not with a kung fu pose, but by stroking my beard pensively and saying: “That’s a really good question, Mr. Bad Guy!”

For years, whenever someone asked what style of qigong I teach, I always answered as follows:

Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong (少林混元一氣功, Shaolin Cosmos Qigong).

But there’s a problem with that answer: It’s no longer accurate.

If you want to understand more about the nature of qigong “styles”, then keep reading. My own journey will help you to see things clearer.

Style vs. Lineage

The truth is that I’ve learned and practiced many styles of qigong (more on that below).

Yes, Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong is the style that I studied deepest. It’s also the only style that I claim lineage too.

But is it really the style that I teach?

(The subject of lineage is closely connected to the subject of styles, so bear with me.)

If you’re new to Flowing Zen, then you need to know some quick history. 

In 2014, I “divorced” my Sifu after 17 years of discipleship.

For the record, I didn’t just divorce him. I was the main whistleblower for a sexual abuse scandal in his organization, perpetrated by one of his certified instructors.

I left — and not quietly — because I believe that his organization condones sexual and emotional abuse. Hundreds of students and many instructors also left for the same reason.

The Politics of Lineage

So what happened to my lineage after my divorce?

Some people will tell you that I no longer have lineage because of my divorce.

They will actually try to convince you that my 17 years of discipleship and my 11 years as a chief instructor just magically disappeared the moment I left.

If you believe that, then you are in the wrong place, my friend.

The ugly truth about lineage is that it’s actually quite political.

And speaking of politics, if I were still in the organization, if I were still an inner-chamber disciple, if I were still the chief instructor in the U.S. — then I would have no choice but to say that I teach Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong.

In other words, I would be required to downplay all the other styles that I learned, and push my lineage’s style to the forefront.

And I would be allowed to write this article.

But now that I’m free, I’m no longer beholden to a master or a lineage.

In other words, I’m no longer obligated to say that I practice and teach Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong.

FREEDOM!

For the first time since I began this amazing qi journey in 1992, I’m totally free.

My freedom is a beautiful thing, and not just for me.

I believe that my freedom makes me a better teacher, and a better artist. In other words, I think that my freedom is a beautiful thing for YOU.

But I want you to know that I’m not just some crazy, rebellious American thumbing his nose at tradition.

Okay I am a bit crazy. And I’m also rebellious. And yes, I’m American.

That’s all true. But it’s also true that there is a long tradition of leaving one’s master, studying other styles, innovating, and then creating a new, modern style of qigong or kung fu!

So I’m in good company.

The Structure of a Style

What does it mean to create a new style?

First we need to figure out what a style actually is!

To understand this, let’s look at the basic building blocks for all styles of qigong and kung fu (including tai chi).

The structure is as follows:

pattern —> set —> style

Let’s start with the most basic unit in qigong (and tai chi): the pattern.

Structure 1: Patterns

A pattern is a single, distinct qigong or tai chi move. Usually, a pattern will have a poetic name.

For example, Lifting The Sky is a famous qigong pattern, and Single Whip is a famous tai chi pattern.

With tai chi, this can be confusing. Beginners often have difficulty seeing where one pattern finishes and another begins.

That’s because tai chi is characteristically fluid, unlike karate, which is much more linear and choppy.

To help you understand this, think of tai chi like cursive writing, and karate like block writing.

Cursive letters are designed to flow together. Once you learn to read cursive, it’s easy to see where one letter stops and another begins.

The same is true in tai chi.

Now that you understand the basic units (patterns), let’s move on to sets.

Structure 2: Sets

A set is an intelligent combination of patterns.

Some people refer to a “set” as a “form.”  For example, the Tai Chi Short Form should really be called a set.

I think the word “form” muddles the distinction between a set and a pattern.

In fact, some people refer to a pattern like Lifting the Sky as a form.

Confusing, right?

The word “set” is better.

Here are some examples of sets:

1. Yi jin Jing (Sinew Metamorphosis) is a famous qigong set,
2. The Tiger-Crane Set is a famous Shaolin Kung Fu set,
3. The 24-Pattern Short Form is a famous Tai Chi set.

Sets are intelligently arranged for various purposes, like easy memorization, energy flow, or in the case of Tai Chi and Shaolin Kung Fu, self defense.

Now let’s move up the structure to a style.

Structure 3: Styles

A style is a comprehensive methodology that includes several different sets, as well as specific training theories.

Think of a style as a curriculum.

For example:

1. Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong includes the sets: The 18 Luohan Hands, Yi Jin Jing (Sinew Metamorphosis), One Finger Zen, Golden Bridge, Cosmos Palm, Small Universe, and Big Universe.
2. Yang Style Tai Chi typically includes the sets: The 24-Pattern Short Form (or the 108-Pattern Long Form), Pushing Hands, one or more weapons forms (like the sword), and auxiliary qigong techniques (like the 8 Brocades Qigong set).

If you can understand this basic structure of pattern, set, and style, then you should find it much easier to navigate the confusing world of qigong (and tai chi).

How Many Styles Are There?

The short answer is: It depends on how you count them.

Part of the problem is that many people don’t understand the hierarchy of pattern, style, and set that I described above.

For example, some people think that Ba Duan Jin (The 8 Brocades) is a style of qigong. It is a qigong set, not a style.

Another problem is that the Chinese tradition of secrecy makes historical study more difficult.

It’s hard to count the number of qigong styles out there, but it’s easy to count the ones that I myself have learned!

Over the last 24 years, I’ve studied and practiced the following styles of qigong:

1. Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong
2. Chu Style Nei Kung
3. Yan Xin Qigong
4. Yi Quan
5. Cosmic Freedom Qigong
6. Wild Goose Qigong
7. Primordial Qigong
8. Dragon and Tiger Qigong
9. Zhineng Qigong
10. Spring Forest Qigong
11. Holden Qigong

Note that I did not study all of these styles as deeply as #1. I did, however, practice far more than the average student. 

Although this post is mainly about qigong, it’s worth talking briefly about kung fu as well.

What About Kung Fu?

Historically, some styles of qigong were embedded within (and kept secret by) styles of kung fu or karate.

For example, until the 20^th century, you couldn’t learn Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong without also learning Shaolin Kung Fu (at least not in my lineage).

So for the sake of clarity and transparency, let me quickly list the major styles of kung fu that I’ve practiced (including my first karate style, which had some Japanese Qigong embedded inside)

1. Goju-Ryu Karate
2. Northern Shaolin Kung Fu
3. Southern Shaolin Kung Fu
4. Tai Chi Chuan
5. Baguazhang
6. Wing Chun Kung Fu

If you didn’t get the memo, all styles of tai chi are actually just sub-styles of kung fu. You can read more about that here.

If I were forced to give an answer to the question of how many qigong styles still exist in the 21^st century, I would estimate that there are about a dozen well-known styles, plus another 2 dozen lesser-known styles, plus an unknown number of highly-secretive styles that will gradually emerge over time.

And don’t forget that there are over 100 different kung fu styles!

Yikes!

Why So Many Styles?

I know what you’re thinking. Why are there so many frigging styles?!?

To me, the answer is simple: Artistry.

Name one art that has remained unchanged over a period of a hundred years, let alone 1000! Artistry — real artistry — involves creation. And creation involves innovation.

Take Mozart. Sure, he’s a “classical” composer, but in his time, he was a major innovator.

So was Picasso. So was Jane Austin.

Qigong is an art. And like all arts, it is alive. It is not the same art today as it was 1000 years ago.

In the final analysis, this is the most satisfying answer to the question about why there are so many different styles of qigong.

In other words, there are many styles because, in the history of qigong, there have been many, many artists.

The Ironic Truth 

In truth, the style of qigong that I inherited wasn’t really Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong.

My ex-Sifu heavily modified the qigong that he learned from his teacher.

And guess what? His Sifu did the same thing.

It’s also worth mentioning that, in the 21^st century, there is widespread resistance to innovation in traditional Eastern arts when that innovation is done a Westerner.

People don’t even blink when a Chinese master makes changes to a qigong or kung fu style — but when a Westerner like me does the exact same thing, they get all huffy.

For example, I recently received this message in my inbox:

“I find it outrageous and disrespectful that you invented your own style of qigong and call it Flowing Zen Qigong. Only an arrogant American would do such a thing. No thank you! I’ll stick to traditional styles like Chilel and Shibashi.”

If you don’t get the joke, here’s why this is so funny:

• Chilel Qigong was invented in 1995.
• Shibashi Qigong was invented in 1979.

Both of them are modern styles based on traditional lineages — just like mine!

Oh well. People will always find something to be outraged about. 

Meanwhile, I’ll continue to master my art, and also the art of teaching.

Taking the Good, Discarding the Bad

Back in 1992, I learned a life-changing lesson from my first karate teacher, Sensei Bonnie Baker.

“Take the good, discard the bad,” she said, over and over.

That advice has turned out to be a godsend. Today, it’s helping me more than ever.

It means I’m free to take the good and discard the bad — and that’s precisely because I am no longer beholden to any lineage or master.

And that, my friends, is a beautiful thing — especially when you live in the information age!

The Information Age

The information age can be problematic for beginners. How do you sift through so much information? How do you tell the good from the bad? Who do you trust?

(My advice is find someone you trust, and then follow them for at least 6 months.)

For someone like me, the information age is a bonanza.

By “someone like me,” I mean someone who has already completed a 17-year apprenticeship, learned face-to-face from a dozen masters, and put in well over 10,000 hours of deep practice.

I’m in a fantastic position to take take the good and discard the bad.

With so much information at my disposal, plus the ability to sift the good from the bad — ask yourself this question:

Why on earth would someone like me NOT incorporate new ideas into my traditional style of qigong?

Or as T.S. Eliot put it:

Immature poets imitate; mature poets steal; bad poets deface what they take, and good poets make it into something better…. 

No Really, What’s Your Style?

Okay, so after all this — what style of qigong do I teach?

At this point, it feels disingenuous to continue saying that I teach Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong.

What about all the stuff that I’ve learned from other teachers that I now incorporate into my teaching?

What about the stuff from Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong that I’ve discarded?

The truth is that you could go learn Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong from 4 different teachers, and none of them would teach what I teach.

I’m finally ready to admit what I’ve known for years:

I no longer teach Shaolin Hunyuan Yi Qigong!

Boy, that felt good to get off my chest!

Oh wait, I still didn’t answer the question, did I!

Introducing My New Style!

I’ve thought long and hard about what to call my style of qigong, and I’ve come up with the follow name:

Big Tony Qigong!

Okay, I’m just joking.

But actually, that’s exactly what some masters have done. They just have cool Chinese names. I’m a bit jealous.

Since my website is Flowing Zen, I think it’s logical to call start calling my style Flowing Zen Qigong.

It fits. My teaching emphasizes the importance of a Zen state of mind, and also the importance of energy flow.

Also, the name “Flowing Zen” is fluid enough to allow for evolution over time. Because, as you can probably guess, I’m not done evolving.

I’m an artist, and I will continue to deepen my mastery of qigong until the day I die.

And thanks to qigong, I expect that day to be at least 70 years in the future!

Summary

• We’ve seen that there are countless styles of qigong, and kung fu. 
• We’ve seen that styles are composed of qigong sets, which are composed of qigong patterns. 
• We’ve seen that masters in many lineages innovated, gradually creating new styles of qigong. 
• We’ve seen that I’ve learned many styles of qigong, and that I’ve also learned to take the good, and discard the bad. 
• And we’ve seen that I’m ready to start calling my style Flowing Zen Qigong.

So what does all this mean for you? What’s your takeaway?

It depends on how you reacted to this post.

Were you nodding while reading it? Did you resonate with my ideas of innovation, artistry, and mastery?

Or were you shaking your head the whole time? Were you offended, like the guy who sent me the angry email? Do you prefer strict traditions that (supposedly) remain unchanged over time? Do you want to learn the “original” or “orthodox” style of qigong?

If it’s the latter, then I’m probably not the teacher for you. I wish you the best of luck in your search. (And if you come full circle ten years from now, I promise to welcome you back with open arms!)

Either way, I hope that you learned something useful in this article, and that you have more clarity now!

I’d love to hear from you. What do you think about all this talk of style? Do you think I made the right choice? Or should I have stuck with “Big Tony Qigong”? 

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post How to Invent Your Own Style of Qigong appeared first on Flowing Zen.

For years, I felt like a fraud.

I’m often seen as someone oozing with willpower. After all, I’ve spent the last 25 years mastering several styles of kung fu, including various weaponry. (If you didn’t know that tai chi is a form of kung fu, then you might enjoy reading this article later.)

But here’s the thing: I never felt like someone with willpower.

You know. Like one of *those* people — the ones born with an iron will.

Later, I learned something that changed my life:

The reason I didn’t feel like someone with willpower was because I didn’t actually know what willpower was.

Mind blown!

Why You’ve Got More Willpower Than You Think

A few years ago, I read a fascinating book called The Willpower Instinct.

It was so interesting, that I read two more books on the subject: The Power of Habit, and Switch: How To Change When Change Is Hard.

(Note: those are affiliate links, which means that I receive a tiny commission if you purchase using them, at no extra cost to you. Thanks for helping me to buy more awesome books to read!)

After reading those three books, I had an “aha” moment.

“I’ve got willpower!” I said to myself.

You’ve got it too. The reason you don’t think you’ve got willpower is because you’re thinking about it all wrong.

What Willpower Really Is

You probably think that willpower is something that some people just have, that it’s something they were born with. And you probably think that it’s something you were NOT born with.

That’s what I thought for years. But it’s not true.

More research has been done on willpower over the last 10 years than in the last 1000.

All of it points to one important conclusion that can totally change your life.

In a nutshell, here’s what the research says: Willpower is a skill.

This is GREAT news for all of us. If someone has willpower, then it’s because they developed that skill through practice.

And this means that literally anyone can develop more willpower.

But wait. Don’t you need willpower to build willpower?

Yes and no. Before we talk about how willpower develops, let’s talk about how willpower gets depleted. Let’s plug the leaks first.

How Willpower Gets Depleted

A famous willpower study was done in the 1990s. Basically, a psychologist named Roy Baumeister figured out an ingenious way to torture college students.

All of the participants were sat down in front of a plate of freshly baked cookies.

Some of the participants were allowed to eat those cookies.

But some of them were asked to eat radishes instead – with the cookies sitting right in front of them

In other words, they had to sit there and choose to eat radishes rather than freshly baked cookies.

But this wasn’t the end of the test.

Afterward, both groups were given puzzles that basically assess your current level of persistence, which is a measure of willpower.

Guess which group did better?

Yep. The group that ate the cookies did much better.

Why? Because it takes willpower to resist eating freshly baked cookies.

In other words, the students depleted their willpower by resisting the temptation of eating the cookies.

Do Cookies Build Willpower?

If you’re thinking, “COOKIES BUILD WILLPOWER!!!” then hold on a second. That’s not exactly what the research showed.

What that study really proved is that flexing your willpower muscles leaves you temporarily depleted.

It’s a lot like weight lifting, really.

In order to resist the temptation of the freshly baked cookies, the students had to flex their willpower muscles. Afterward, they were left depleted.

If you are depleted, but you try to flex your willpower muscles again – then you’re probably going to fail.

But the depletion is only temporary. Understanding this fact is the first step to building more willpower.

By being more strategic with how you spend your willpower, you’ll build it more easily.

It’s important to remember that willpower is needed for both adding and subtracting things. Adding a daily meditation habit requires willpower, and so does subtracting a daily smoking habit.

Where are you spending your willpower? Are you being strategic? Or are you haphazard with the way that you build willpower?

How to Build Willpower

What if the researches had tortured the poor students every day for a few months?

What if, every day, the students had been required to sit there and eat radishes while staring at freshly baked cookies?

What would have happened to their willpower?

It would have grow. Just like a muscle.

Here’s how I grew my own willpower.

My Battle With Willpower

“But Sifu, you’re different!” she said.  “You don’t understand how hard it is for us regular people to practice every morning!”

But see, I do understand. I totally understand! I — of all people — understand!

When I was in my 20s, I experienced my first episode of Major Depressive Disorder. As a result, I was left with a lot of bad habits.

I smoked. I slept poorly and woke up late. I ate like crap. I drank too much. I had no energy.

It’s true that I had already earned a black belt in karate by this point. And yes, that requires willpower.

But my willpower muscles had all grown weak and flabby.

I actually started learning qigong and kung fu during this time, but I struggled to practice daily.

So how did I turn things around?

I did it with an exercise called Lifting The Sky.

But I didn’t try to do a 15-minute session, as I had been taught. That was too much. Instead, I started doing it for 2 minutes a day.

Just 2 minutes a day.

Building Willpower 2 Minutes At a Time

At the time, I thought that willpower was supposed to be easy. I thought it was just supposed to flow. Effortlessly.

But willpower was hard for me. Damn hard.

Some days, I forgot to do my 2 minutes, and only realized once I was already in bed.

So I got up and did 2 minutes. That was hard. It probably doesn’t sound hard, but it was like a major battle for me.

But day by day, I kept going. Just 2 minutes.

30 days went by, and I hadn’t missed a day. A winning streak! Believe me, at that time in my life, I needed to win at something.

So I kept going. 60 days went by, and then 90, and before I knew it, I had done 2 minutes a day for about 6 months. I hadn’t missed a single day!

(Click here for a course about building healthier habits with a 2-minute qigong routine.)

When Willpower Becomes Easy

There is a point when willpower becomes less difficult, when it becomes almost effortless.

That’s the confusing part. I myself was confused for years.

Here’s what helped me understand: Willpower is different than habit.

Do you use willpower to brush your teeth every morning? No, you don’t. Because it’s a habit.

Once you create a solid habit, willpower is no longer necessary. The autopilot flips on. And that’s exactly what you want.

Doing 2 minutes a day flexed my willpower muscles and made them stronger and stronger.

But it also did something else. Eventually, my 2-minute routine became a habit. Once it was a habit, I didn’t need to use willpower any more.

This meant that I had extra willpower leftover to spend on something else. I chose to spend it on practicing for about 15 minutes instead of 2.

And then that built more willpower. And then that became a habit.

You might also enjoy: 10 Reasons to Try Qigong If You Need More Willpower

You see how this works? You see how you can do the same thing?

I recommend that you start with something ridiculously simple, like I did. Pick something that flexes willpower, but can also become a healthy new habit.

In this case, it’s usually better to add a habit than try to subtract. (In other words, add a healthy habit rather than subtracting an unhealthy one.)

So pick a new habit, and do it daily for 30 days. Flex those willpower muscles, get them stronger, and build a habit at the same time.

This is exactly how masters are made — one step at a time. If you catch yourself thinking, “Oh, I could never be a tai chi master,” then stop it! Out with the old way of thinking, and in with the new. 

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post Tips From a Kung Fu Master: Willpower Isn’t What You Think appeared first on Flowing Zen.

A few days ago, my wife  discovered a beautiful park near our home. We’ve only been in our new house for about 8 months, but I’m not quite sure how we missed this park. It’s a huge suburban sports complex with four baseball fields, two soccer fields, a dozen tennis courts, a nature trail, and even a frisbee golf course!

So this morning, I went on a Kung Fu adventure.

Here’s a glimpse of the park at dawn:

It was chilly for Florida at 42° this morning, but it was also glorious. There was dew on the ground gleaming in the first light, the air was crisp, and the sky was a canvas of color.

It was an absolutely amazing place for me to practice my Kung Fu. (If you didn’t get the memo, Tai Chi is a form of Kung Fu.)

There’s something magical about going on a Kung Fu adventure like this, especially at dawn.

This morning brought me back to my days in New York City.  Back then, if I wanted to practice outside, then I had to find a park. (Or climb up to the roof of my apartment.)

In New York City, there would have been dozens of Chinese people in this park, even at dawn. They would have been doing everything from walking, to practicing tai chi, to ballroom dancing. (I wrote about this fascinating phenomenon here, and even posted a video, if you’re curious.)

There is a small Chinese community in Gainesville, but they obviously haven’t discovered this park yet. The place was empty except for a few early-morning tennis players.

But the solitude didn’t stop me from enjoying my adventure.

I walked around for a while, looking for the perfect spot to practice.  Modern parks are filled with countless Kung Fu training tools, if you know where to look.

I finally settled on a spot near one of the baseball fields. Here’s why:

1. It was open to the sky. Having the sky completely open above you is better for Qi cultivation. It’s also better for feeling the amazing majesty of the sky.

2. There was a covered area. Right next to my spot was a covered area. Not that it was raining today, but in the future, I might want to practice in this park, even in the rain. It’s nice to have a place where I can go, rain or shine.

3. There was a chain-link fence. Back in my karate days, we would test our kicks on fences like this. If you could kick the fence with power but without losing your balance, then your kicks passed the test. So this morning, I gleefully kicked the chain-link fence.

4. There were bleachers.  Bleachers are similar to something known as the Plum Blossom poles, which are great for training agility and balance.  Here’s a picture of actual Plus Blossom poles at our retreat center in Costa Rica:

And then here’s the same idea, but on bleachers:

5. There were “Wooden Dummies.” If you’ve ever seen a Kung Fu movie, then you’ve probably watched scenes where the master spars with some sort of wooden dummy. This morning, the “dummies” were simple metal posts. They were spaced nicely apart so that I could simulate defending myself against multiple opponents (or ninjas).

I thoroughly enjoyed my practice this morning. Of course, I usually enjoy my practice, but this morning was better than usual.

It was fresh. New. It was an adventure.

Parks are everywhere. I don’t know where you live, but I’m pretty sure there are parks there. Perhaps they are covered in snow right now, but that will change soon enough.

Try it yourself some day. Go to a park at dawn, find a nice spot, and make an adventure of your practice.

The more you do this, the more you’ll make an adventure out of life itself.

What about you? Do you ever go on adventures like this?

The post Breaking: Kung Fu Master Spotted in Suburban Park at Dawn appeared first on Flowing Zen.

I had it tougher than my students.  Some of the training I’ve been through was much more grueling than anything my students have experienced.  For example, students never throw up in the middle of my classes!

In the old days, I was stricter with my students.  But I’ve softened with age.  Like a parent who has had a tough life, I want things to be better for my “children”. I don’t want to torture them the way that I was tortured by some of my teachers.  So I take it easy on them.  Even spoil them.

Teaching Qigong and Tai Chi is a lot like parenting.  You make lots of mistakes along the way.  And in retrospect, I think that I may have made a mistake in being too soft on my students.

Don’t Hold Back!

The famous Zen Master and swordsman, Tesshu (1836-1888), was known for being incredibly tough on his students.  The training was brutal.  For example, when a new student would arrive in his dojo (school), he would say something like this:

“The purpose of swordsmanship is not to fight to defeat others in contests; training in my dojo is to foster enlightenment, and for this, you must be willing to risk your life.  Attack me any way you wish.  Do not hold back!”

Typically, he would knock the newbie to the floor over and over until they dropped from exhaustion.  That was lesson #1 in Tesshu’s school!

The 21st Century

Obviously, this would never work in the 21st century.  Most of my students are interested in healing, not martial arts.  Attacking them during their first lesson probably wouldn’t go over too well.

Certainly, my insurance company wouldn’t be too thrilled.

But can we perhaps learn something from Tesshu’s approach?  Is there something that we can implement in the modern era?

The answer is yes.  We can use what Tesshu called a seigan.

The Seigan

Seigan is a Japanese word that means “a deep vow”.  Tesshu encouraged his students to take a series of these seigan, each one more challenging than the previous one.

The first seigan in Tesshu’s school was to complete 1000 days of training — in a row.

(That works out to 2.7 years, if you’re curious.)

This was no small task.  Training in Tesshu’s school typically involved 2-3 hours of vigorous practice, including heavy sparring, every morning.  Imagine coming to my studio from 6-9am every morning for 1000 days in a row!

(You would need keys because we’re not open 1000 days in a row.)

2555 Days of Lifting The Sky

I haven’t completed Tesshu’s exact version of a seigan, but I’ve made good use of vows in my own training.

In January, 2000, after struggling with discipline for several years, I finally got fed up and took a vow to practice Lifting The Sky every day — no matter what.

I kept that vow for 7 years (2555 days!) without missing a single day.

More recently, in 2009, I took a vow to do 365 days of a Qigong exercise called One Finger Zen.  By the end of one year, I had so much momentum that I kept that practice going for a total of 3.5 years.

To this day, I continue to make use of 365-Day Seigans.  They help me to stay disciplined with my own personal practice.

Start With 100 Days

Okay, so maybe 1000 days is a bit too much for most of you.  And 365 days isn’t a walk in the park either.  That’s totally fine. This is the 21st century, after all.

To make it more accessible, consider a 100-Day Seigan.  In other words, vow to do 100 days of something — in a row.

Here are some suggestions:

• 100 Days of the 2-Minute Drill
• 100 Days of the 15-Minute Routine
• 100 Days of Gratitude
• 100 Days of 100 Kicks
• 100 Days of Strength & Flexibility Qigong
• 100 Days of Small Universe Breathing
• 100 Days of Morning Practice
• 100 Days of Sunrise Practice
• 100 Days of Horse Stance
• A Kung Fu Set A Day for 100 Days
• 100 Days of Forgiveness Meditation

You can implement a 100-Day Seigan even if you’ve never learned from me or another teacher. In fact, developing discipline is one of the most productive things that you can do before finding a teacher.

If you’re a newbie, I recommend that you start with the 2-Minute Drill for 100 days. You can read about it here.

Before You Start

Hold your horses.  Before you commit to doing a 100-Day Seigan, you need to get serious.  The reason why Tesshu’s students were so successful was because they took their vow so seriously.  It was a DEEP vow.  To them, it symbolized the vow that the Buddha made to attain enlightenment.

How will you make your vow more serious?  Here are some suggestions:

• Make it public.
• Make a ritual out of the vow.
• Write the vow down and hang it on a wall.
• Offer to pay someone $1000 if you fail.

Does $1000 seem like a lot to you?  Good!   That’s the whole point!  There has to be some sort of serious motivation!

Just Do It

I’ve probably been too soft on my students.  But the solution isn’t to swing in the other direction and become too strict.  I need to find a balance.

I think I’ve found that balance with the concept of a 100-Day Seigan.

If you’ve learned from me face-to-face, then I want to encourage you to do a 100-Day Seigan.  Do an easy one if you like.  But just do it.

Let me tell you from my own personal experience that completing a seigan like this feels absolutely wonderful.  To say that you will feel good about yourself is an understatement.

If you are thinking about undertaking a 100-Day Seigan, let me know in the comments.  That’s a good way to hold yourself accountable.  Declare your vow to me, and the entire Internet! And please feel free to offer to pay me $1000 if you fail!

From the heart,
Sifu Anthony

The post How To Build Discipline Like A Zen Sword Master appeared first on Flowing Zen.