Just Do It: How To Become A Disciple Of The Bodhidharma

The Bodhidharma Is Your Teacher

 I've been studying martial arts for more than twenty years and I've been a teacher for more than ten years. I make my DVDs, and write these posts because I want to pass my experience and love of martial arts to people, like myself, who also love martial arts. I am a Shaolin Master living in the West, and I am saddened to see so much myth and magic surrounding the Shaolin Temple. My aim is to clear away the myth so that you can get to the heart of the practice. Whatever your view of The Shaolin Temple, this is not important. It's the teachings that are important. The teachings originate from the founder of Zen, Bodhidharma. 

The Buddha said, do not rely on the teacher, rely on the teachings. When we take up the teachings, we owe a debt to our ancestors, and we must respect them for passing such great teachings to us. In many ways, I see the Bodhidharma as my teacher more than the Buddha because he showed me how to use martial arts as a meditation. Each person who learns from me, either in person or with my DVDs or book is also a student of the Bodhidharma. I see myself as a conduit, passing down what my master taught me. I'm always a beginner, always learning, always grateful for these teachings.

 Does The Shaolin Temple Have A Gym?

 The question I get asked the most about my own training is, do I lift weights? The Shaolin Temple doesn't have a gym. My muscles are purely from my martial arts training. What Shaolin does is make our training intelligent.  When I train in Kung Fu I use my own body weight, and when I train in Qigong, I do specific Qigong exercises to strengthen my muscles and give them power and Qi.  This is using the intelligence of the teaching. This is a very holistic approach. We don't just train for one reason, we train for many. In my latest DVDs, I demonstrate how to build muscles through kung fu and how to transform the shape of the muscle and give it energy through Qigong.

 The Toughest Workout Ever

 The movements in Shaolin Bootcamp may look deceptively easy but this is possibly the toughest workout ever taught on a DVD. As you move through the Bootcamp workout you train intelligently. When a martial artist does a push up, she also needs to punch. A strong arm does not mean a powerful punch. As martial artists we need to tune into the intelligence of our bodies and finely tune our training so that we are getting the optimal results for the goals we have set for ourselves. The Bootcamp is designed to keep us moving; push up, stretching, punch, shadow and speed training. It's designed this way for a reason: this kind of training is guaranteed to get us fighting fit; melting the fat and toning the body. It's giving our body new challenges while increasing its speed, coordination and power. 

It's important to vary our workouts because the body is always trying to find ways that it can be lazy. Maybe it finds a comfortable way of doing push ups, so change the angle and make it difficult again. There are no surprises in weight lifting. You do a set and you don't move around so even though you are building your muscles, you’re not increasing your stamina. Shaolin Bootcamp builds your stamina, speed and muscles in one fully integrated movement.

Yoga Can Be Bad For You

I'm not saying that weight lifting is good or bad. I'm saying, what is your goal? If your goal is to build muscle then great. But if you're a martial artist, then your body has a whole set of goals and building muscle is just one of them. People who do yoga are very flexible in one way but if they wanted to kick or punch there would be no power so in some ways they have no flexibility at all. Martial Artists not only stretch but they also do the five kicks to extend and give their stretch power and movement. If you love yoga and you're not interested in self-defence, there's nothing wrong with this type of training. But if you're a martial artist then too much yoga can be bad for you!

Increase Your Peace And Your Punch

Another misperception is that some older people believe that all they have to practice is some gentle Qigong or Tai Qi exercise. But this isn't true because as we get older, not only do our organs shrink but also our tendons, muscles and bones. In Qigong For Upper Body and Qigong For Lower Body I address these concerns by teaching a Qigong form that links hard Qigong with soft Qigong. This is the first time I've taught hard and soft Qigong on a DVD. For fighters or young people who find it difficult to concentrate, these forms are more challenging so easier to focus on, they will increase the power of your punch while increasing your peace. Strengthen your Mabu and your meditation.  Strengthen the internal organs while strengthening the external muscles. This is a tough Qigong because it uses your muscles in a new static way that is different from a push up. It gives your muscle Qi, energy, power. This is the Zen way to train intelligently.

Take Action Now

Now that I'm 38, and having trained for so long, I know that it's increasingly important that we practice these Qigong's. Doesn't matter what martial art's we do, Qigong can help us and prolong our martial art's life.

In the West we tend to get wrapped up in our minds and over complicate things. My master never allowed me to do this. Coming from a Zen Temple meant I wasn't allowed to ask my master many questions because if he gave me answers then they would be his answers and this would cloud my direct experience. The Nike slogan is nicked from the Zen philosophy:  Just Do It. What does this mean? Stop thinking, stop making such a big deal, stop procrastinating. Make your health a priority. If you start thinking too much when you practice - where is the Qi? What am I feeling? Should I focus on my Dan Tian? - Just stop. 

In Shaolin the focus is not on our Dan Tian. Shaolin is a holistic way of working with our body. Our body is made up of not just a Dan Tian. This is why the focus is on the breath and the movement. Simple. Always keep it simple. Just Do it. Combine internal with external, Qigong with Kung Fu. Practice movement and breath, breath and movement, train intelligently, don't over complicate. Just do it. This means you a disciple of the Bodhidharma. This means you are training in Zen.

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Help HWC Keep the Momentum Going!

As you know, HWC is the recipient of the YorIT Social Venture funding.  Help us keep the momentum building toward our opening.  Here's how you can help:

Have a green thumb?  Like digging in the dirt?  Help create our Community Garden Plot, HWC will participate in the York City community garden at 234 S Pershing Street. LOTS of work ahead preparing, planting, tending garden. If interested, please e-mail us at healthyworldcafe@gmail.com.

Help us spread the word about HWC at these upcoming events:

Olde York Street Fair, May 8th, 12:30 p.m. - 6 p.m. to staff a table with seed packets and brochures / share info about HWC.  Again, if you can help us, send an e-mail with your availability.

Advisory Group Meeting, Monday, June 6, 6:30 p.m., Friends Meeting House.  Advisory Group meetings are open to all, and we always welcome new advisory group members.  Bring a friend!

There are plenty of ways to help HWC in the coming weeks!  Get involved, volunteer, contribute.  Help us make HWC a reality!

HWC Wins YorIT Social Venture Challenge and $20K in funding!

Reprinted from www.yorit.org:

YorIT Social Venture Challenge  

Healthy World Cafe Receives $20,000 as Winner of 2011 YorIT Social Venture Challenge

April 8th, 2011 – Tonight the YorIT membership selected Healthy World Café as the winner of this year’s Social Venture Challenge and the recipient of $20,000 in start-up funds. Healthy World Café is a 21st-Century, nonprofit restaurant concept in downtown York that will provide healthy meals made from local ingredients at a price each customer decides he/she can afford. The Café will offer an accessible community gathering place where all are welcome and local food, art and music are promoted. Healthy World Café seeks to offer a new dining experience that brings people to downtown York and supports the local economy. Funding from YorIT will support the start-up costs for the Healthy World Café, which plans to be self-sustaining within a year of opening. Philanthropic Endeavors is the fiscal agent for this initiative.

YorIT members made their decision following live pitches from all three Social Venture Challenge finalists: Downtown Delivered, Healthy World Café and Y-FI. The event took place at the Capitol Theatre in Downtown York before a live audience made up of YorIT members, mentors and supporters, as well as interested community stakeholders, potential investors and members of the public. Members who were unable to attend the Finalist Event in person were encouraged to submit their vote by proxy.

The YorIT Social Venture Fund was created through the annual contributions of YorIT members to effect change in our community in a way that is meaningful to our generation. Our membership seeks to fund passionate and creative individuals with ideas that are innovative, feasible and sustainable, and which may not have attracted support from traditional funding sources.

The goal of this year’s YorIT Social Venture Challenge was to fund initiatives with the potential to help attract and retain restaurants and retailers in Downtown York. YorIT used social media, public relations and a guerilla marketing effort to generate interest in this year’s Challenge, which yielded seven exciting video proposals from non-traditional applicants. The videos, uploaded to YouTube, have attracted hundreds of viewers and demonstrate the creative energy Yorkers offer to our community.

The YorIT Challenge Committee, after declaring any potential conflicts of interest, screened those proposals for initial feasibility and potential impact and invited four groups in for second round interviews. Again, potential conflicts were declared and committee members abstained from interviews and deliberations as appropriate. The Selection Committee ultimately narrowed the field down to two finalists, who were soon joined by a third who was able to take the steps recommended by the Committee in order to move them forward as finalists.

We were very proud to put forward three compelling and uniquely different ideas to benefit our downtown. Each was vetted for feasibility, sustainability and potential impact. It is our hope that while Healthy World Café is the recipient of this year’s Challenge Funds, all three finalists will have found the evening to be a platform from which their initiatives were able to generate interest and support from the greater community.

You can learn more about the Healthy World Café at their website: www.healthyworldcafe.org

Also please view their video proposal here:

Healthy World Café: View Video Below you will find some brief information about the other two finalists, including a link to the video proposal that they submitted to be considered for this year’s challenge. We encourage you to contact each group directly for more information about their initiatives and how you might support their efforts. 2011 YorIT Social Venture Challenge Finalists: Downtown Delivered is bicycle delivery service for downtown restaurants and food vendors. Beginning two days a week with Central Market vendors, the company seeks to bring market-fresh meals to time-strapped downtown businesses and families, while offering downtown restaurants and retailers an opportunity to increase sales. The company has a commitment to providing quality, fresh foods, delivered on bicycles to reduce carbon emissions and traffic congestion. The critical feature of this service is the development of an online ordering system that keeps track of available products in real-time. Funding from YorIT would have supported the development of the software and initial start-up costs for Downtown Delivered. Philanthropic Endeavors is the fiscal agent for this initiative. Downtown Delivered: View Video Y-FI is an existing community wireless internet project, sharing local resources to benefit the community at large and support economic growth in Downtown York City. The proposal seeks to significantly expand the Y-FI wireless network in York’s Central Business District. Y-FI, under the exclusive direction of Bob Mock, has already established wireless systems in Central Market and several other downtown businesses, making them “third places” where individuals can hang out and stay in touch. Funding from YorIT would have allowed the network to expand its reach by adding approximately 30 additional wireless points and providing back-up technical support. The more connections that are established, the greater the strength of the network. Y-FI recently partnered with the York County Economic Development Corporation (YCEDC) and its nonprofit subsidiary PEDYC, strengthening the initiative’s sustainability and scalability. Y-fi: View Video http://www.myyfi.com/. Thank you for your support as we continue to seek creative and compelling ideas to improve the quality of life in our community. We look forward to sharing information about next year’s Challenge in the months to come.

Karma Yoga - Love Drop Style

Selfless service is one type of yoga that resonates with me deeply. One way I’ve found to work Karma Yoga into my life is to participate in Love Drop. This amazing non-profit works to make a difference is one specific individual or family’s life each month. It is so great to see the immediate impact your help can make.

Hey guys! The Love Drop team is at it again! Last month they gave over $5,000 worth of cash and goods to their recipient, Katie, who had been battling a couple of brain tumors over the years, and it culminated with a surprise gift of 15+ friends showing up at her house to celebrate with her. It was awesome. You can watch how it all went down here.

This month they start all over again and grow support for the Kahlen's - a family who has been hit hard by the economy, and by their daughter's serious medical condition, tuberous sclerosis. In addition to financial assistance, they're planning to unite the artistic community to help support Kent's glassmaking work.

Want to help? Here are two ways you can participate:

1. Give $1.00 - This is the best way to help out and join their team at the same time.

2. Donate a piece of art - They will be hosting an auction this month, and would love to feature your artwork in it. Proceeds go to help the Kahlen's this month, and is a great way to promote your work :)

We'll let you know how it goes! Thanks everyone.

Metabolism Miracle: Starting Step 2

Deciding to try out the Metabolism Miracle was a big leap of faith for me. In some ways, it represented a return to dieting or some sort of admission that intuitive eating didn’t work. However, when I took a step back from those fears, I was able to see it for what it was: just some good info about how to even out my blood sugar to curb not only my food cravings and halt/reverse runaway weight gain, but also my rollercoaster mood swings. I knew that something had to be out of whack. When I read MM, I realized this was it. My insulin was off. Simple as that! I was missing a crucial piece of the puzzle. It wasn’t that I was stuffing my face all the time (which I knew I wasn’t), it was how my body was reacting to the type of food I was eating and when I was eating it. Light bulb!


I was afraid that Step 1 of MM was going to feel too much like a diet. I didn’t want to return to the mentality of deprivation that came along with many such “plans” in the past. That did not manifest at all during the 8 week period. It just felt great to be fueling my body with what made it feel good. I kept a positive spin on how I viewed my choices: now that I had the information I had been lacking, I could choose not only on the basis of taste, but on how my body responds to each food. Why would I want to eat something that made me feel bad? Having this knowledge gave my inner intuitive eater a boost. I knew before that I wasn’t feeling right eating what I was eating; I just wasn’t sure how to fix it. I tried gluten free; I tried cutting out the caffeine. I just didn’t know what the deal was. I had an inkling that carbs might be the problem, but I thought people who cut them out completely were unrealistic and setting themselves up for failure. Therefore, I ignored my intuitive sense and kept going.


Until I stumbled on MM. Suddenly, it all made sense and came together in a way that seemed not only livable but if it worked, would greatly improve my quality of life. I still don’t believe that I could live my whole life avoiding almost all carbs. I am so happy to know that isn’t even necessary. Carbs are delicious and are a great source of fuel for the body. So now, moving on to Step 2, it is great to know that they are back. Having a serving of carbs every few hours throughout the day will help me keep my blood sugar steady while allowing me to enjoy a wider variety of foods. I have always “needed” to eat every few hours, getting cranky if I went over 4 hours between meals or snacks. Now I know why that happened and how to prevent it: eat! Some people trying to eat this way are worried about watching the clock. I have no such concerns. I have always felt the need to eat like this, I just now know to keep the carbs to one serving at each meal/snack and to keep the type of carbs on the lower end of the glycemic index (think whole grain as opposed to white versions of most foods). The piece about eating right when you get up and right before bed blew me away at first, but now makes perfect sense. How nice to have your bedtime snack “mandated”!


So as of right now, having completed 8 weeks of Step 1 and moving on to Step 2, I feel fantastic. I cannot help but be pleased to have let go of 16 pounds of unneeded insulation and four inches around my middle :) I’m not on a lose weight quick scheme. I’m on a help my body return to its natural balance plan. I do expect to release more weight on this journey. I know I’m carrying more than my body needs to function optimally. But how much that may be or when it will happen, is not my main concern. I have faith that I will know when that point is for me. And then, I’ll move to Step 3…

Yoga Teacher Training

The opportunity to participate in yoga teacher training this year has been a transformative experience for me. When my teacher, Martha, approached me to join the class, I was overwhelmed first with surprise, then gratitude, and finally, not a little bit of trepidation. The thought that she saw the potential in me to teach yoga myself was a shock; it was like she saw right into my secret hopes and dreams – the ones I was afraid to admit even to myself, let alone pursue at the time.

For the past ten years, yoga has been an anchor for me throughout both the hectic and calm periods of my life. I discovered yoga at one of the most challenging times in my life while teaching middle school in Northeast DC. My friend and co-worker was training to become a yoga instructor and offered free lessons to teachers once a week to practice her craft. It was a life raft in a sea of stress. From then on, I was hooked, even pursuing work-study options at a studio so that I could swap my time instead of money for the ability to take classes. When my career choices took me to my current employer, I was overjoyed to find that yoga classes were offered at an affordable price right on-site at lunchtime. I have taken advantage of this benefit for the past four years, never losing sight of what a gift it truly is.

At the time Martha first brought up the possibility of joining her teacher training course, I was at a crossroads in my life. I had recently given up the pursuit of dieting to lose weight and was working on making peace with my body and healing my battered self image. I was making progress but was still mired in self-defeating thoughts about not being the “right kind” of person to be a yoga instructor. What if the teacher training was too physically demanding for me? What if, once certified, my students questioned my legitimacy based on how I look? In the end, I decided to take a leap of faith and trust that this was the right thing at the right time for me. I could not be happier with the decision.

Throughout the training, my understanding of yoga has grown and evolved. Although I always knew that yoga was much more than just the asana postures, I must admit that my interest had mostly focused on the physical, mental, and emotional benefits I received during classes. I didn’t really delve into the spiritual aspects or even seek out chanting or mediation on my own. Teacher training has not only broadened my undertanding yoga but has also introduced me to the power of positive thinking. This, in particular, has helped me tremendously in my personal life. Anytime I find myself dwelling on the negative, I can hear the narrator from the Yoga Life CD telling me to change those thoughts around before they begin to spiral. I have been working to cultivate a more satvic approach to life, which has encouraged me to be more circumspect and balanced in my interactions with others.

I also am extremely grateful to have participated in this training with such a varied, compassionate, and supportive group of people. Learning alongside Luke, Satya Deva, Ananda, and Ram has not only been a joy but also an eye-opening experience in seeing the full range of possibilities of teaching yoga to different populations. Luke’s work with the elderly and those with physical limitations has shown me that yoga is not only for the young and extremely fit; it’s for anyone who is open to exploring its benefits. Satya Deva’s classes with his students really illustrate the power of yoga to reach even those you might least expect to want to sit still or have the attention span to focus the mind on asana for an hour or more – yoga can be for everyone (including teenagers!) Ananda’s full-hearted compassion for those she works with is heart-warming and an excellent example of how to share ones love for humanity through our practice and teaching. Listening to Ram talk about his gym based classes gives a real-world perspective on one option for teaching in the future; I was pleasantly surprised to learn about the apparent flexibility and creativity he is able to employ in his classes within the gym culture as well as his ability to appeal not only to the stereotypical yoga types at the gym, but also some of the more muscle-bound weight lifters and others you might not expect.

My mission going forward is to bring this deeper understanding with me to each of the classes I will teach. I now have a base of knowledge gleaned from study coupled with first-hand interactions with my fellow trainees and wonderful instructor to guide and support me every time I step on the mat to share my love of yoga with my students. This training has imparted me with a firm grasp of the asana to competently instruct the class on how to do each pose as well as the benefits and contraindications for each. Even more importantly, I feel empowered to take the experience to a deeper level in a way that gives those in my classes a glimpse of the greater meaning of yoga along with the confidence and information they need to practice yoga in the best, safest way for them to feel great about themselves and their practice of yoga.

What Is Qigong (Chi Gong Ki Gong) ?