Energize Your Day: The Shaolin Way!
Shaolin wisdom for daily energy balance
Today I would like to share some insights and philosophy from the Shaolin temple.
In everything they do they reflect on the symbol of Yin and Yang. Did you know that they are training 8-9 hours a day from Monday to Friday? One could ask; “How do they even manage to do this for a whole day and the whole week?”
Well, it is not only hard physical training but also soft training. It’s a well balanced schedule each day. There are stances to harden the body, these exercises are meant to strengthen the body and maintain a strong posture. Every vessel (the body) needs to be able to manage and hold the energy if you wish to increase the capacity of managing energy through your body. It also corrects the body if there is anything not aligned ergonomically.
In the temple in Yunnan, they see their routine as a way to invigorate energy. Energy doesn’t come by itself. It’s about awakening energy through exercises in order to start the day. Like you would start an engine that needs movement in order to generate energy. And of course an engine needs fuel, which comes also from food, but that’s for another topic!
For example, horse stance is a very easy exercise that is challenging. It demands focus, correcting your posture and attention for your breath in order to endure the hardening of this exercise. The breath will help to direct your energy and breathe through the discomfort.
Doing this a minute a day will already change the way you feel your body and this is such a small effort to give some attention to your body. And a very easy exercise to work on core strength.
Followed by stretching and breathing through the pain will help you to open the body for the energy to flow fluently. With the stance you've been collecting energy and with stretching you direct the energy to be distributed in the body. Once this is done, they go for a meditation. Now that the energy is flowing and stagnated blocks are opened up, it is will be more beneficial to meditate and observe what’s going on within.
Qigong is another form of soft training, where the main attention goes to flexibility and opening the energy flow in the body through gentle movement and breathing. Inhaling when you relax the muscles and breathing out when putting tension on the muscles. Contracting and expanding, like the hard does, like your lungs are functioning and as the universal energy moves. A constant rhythm of contracting and expanding. And so it is from the microcosm to the macrocosm. These cycles return in all aspects of nature and so we work with our energy and maintain the body to be able to increase, hold and channel certain amounts of energy. The more consistent your practice is the more you be able to hold and channel! Like harvesting natural energy to maintain your physical and energetical body.
An extra for those of you who wish to see for themselves how daily life is in the temple in Yunnan, check out this short documentary created by Philip Hartshorn!
With this perspective as a foundation in their training schedule they manage to go to such extremes that seem crazy to us. But nevertheless this is very much doable when you understand the complete picture of their way. A path to longevity and a healthy lifestyle!
I will be sharing more of these insights and perspectives around a firm foundation for health and selfcare. No need for extra sources to apply to your selfcare. We all have our body with us everywhere we go and this is all we need to be able to create a routine for selfcare. Even when you’re working at a desk for a whole day it is easy to take a minute for horse stance and get back to work. And the more comfortable you become in holding this stance the more you can start to practice it as a small break between the working hours without too much effort.
With my coaching sessions I offer a basic course with the 5 basic Shaolin stances to give some basic knowledge and variety to take care of your body from this perspective. It even includes breathing exercises, basic knowledge on pressure points and how to focus on the energy flow through the body to consciously work with it. And an amazing foundation to get out of a chaotic mind when we experience challenging days!
Would you like to work with me or meet me in person to see if I’m a match for guiding you to a healthy basic foundation for your personal lifestyle?
Check out my services and don’t hesitate to reach out! I love to hold space and listen to your story and experiences.
Thank you Nick! In the past week especially, I have been purposely engaging more with my body through stretching, dancing, and breath work....as well as working through the stubborn fascia patterns that have formed due to stress, trauma, and disconnection with my body. Your message and insights are right on time!!! I look forward to connecting with you soon 🤗😆