2 Years Intensive Kung Fu School in Beijing, China

"About a month ago I decided to leave France to come to China to study kung fu for 3 months. Those past weeks and since I arrived at the school were truly a deep and beautiful experience. I was greeted well and felt like I was part of the family since day 1. I always felt very at ease and my mind became gradually even more peaceful and calm while my body improved. I got more flexibility, more explosive power and a way better coordination even tough I practiced kung fu for about 4 years already.All of the other students were very friendly, interesting and open minded people, the only recommendation I could give is to bring a good book or something to share about your culture, it will make the experience even more interesting!And if you’re serious about learning kung fu to reach a high level, then plan to study there many years. Definitely one of the best life experience I ever had. Thanks a lot!"

Shaolin Wugulun Kung Fu Academy website, edited

"I can’t think of any constructive criticism really, it has been a wonderful experience. I found the meditation and philosophy incredibly challenging at first which required a lot of efforts but inevitable in gaining understanding in these areas. As I explained earlier I thought the relationship between all the areas of study and kung fu was very good and formed a valuable insight into internal focus. It was very special to feel like part of the family.Thank you for everything I learned and for the experience. "

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"I joined the Kungfu Garden retreat for one weekend and felt warmly taken care from the first to the last minute. I was not sure what to expect but was very positive surprised. I was picked up at Nanshao subway station what worked very well. The Kung Fu Zen Garden Retreat is located in a village in the outskirts of Beijing. The premises are lovely decorated in traditional Chinese style. Though it is not a temple the whole place calms one down and gives you a relaxing and peaceful feeling. I was welcomed by Naomi and given a comprehensive introduction into the daily schedule and how everything is going on. Naomi is kind of the manager, speaking pretty well English and translating most of the time. We were 3 people in total joining the retreat for this weekend hence I had one room for my own. The daily schedule is fully packed but don't be concerned there is enough time for relaxing and reflecting. The Kungfu exercise are very well prepared and the level is slightly increasing during the stay. Watching the Masters showing the exercise itself was like a feast for the eyes. The Qigong oriented exercises in the morning and evening are relaxing and good to improve concentration. Also the meditation exercises were a great experience.The food is vegetarian, what I appreciated very much, though incredible delicious and varied. Overall I enjoyed the 3 days very much and will definitely come back again for a longer retreat. I strongly recommend this retreat."

Shaolin Wugulun Kung Fu Academy website, edited

"It was a great experience, the content was carefully planned and delivered in a good way. The balance between rest and activities is the optimum. food is amazing as well as the location and its surroundings. Although the time on this retreat is short to teach too much kung fu, as a kung fu practitioner I wished the kung fu practice was a little more about sparring and other group or couple exercise. I really think this is a worth living experience and I am grateful to all masters and people at kung fu zen.Thank you."

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"Dear Naomi and Masters, I am very thankful that I was a part of your retreat ! It was really exactly that what I needed. I was not that interested in real fighting skills, but I was open to also learn a bit about kicks and selfdefense. And yes! I enjoyed even this part! I never thought I would be able to kick as high as my head or even further, so thank you! This was a big improvement in that short period of time. The morning breathing routine, was exactly what I was looking for, a good feeling, perfect.The meditations, Chinese classics classes and the calligraphy classes, couldn’t be any better ! I enjoyed every moment.The master exactly knew when to say what to give the right hints so that we could learn and recognize for ourself. I knew that I allready had done much progress in looking at the world when I was here at home, and the master knew how to keep pushing this progress and simultaneously looked that I keep on the bottom. That I don’t get lost in the insights. For that I am really thankful ! I grew a lot because of you all, the participants and the environment. Really, thank you ! It felt like a big family, it was a pleasure to live, eat and make fun with you under one roof. One more time thank you :) Now back here in Luxembourg, I am going on on the way, being satisfied where I allready am – excited what will come next, open minded for everything that comes and even don’t expect anything. It is good, it will be good and also the past, was good. If nothing will change, we will see us next year With lots of love, Zeimes Paul aka Pol Son"

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"I have had an amazing training at Shaolin Wugulun Kung Fu Academy Beijing. Everyone is so kind, really supportive, and patient as you learn. They offer so many different opportunities and I had an amazing time with them. I've now signed up for a 16-week course and hope to continue training with them whilst I stay in China."

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"I have trained two times at the Shaolin Wugulun Kung fu Academy, once was in August 2013, the recent time is in August 2014. Each times, I really loved my stay, first because the academy it is not a big touristical venue, and I realized that is a real chance to get to authentic Shaolin Kung Fu, an incredible opportunity to train with Shifu Xingxi, the disciple of Master Shi Dejian. Master adapts the training on your skills, and your will to progress.The training is different from what you may expect, no cardio training, no sit up, no push up. But still, I was sweating like mad! And at the end, I feel like my whole body had work a lot better without suffering so much like before. All the staff members are super friendly, they make me feel like at home, behaving with me like an old friend. For all that reasons, I believe, I will go back to train at the Wugulun academy, for the third time."

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"Kung Fu is my passion. I have not spared time and effort trying to find real Kung Fu. I have trained in many modern martial schools but, time and time again, I was disappointed. I came to discover that most martial arts training were a little different to ordinary sports. They were missing something: the essence of Kung Fu!What is the essence of Kung Fu? It is the awareness of the way the body and its internal organs work together. It is knowing how to build, develop and understand one's internal energy, Qi. All these steps are essential for one to attain real skill and power in Kung Fu movements and, no less important, to achieve physical and spiritual well-being. Many people think that the real Shaolin Kung Fu is what they see in the performances. I, too, thought so before!However, many monks living at Shaolin Temple today just have partial knowledge of traditional Shaolin Kung Fu. We mostly see modern wushu with most of the Kung Fu forms altered to look nice, fast, and spectacular. Wushu is not about fighting, it is all about show. Fortunately, through persistent efforts for many years and personal research carried out at Shaolin Temple, I have found a real master who teaches the true meaning of Kung Fu.It is a real honour and formidable experience to learn from the great Master Dejian and his disciples. They teach their unique brand of authentic Shaolin Kung Fu, Cha'n Buddhism and Chinese Traditional Medicine. I now want to help those fellow martial art enthusiasts looking for the all too rare real Shaolin Kung Fu."

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"I first got involved with Shaolin Wugulun Kung Fu a few years ago when Naomi Lee, the school's coordinator and also my good friend, introduced me to this style of Kung Fu. I had met her in 2002 in the Shaolin village in Dengfeng, Henan Province, where I had gone to study.A few years later she showed me some video clips on YouTube and also the website of the Kung Fu school, the Shaolin Wugulun Kung Fu Academy, where she worked. Looking at the clips and the website, the first thing I noticed was the different stances and way of defending. I have been practicing Shaolin Kung Fu for about 12 years but this was really different from what I knew.I told Naomi that if I went to China, I would go to this school because of the traditional style taught there. I prefer the traditional style to the wushu look-a-like Shaolin Kung Fu that you see in most Kung Fu schools in and around Dengfeng. I wanted to learn the true essence of Shaolin Kung Fu in its more original state. It was very odd to start all over again after twelve years of experience doing another form.During my stay in Dengfeng in 2002 we used to wake up early in the morning and go running up the mountain for half an hour and then start stretching and doing basics movements for about two hours. At the Wugulun Academy, they start with standing in different stances and breathing exercises for at least one hour. I have been told that the reason for this is that, according to the Wugulun teaching, the morning is the best time to receive and store Qi energy.Heavy running in the morning is a waste of the energy we have got from the whole nights sleep and people can feel exhausted for this reason. Some light jogging is, however, acceptable. It was pretty strange for us to train like this because usually we run around a lot, do a lot of stretching, push ups, fast movements - hard training that makes you tired. This was completely different!There were more slow movements, no focus on stretching or muscle training and no endurance training. The way they moved was hard to follow - it took almost a week for us to get the same feeling. Also they walked very lightly but firmly on their feet and were able to move around very quickly. Some forms (taolu) are not fast but very powerful. You can notice it by the way they breathe while doing a form.Although I knew all the stances, I had to learn them in this style. It is possible that some people, if they have been training for a long time in the more usual Kung Fu forms, will find this form strange and maybe uncomfortable. I didnt mind because I didnt have any expectation of what would happen so I emptied my mind and let it all come to me.To be honest, in the beginning it did take a few days for me to feel comfortable with the Wugulun Kung Fu movements. Now it feels almost second nature. For the short period that I stayed, I learned a lot - but that doesnt mean I know a lot! I had a great time while I was there. The lessons were great and the people were all very kind and fun to hang out with even after the training."

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"My stay at the temple was a true life changing experience! It was not only about the Kung Fu, neither the beauty of the environment and the temple. I got to explore my physical borders and stretch my mental and sentimental borders.This has made me feel extremely revitalized after a very challenging phase in my life. Now I have discovered new ways of thinking, feeling and exercising. It is a complete re-boot for the mind, the body, and the soul. I thank the temple and Naomi for making this happens."

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