Scotland E.R. 4 Johnnie talks on martial arts training and Chi Gung
I buttonholed to a few people on the retreat to find out a bit more about them and why they chose to come here.
Johnny Walker is in his late twenties. He lives in Manchester. This is his story.
RealTaoism: So what's your background?
Johnny: I studied karate for 11 years or so. Then I discovered Wing Tsun. Loving what I saw I got further and further into the training to the point where I decided to teach it professionally. Four years down the line I now run my own school in Manchester.
RealTaoism: And what is your interest in chi gung and the internal arts?
Johnny: I came across Chi Gung almost by accident about a year ago and was blown away by it's potential. It seems an ideal companion to Wing Tsun and I'm really beginning to feel the difference in my training as my internal awareness and co-ordination grows.
I'm discovering tension deep inside by body that I never knew existed and as it begins to soften and dissolve the difference is amazing. My whole body just feels better and better. We seem to get so used to tension and holding and the pain that it causes that we forget just how good we can feel!
RealTaoism: How do you find working with Chris?
Johnny: Chris is a fantastic teacher. He seems to have the rare talent of not only having great skills and understanding himself, but also the ability to convey this simply and directly to his students.
RealTaoism: What was it about this retreat in particular that attracted you?
Johnny: I really enjoy training on retreats. The intensity of training for several consecutive days seems really magnify the effect when compared the same amount of practice spread over a long period.
There is time to go into much greater detail than a single day or weekend workshop plus there is the time to practice it; so hopefully the knowledge and training will really get a chance to imprint onto my nervous system and take hold at a really deep level.
The peaceful, relaxed atmosphere at and around Samye Ling has a powerful effect. Just being here, you can feel any background stress melting away and this again reinforces the training we're doing.
RealTaoism: And what do you feel you've gained from the spinal work on the retreat?
Johnny: Working on the spine has been particularly fascinating. Gaining conscious control over its movement opens up all sorts of potential. It's like there's been a giant area of numbness in my body that's slowly woken up. After just a few days I can already feel the effect when walking around and I'm really excited about integrating this into my Wing Tsun.
Johnnie and keiran work on the bend and release phase of spinal chi gung and integrate it into Wing Tsun Kung Fu technique
Johnny Walker is in his late twenties. He lives in Manchester. This is his story.
RealTaoism: So what's your background?
Johnny: I studied karate for 11 years or so. Then I discovered Wing Tsun. Loving what I saw I got further and further into the training to the point where I decided to teach it professionally. Four years down the line I now run my own school in Manchester.
RealTaoism: And what is your interest in chi gung and the internal arts?
Johnny: I came across Chi Gung almost by accident about a year ago and was blown away by it's potential. It seems an ideal companion to Wing Tsun and I'm really beginning to feel the difference in my training as my internal awareness and co-ordination grows.
I'm discovering tension deep inside by body that I never knew existed and as it begins to soften and dissolve the difference is amazing. My whole body just feels better and better. We seem to get so used to tension and holding and the pain that it causes that we forget just how good we can feel!
RealTaoism: How do you find working with Chris?
Johnny: Chris is a fantastic teacher. He seems to have the rare talent of not only having great skills and understanding himself, but also the ability to convey this simply and directly to his students.
RealTaoism: What was it about this retreat in particular that attracted you?
Johnny: I really enjoy training on retreats. The intensity of training for several consecutive days seems really magnify the effect when compared the same amount of practice spread over a long period.
There is time to go into much greater detail than a single day or weekend workshop plus there is the time to practice it; so hopefully the knowledge and training will really get a chance to imprint onto my nervous system and take hold at a really deep level.
The peaceful, relaxed atmosphere at and around Samye Ling has a powerful effect. Just being here, you can feel any background stress melting away and this again reinforces the training we're doing.
RealTaoism: And what do you feel you've gained from the spinal work on the retreat?
Johnny: Working on the spine has been particularly fascinating. Gaining conscious control over its movement opens up all sorts of potential. It's like there's been a giant area of numbness in my body that's slowly woken up. After just a few days I can already feel the effect when walking around and I'm really excited about integrating this into my Wing Tsun.
Johnnie and keiran work on the bend and release phase of spinal chi gung and integrate it into Wing Tsun Kung Fu technique
