Prelude to the event, an exhibition was held on Thursday 6th night at Mexico Shaolin Temple, where the Tai Chi and Kung Fu students and teachers danced and performed different Martial Arts routine. The audience was very happy and the guest of honor was very pleased with the participation of everyone. Everyone’s excitement could felt when they saw Master Peng smiled at us and nodded to us indicating he wore the shirt of the Mexican National Team offered by our Master Daniel Corona, all the audience gave them a standing ovation.

At the retreat, teachers, students, a nice group of elders, some beginners, and the invaluable staff members of the Shaolin Temple gathered to get ready for the event. After being lodged and enjoyed a healthy and delicious food, the first session of the retreat took place

To describe each session with Master Peng is necessary to combine the balance of spirit, mind, softness, strength and beauty of all his movements, overjoyed by happiness and good humor. He also had special interest to instructors who were in charge of groups of elders. So the expectation was great, who had not had the opportunity to know his way of working had a profound impact on his simple and direct instructions; conducting, requiring the group firmly in a series of exercises that require attention not only physical but mental; both young and older adults trained very hard, trying not to forget what we have learned about heat, without feeling three hours spent. To be honest, this writer had not practiced a lot consecutively. But these shared practices offered us peace, courage and willingness to train a little bit more.

We made an arrangement to meet the next day at 8 am. In our specific case of three unknown persons sharing a room (we got a long with each other very well), took turns to take a shower in the morning (honestly the monastery is in a closed order, no phone, no television, no music), we did not expect the luxuries household, so making a big effort we face the cold and surprise! We could take a shower with warm water, we enjoyed a quick shower hoping everybody could do the same, and it happened like that. The weather invited us to take a little walk by these quiet gardens (point going on about it, in our beautiful, chaotic and crowded Mexico City we are not used to enjoy them, we always walk in haste); we oxygenate our lungs with light in the morning (we usually walk down the streets at this time trying to get to work) so when we arrived to the dining room to enjoy our delicious and well-earned breakfast, we could breath oxygen and peace… it was amazing but despite the hard training of the previous day, at least I slept like a baby, with the bonus of not feeling any pain in the body.

After breakfast sumptuously (despite being simple, the menu was substantial, hearty and delicious) we had an hour off to prepare for the second session with Master Peng.

This time the seminar was divided into three sections: health exercises Qi Gong, a technique that can be applied to elders, people with disabilities who cannot stand, even those who use wheelchairs, the official Tai Chi 8 form and fan routine.

Peng You Lian Tai Chi Canada in Mexico

Over one hundred people gathered last weekend from 7^th to 9^th October, 2011 to celebrate the Annual Retreat of Tai Chi and Qi Gong for health and longevity. This retreat was conducted by Grand Master Peng You Lian, who comes to Mexico every year to spend a whole weekend with friends of Shaolin Temple and the Yang Family Tai Chi Center Mexico branch.

Once again the attendees came from all over the country, from Chiapas and Merida to Hermosillo, Veracruz and Monterrey. This time the retreat was abruptly filled with approximately 15 days before was held, that’s why the organizing committee had the need to close the entries early.

Tai Chi with Peng You Lian

On this occasion the instructors’ participation, from around the country, was highlighted because they were dedicated working with Tai Chi adult groups who are kept current and constant in the system leading by Master Peng in the Canadian Health Professionals Society (Canfit-pro)

The retreat lasted 3 days and was divided into 3 sections: the health exercises of Qi Gong standing, sitting for people in wheelchairs or elderly and official forms of Tai Chi 8 and Fan, routines in which Master Peng is experienced as coming from the Beijing Normal University, where the most modern official methods were developed.

The acupressure methods and exercises for the prevention of arthritis and diabetes, taught by Master Peng, caused special interest among those present.

At the end of the retreat, the usual celebration was held to close the course with the participants and the giving of gifts to the Master.

We invite you to stay pending or enter your e-mail in the mailing list to attend the next Annual Tai Chi Retreat in 2012.

Amitabha!

Last Wednesday October 19^th and Friday 21^st, we were very pleased to welcome the production crew of Channel 11 TV

Shooting for Channel 11 in Mexico

Mexico, to make a special martial arts TV program.

The first day of shooting was in the Temple, where several students participated making demonstrations, and were interviewed to create an informative report of Shaolin Kung Fu.

On Friday the shooting was outdoors, the production crew moved to Chapultepec Park for the exterior shots.

In mid-November the special TV program will be broadcasted on Channel 11. We will be on the lookout for TV program to inform you when it is broadcasted!

Amitabha!

On Friday night, October 21, TSM students held a celebration on the 7^TH anniversary of the Shaolin Temple Mexico Branch.

Shaolin Temple Mexican Kung Fu Students

The party was held in Brother Javier’s house where current and former TSM students were reunited in a nice atmosphere with the traditional roast beef, Lalo’s bohemian guitar, DJ Victor, and the pleasant company of almost all members of the TSM AC.

At night TSM students granted a plaque to Master Daniel Yi, in gratitude for all the effort and dedication of these years. The evening ended with a call from Sifu Shi Yan Ming from NY to congratulate the participants.

“By means of this website I want to thank all my dear members of the TSM AC. To be honest I had never been granted recognition like this, it is a very beautiful thing to know i have your support

Shaolin Barbecue

along with my Sifu; it gives energy to go on and know that we are on the right track. Thank you very much everyone! “- Yi

Dear Friends:

Since the 80‘s graduates of Beijing Normal University have dedicated their time and effort to find out which exercises are best from each style of Tai Chi and Qi Gong to improve health.

For this reason each year we announced our “Retreat Tai Chi and Qi Qong for Health and Longevity” with Master Peng You Lian; graduate degree from the faculty of physical education and health of Beijing Normal University, where he mentions honors of his teacher and mentor Wang Jianhua (creator of most of the texts of standardized modern Wushu), same university where he got his master’s degree in application of TaiChi and Qi Gong with masters of fame as Zeng Nailiang ex coach of the National Wushu Team China.

Currently Master Peng You Lian  holds 7th grade(Duan) in Wushu by the People’s Republic of China and performs research in Thunderbay Canada for  application of Tai Chi therapeutically in adults and older adults, as well as people of different abilities.

Master Peng You Lian visits the Shaolin Temple in Mexico every year, this time in October 7th  2011 where he teaches the “Tai Chi and Qi Gong for health with acupressure methods” program designed by internationally renowned academics and university graduates of Beijing in which you have the possibility to be  certified as an instructor in Canada and has been adopted by the Canadian National Association of Sport and Health: “Can-Fit-Pro” (www.canfitpro.com)

If you attended last  retreat master Peng You Lian will review  this time those who completed the course of 2010.
We look forward to your presence!

For more information please download the file:

Sign up right now !  using any credit or debit card:

Tai Chi Qi Gong Retreat Mexico 2011

Tai Chi Retreat Sign up Shared Room $350.00 Tai Chi Retreat Individual Room $450.00

Check out  the Video from  last Retreats  to get a better idea of our event:

For more information please contact us to  info@kungfu.com.mx  or by phone to +52 (55) 56 73 56 82

Once again the Grand Master Yang Jun 6th generation direct descendant of the Yang family, creators of Tai Chi Chuan as we know it today, visited our country like each year to teach a 3 day intensive workshop in Tai Chi, history, philosophy and implementation.
On this occasion the Grand Master Yang Jun presented for the first time in our country the principles of the method Push Hands (Push hands) of the Tai Chi Yang family, an event that captivated the audience who  had the opportunity to receive direct instruction  for the first time, one of the most renowned teachers worldwide in this popular system. The Push Hands (Tui Shou) is the method of Tai Chi to sensitize practitioners to feel the opponent’s intention, strength and balance that sustains it, so you can anticipate their movements, only a handful of teachers across the world are renowned for mastering this technique and from them the great master Yang Jun is the one who enjoys more popularity

The Yang family style is the most popular of our time, is also responsible for creating the Tai Chi as we know it today: a method for health and to correct problems related to the spine and blood flow before Yang family  the practice was known by different names in the People’s Republic of China, and its meaning was different, was the grandson of Yang Luchan, Yang Chengfu  who redesigned the concept to make it a health and fitness method and called it Tai Chi Chuan.
Since then the descendants of the Yang family spends time visiting all the world spreading the original practice of Tai Chi, property, financial and in some cases like this its martial application.

For 3 days the participants had the opportunity to practice guided by Yang Jun in an atmosphere of friendship and relaxation attended by people from across the Mexican Republic, Spain and Germany.

The next event of the Master Yang Jun in Mexico is scheduled for April 2012 where we will continue practicing the Yang style long form and advance the practice of Push Hands (Tui Shou) we look forward to your presence.

If you attend the retreat in this link  you can download the group photo in high quality and  thumbnails of all attendees, check out the thumbnails and let us know which number you want to send it to you by email in high quality.

From centuries the Yang Family has been famous for its work in martial arts development, and spreading of  Tai Chi Chuan around the world, also  today we know the Yang style is the best way to improve your health because it can be practiced by anyone,  kids or seniors are all able to do Yang style.

Once a year master Yang Jun  the 6^th generation  of the Yang style  visits Mexico for an intensive Retreat held in  a beautiful monastery in the woods between  Mexico City and Cuernavaca city, offering a beautiful and peaceful place for practicing  Tai Chi  with the best company.

Also Cuernavaca (the city of ever spring) offers  beautiful tourist places to visit, and experience the joy of small old fashion towns like  Tepoztlan and  some others surrounding the monastery.

The retreat will be held on April 1st to 3rd, 2010 in Cuernavaca, Mexico. It will cost $350 US Dollars. It includes lodging (shared room) and the meals for the weekend. You will find more information enclosed and we are at your service. If you have any questions, please call us: [+52] (55) 55 94 65 01 in Mexico City, or email to  daniel@TaiChi.org.mx

We look forward to seeing you there!

For more information, questions and answers take a look to the pdf file:

Read lasts year review of the 2010 seminar in Mexico in here (click here)

Sign up right now online !

Yang Family in Mexico 2011

Admission with Shared Room $350.00 Admission S/R Yang Family Members $315.00 Admission with single room $450.00 Admission S/R Yang Family Members $415.00

Take a look  at the video of last years  2010 seminar :

Since the 80´s, the graduates of the Beijing Normal University have devoted their time and effort to find out which are the best exercises for each Tai Chi style to improve health.

The Master Peng You Lian visit Mexico for the third time where he will give “six forms of Tai Chi Qi Gong for health, acupressure methods and range of  Tai Chi” program with international recognition designed by academics and university graduates in Beijing in which there is the possibility to get an international certification as an instructor in Canada which has been adopted by the Canadian National Association of Sport and Health: “Can-Fit-Pro”.

The cost of the retreat  includes lodging and meals for the days of the seminar, teaching material and Diploma. Payment must be made no later than Monday November the 8th, 2010; this one is the last day for registration to the seminar. Payment can be made with debit or credit card (VISA or MasterCard)  online from our website with a special price

For more information please download the full document in PDF format here

Late in the evening on August 9th, the group arrived at the Shaolin International Hotel in Dengfeng, a city just South of Mount Song. They were immediately greeted by their Shishu, kung fu uncle, Shi Yan Xiao, who is Shifu Shi Yan Ming’s younger brother both in the Temple and by blood. Additionally, there were 5 students from the Shaolin Temple Austria who had already been training with Shishu for some time. As exhausted as everyone was from the long journey, they were all excited to meet Shishu, and noted how much he resembled his older brother. After checking in, most went straight to train sleeping meditation, while the hungrier ones ventured out into the city to find the night market for some late-night Chinese street food.

The next morning, the group set out together to visit the Shaolin Temple. Upon arrival, some were surprised at the 100 yuan (About $15) ticket price to the temple grounds, and the abundance of stores around the entrance. After passing through the first turnstile, there was a 10 minute walk to the temple itself. For an extra fee, minibuses were available to take those who didn’t want to walk. Along the sides of this newly-paved road was land owned by the Ta Gou school, the largest martial arts academy in China with over 20,000 students. The group watched as hundreds of students in red t-shirts and black pants practiced various forms and basics in the open fields.

Soon everyone arrived at the iconic front entrance of the Temple itself. Everyone was joyful to have finally arrived, but at the same time the picture made their hearts heavy. Instead of a pristine Temple in the mountains with monks training or reading sutras, they saw hundreds of tourists and vendors trying to sell them various trinkets and souvenirs.

After taking a photo together in front of the Temple entrance, the group passed through another turnstile, actually inside the entrance itself, into the main courtyard. Looking past the current state of the Temple, the group could feel the weight of history from looking at the trees with finger-sized holes from iron finger training and steles with ancient texts lining the path. A set of two large steles on the right told the story of how 13 Shaolin monks helped the first Emperor of the Tang Dynasty, Li Shimin, thus gaining the favor of the rest of the Dynasty. They marvelled at the grandeur and detail of the various towers and buildings. However, many of the buildings in the temple were fairly new, having been rebuilt after the originals were destroyed in the 40-day fire of 1928 or the cultural revolution.

The group continued through the temple, paying respects in the various halls, taking in the various sights, and reflecting on the condition of the temple. Soon, it was time for a very special visit. Passing through an unmarked doorway on the West side of the Temple, up a wide empty road, and into a set of buildings, everyone found themselves in a small open courtyard with their Shiye, or grandmaster, Shi Yong Qian, standing to greet them. Any feelings of sadness about the temple the group had were quickly washed away as everyone could feel the immense peacefulness and kindness emanating from Shiye. They were reminded that although many things have changed in the Temple over the last hundred years, the temple doesn’t really consist of walls or buildings or statues, but is in the heart of each person following the way.

Shiye invited them into his tiny apartment, where he offered to cook them noodle soup. Shishu quickly responded, “No Shifu, there are too many people, please don’t trouble yourself.” Shiye replied that there weren’t too many people and that it would be no trouble, but Shishu kept protesting. Next, Shiye offered watermelon instead. Again, Shishu strongly protested. So finally, Shiye went behind his altar (which fills up half of his living room) and brought out fozhu, prayer necklaces with 108 beads, for everyone. Then, he went into his bedroom and came back with something even more special – a small baby boy. Shishu explained how Shiye had found the baby abandoned on the side of the road, and thus taken him in. Shiye’s face lit up as he shared the beautiful child with the group.

After spending a few more precious moments with Shiye, the group left the Temple itself and walked west to the Stupa Forest. Before the cultural revolution, there were over 1000 stupas dedicated to the greatest monks in the history of the Temple, there are now less than 200. The highest level monks are commemorated with a stupa of 7 stories. In the Stupa Forest, the group took time to pay respects to some of their Shaolin Ancestors. They first visited the pagoda of their Shitai, or Great-Grandmaster, Shi Xing Zheng, who was the Abbot of the temple until he passed in 1987. Next to his stupa was a stele recording the names of his disciples, and even his disciples’ disciples. The group was able to find both their Shiye and Shifu Shi Yan Ming’s names inscribed upon it.

Next, they found the stupa of Fu Yu, who wrote the generational poem that all Shaolin monks and disciples of the Caodong lineage derive their names from. He also invited all of the great martial artists in China to Shaolin 3 times, each time for a period of 3 years, to exchange philosophy and styles, thus making the Shaolin Temple almost synonymous with martial arts in China. Finally, everyone came to the newest stupa in the forest, that of Shi Su Xi. Although Su Xi is not part of the same lineage, he was one of the few masters who stayed at the Temple during the cultural revolution enduring the abuses of the red guard, and who also helped raise Shifu Shi Yan Ming. His stupa, the first constructed in the 21st century, depicts all of the amazing technological advances he witnessed in his lifetime – from bullet trains and cell phones to laptop computers and airplanes.

Every Saturday at the USA Shaolin Temple, there is a class where Chan philosophy and the history of the Temple is discussed in detail. Often told during this time is the story of Bodhidharma, the Indian monk who came to China and founded Chan Buddhism at the Shaolin Temple. There are two places very important to the story near Shaolin – a cave behind the temple, on one of the “5 Breast Peaks” (Wu Ru Feng), where Bodhidharma meditated for 9 years, and Drum Mountain, where Bodhidharma’s disciple Hui Ke lived for 4 years and eventually attained enlightenment. On the second day of the trip, the group visited these places.

The first stop was the Damo cave. The path began between the Stupa Forest and the Temple itself. A few minutes on the way up, the group discovered the Chuzu (First Ancestor) Nunnery. They stopped for a brief time, admiring the main Buddha hall, which has survived since 1125. But there was a lot of mountain left to climb, and they soon continued. From then on, everyone ascended at their own pace. Like the mental mountains in our lives, some take longer than others to climb, but all can be overcome through perseverance. While some ran up the trail and quickly arrived at the summit, and others took a bit longer, eventually all made it to the top. The cave itself is quite small, and has a statue of Bodhidharma meditating cloaked in a robe. As the members of the temple group entered one by one to pay their respects, a nun sat reciting a sutra, and rang a bell every time one kowtowed. There was still just a little bit further to go before reaching the very top of the mountain, and after everyone got to see the cave, they all headed up. On top was a small pavilion on one side, with a huge stone statue of Bodhidharma on the other. The group rested here for a while, enjoying the 360 degree panoramic mountain views, then finally returned down the mountain, some stopping to enjoy fresh cucumbers and special water from a vendor on the way down.

After a delicious lunch at a restaurant further to the West of the Stupa forest, it was time to head to Drum Mountain. After the big hike of the morning, everyone opted to take the cable cars up. At the top of the mountain was Erzu (Second Ancestor) Temple, built around the four wells Hui Ke dug while he trained under Damo. Damo told Hui Ke to live on Drum Mountain for a year four times, digging a well each year and using only the water from that well to live. Each of the four wells had a different flavor, bitter, spicy, sour, or sweet, reflecting the changes in Hui Ke as he understood more. Just like our lives, we can’t have spicy all the time or sweet all the time, but need sour and bitter as well to balance. Some of the more adventurous ones sampled the water from the four wells, and concluded that each one did indeed taste different, but didn’t taste too strongly of the flavor the well represented.

Continuing on the path past the Temple, the group found their way to a rocky outcropping. They climbed up to the top and were treated to another beautiful 360 degree view of the Song mountain range. The Shaolin Temple and Pagoda Forest could be seen below, while more mountains surrounded them on the other sides. The group relaxed here for a while, feeling as if they were resting in the clouds.

For their final day in Dengfeng, Shishu arranged for the group to visit a local martial arts store with discounted pricing. Everyone excitedly entered the store, amazed by the wide selection of merchandise not available in the US. Especially popular were the kungfu shoes; at the equivalent of about $3 each, everyone brought several pairs and more for friends back home. Other hot items included shirts, training shorts, training socks, monk handbags, and various kinds of weapons.

After everyone was satisfied with their purchases, the group split in two – a few went back to the Shaolin Temple to climb another mountain even further away, while the others stayed in town and had a lunch of noodle soup with Shishu. Although most didn’t speak Chinese, and Shishu spoke no Enlish, not many words were needed to understand each other. Just like Chan philosophy, they communicated mind to mind, heart to heart. If you understand yourself, other people can understand you and you can understand others just from being with each other, reading each others faces and eyes.

After 3 days in Dengfeng, it was time to head to Shishu’s school, the Shaolin Wenwu School, in Xincai and start training. In Chinese, “Wen” is short for “Wenhua”, and means education. “Wu” is from “Wushu” meaning martial arts. After a long morning bus ride, the group pulled into the Shaolin Wenwu School and were greeted by the many children who live, study, and train there. The group had a delicious home cooked meal at the school, then shortly after prepared to train. Shishu asked one of Shi Yan Ming’s disciples from New York, Shi Heng De, to lead the first class, to see what training in New York City was like. Everyone was impressed with the stamina and chi that the group trained with – even the Chinese instructors who trained with them were out of breath!

For the next 12 days, everyone trained for 5 hours every day. The first class was an hour long and started at 6 am – not a time the New Yorkers were used to waking up at! But after a few minutes into class, everyone was always awake and ready to train harder. Breakfast was at 7:30 and usually consisted of congee – Chinese rice porridge, hard-boiled eggs, breads, winter melon, and bean sprouts, which gave everyone enough fuel to start the day. The next class was two hours long, starting at 9 AM. In the first half, students would do basic drills and stretching. For the second hour, they split into groups to learn forms from the various instructors of the school.

After everyone ate lunch at 12, most people would take a nap for several hours, exhausted from the strenuous training. For the first few days, some of the students didn’t know how they would last training like that even for a week. But the instructors assured them that although it hurts at first, day by day it would hurt less and less and that they would become stronger and stronger. The final class of the day would usually be from 4-6 PM, but if it was an especially hot day (and there were many of those), training would start at 5 and end at 7 instead. This class would consist of more basic drills and stretching, followed by reviewing the form they’d been learning.

Emphasis was especially placed on building explosive power and muscle strength, as well as getting lower in the stances and kicking higher and faster. Many of the drills particularly involved building the calf muscles, either by jumping, hopping, or walking low and slow to the ground. While the training was tough, the bitterness was often quickly followed with sweetness. Shishu often made sure that watermelons and even popsicles were readily available after class, sweet relief from the hot, dry weather. The food prepared by the school was also always delicious and enough to satisfy even the biggest appetites. On several nights though, the group went out to dinner to celebrate life even harder. During meals the group bonded with each other even more, although nothing brings people together as much as sweating and pushing yourself to your limits together for hours a day.

During the stretching part of class, the Chinese instructors would have the students get into groups of three to help push each other. Like Shifu Shi Yan Ming often says, when you stretch, you don’t just stretch one part of your body, you stretch your whole body. You stretch your mind and spirit as well. While stretching, students would often scream, cry, or even start laughing hysterically as they pushed themselves to their physical limits while simultaneously facing their mental and spiritual blocks.

After just over a week of training, the group got a much needed one day break and took a trip to the nearby city of Luoyang. There, they visited the first Buddhist temple in China, the Baima (White Horse) Si. While still somewhat commercialized, the group still found it quite tranquil inside. There were also two newly constructed Temples just West of the main complex, one with Indian architecture and another with Thai. All of them were quite beautiful. After lunch at a nearby restaurant, the group headed to the Longmen Grottoes. While the sight of thousands of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, some over 50 feet tall, carved into the rocky cliffs was truly awe-inspiring, at the same time it was a shame to see how many had been destroyed or stolen over the centuries or during the cultural revolution.

The next day, it was back to training. The day off had given everyone ample time to recover from their various aches and soreness, and everyone felt stronger, faster, sharper, and more flexible. They also noticed that they needed much less sleep than before, and spent the free hours hanging out with the children living at the school, playing Chinese Chess or cards, or going shopping in town. By the end of the trip, everyone could see reflected in each other the improvements in both others and themselves. Not only had many lost weight, their figures becoming more defined and sharp, but many had grown more confident and more expressive of who they really were. For some people, others noticed in them a complete change in personality, even more beautiful and even more handsome than ever.

The Heart Sutra explains that there is no beginning and no ending to all things, and that we are all connected. But soon it would be time for everyone to return home to New York. On the last two days, Shishu took the group out for delicious meals at a nearby restaurant, again accompanied by plenty of special water and great friends. On the last night, Shishu had a special surprise for everyone. After coming home to the school from dinner, the group gathered on the steps of the main training hall and dorms. Some of the young children from the school emerged with small boxes, carrying them out into the courtyard. Moments later, BOOM! A dazzling display of fireworks roared and lit up the night sky directly overhead – China style. Most of the group had never experienced fireworks this close before. It was truly a moment that will last in our hearts for the rest of our lives.

The next morning, Shishu accompanied the group on the bus ride to Zhengzhou, where they would board the first airplane on their long journey home. Neither the students nor Shishu wanted to leave each other, as they’d grown so very close during their time together. But as tears came to everyone’s eyes, Shishu quickly said a final “Amituofo!” and turned to head back to the bus. Some of the students yelled in unison, “Wo ai ni, I love you, Shishu!” as they all thought about the next time their paths would meet.