Floating Monk

Buyer BEWARE!!!!!

Who’s your Sifu?

I address this subject lightly, but the issue is one that is becoming more and more relevant. New video clips of Chi Kung practitioners and instructors are rolling out daily on You Tube, My Space, Face Book and numerous other web sites, with links to purchase DVDs that teach you mystical, magical Chi Kung powers that we have only dreamed of.

The first of the three groups I will address here are the ones I call the look at me gang. The ‘first’ rule among true, dedicated martial artists is to clearly acknowledge your Sifu by name, to tell how long you have trained and to state your respect and dedication to your Sifu. Trained Martial Artists will recognize when other Martial Artists fail to identify their Sifu as their source and strength. In the world of Martial Arts, this lack of respect makes apparent the Artist’s self-serving agenda to seek the light himself rather than paying homage to the teacher who brought him to this place.

Such an Artist falls short of the standards of century old traditions. As I research the sites of these individuals offering to share their vast wealth of knowledge I frequently see no mention of their Sifu, how long they trained, or how long they’ve been a teacher if in fact they are a certified teacher or have even ever taught at all. This group fails to fulfill in one of the most revered unwritten rules of the martial arts, which is to give credit to your Sifu and in doing so become little more than pretenders!

There are two other groups of pretenders that I call 1) the smoke and mirror gang and 2) the inside out gang.

The smoke and mirror gang have one line that identifies them IMMEDIATELY. That line is “has studied a variety of”. There’s no need to go further once you come across this statement. Basically this group of individuals is doing what is often referred to as ‘Chop Suey’, they have a little bit of knowledge from numerous sources and no real or deep knowledge of any of them. The worst thing about this group is that they try to make a case for all the little pieces. Most often they will say things like, ‘has brought together the best of this system and the best of that system’, etc. In most cases, this group did not have the discipline to stick with any one system or teacher long enough to learn it well. They usually leave as soon as the training gets difficult. To turn around and try to sell this to the unsuspecting public is an insult, plain and simple.

The inside out gang take a little more effort to identify. What this group does is train or study one program or system and then turn around and use the names of other systems, usually to try and sell whatever topic is hot at the time. For example, I recently viewed a web site selling DVDs promising to teach on the Secret Internal Chi Kung Power of Kung Fu.

The problem here was that the professed teacher had studied yoga for years and capped it off with a brief period of Tai Chi, where is the Kung Fu? Where is the Chi Kung secret power that is rooted in this Kung Fu that they never trained? The fact was that the person selling this product had studied neither Chi Kung nor Kung Fu.

Most disciplined, dedicated long time practitioners and teachers of any system can appreciate what I have written here, however, it is really intended to aid the unsuspecting buyer who enters into our world with good intentions, hoping to learn something of value that they can incorporate into their lives, only to come across the pretenders in the three groups I have mentioned.

To you, the well meaning group, I would simply suggest that you avoid the groups I have mentioned above.

Remember, all true practitioners of the Martial Arts, ALWAYS pay homage and respect to their Sifu. Check the instructors biography and training history to see if they are qualified to be marketing the expertise they suggest, and don’t be afraid to ask the question, ‘Who’s your Sifu?” before you buy!

Modern Medicine and numerous external approaches via magic cremes, drinks and vitamins have been attempting to address, suspend or reverse the aging process for decades. Selling a chemical fix is a great way to profit from a concern so many individuals, women especially think about and often obsess over. Ponce de Leon sought it as did the Romans, who followed the advice of the doctors of their day and drank mercury and applied other toxic substances to their skin in an effort to retain their youth.

What was lost in this arduous pursuit was the possibility that the fountain of youth was much nearer than anyone thought. Chi Kung, often written Qigong or Chi Gong is a program of breathing that has been a part of Chinese medical treatment and internal (power) Kung Fu training for over 3,000 years. I am writing this article as a practitioner and instructor of Chi Kung. I have trained Kung Fu for over 30 years and Chi Kung for over 20 years and have won gold medals in Chi Kung in international competition. I am the student of a Grand Master, his name is Henry Poo Yee and his web site is CKFA.com.

I simply state my back ground to give the reader a point of reference as I go on to share my personal knowledge, as well as stories recent and ancient regarding the benefits that people have realized by training a real Chi Kung program. In future articles I will incorporate quotes and testimonials as well as information from numerous studies into the benefits of Chi Kung. Here is a general description about the way Chi Kung programs that I have learned and taught for more than two decades provides so much benefit. The over all health of our bodies, especially the health and vitality of our internal organs has a direct reflection in our external appearance. This point has largely been lost or neglected in our western approach to health, anti aging and long life in general. The Western approach uses what I call an “outside in” approach, meaning the application of cremes, the use of surgery, consuming pills and beverages. The Chi Kung approach is to cleanse and oxygenate the internal body (internal organs) as well as the muscles, tendons and skin. Practicing a real Chi Kung program utilizes what I call a “health from the inside out” approach. We have numerous programs, some that are performed while standing while others can be practiced in a sitting position. In each of these Chi Kung programs specific breathing patterns and gentle, relaxed movement are the core. After ten minutes or so of breathing and movement, which cleanses and strengthens the vital organs, we then gently massage the outside of the body, including massaging the kidneys and adrenal glands. The full compliment of internal and external cleansing and massage produce a benefit greater than virtually any other program. Understand that I am not dismissing any program that can provide benefit and improve health, however, I am suggesting that Chi Kung, especially the “Chi for Health”(c) program I have been so fortunate to learn directly from the systems Grand Master provides health and anti aging benefits that most programs do not provide, especially in so comprehensive a fashion.

I look forward to continuing to share the history and benefits of “Chi for Health” Chi Kung in the many articles to follow.

Sincerely

Sifu Jeff Larson

“chiforhealth.com“