Shaolin Temple UK

Grab a bamboo brush, it’s beating time!
Perhaps my supreme procrastination was a giant mistake, I actually loved/​hated every minute. I loved sweating buckets, stretching out, breathing in and connecting with my inner self. I hated running endlessly up and down the hill (luckily this only took up 15 minutes of the 2 hours.)
The first hour of Qigong was one controlled movement after another, constant motion and serious muscle lengthening. I twisted and detoxed my liver much like a yoga session and even quickly rolled through numerous downward dog to cobra stretches, the Chinese way. At minute 45 the beating began, apparently I awoke my chi. The aim of the game, hit every part of your body with force using a bamboo brush (a whole bunch of bamboo sticks bound together.) Ouch… but only for the first few hits and then it becomes euphoric, your body suddenly feels so awake and invigorated. Chi or not, I felt strong.
Shaolin Gung fu is a whole other story. Ballet meets boot camp. We dropped for 30 press-​ups more times than I can count, ran around punching the air and lunged until the quad burn was nearly unbearable. Then threw in more deep lunge punching and then a ton of high kicks. Finally, I was in my element.
In any case I walked out alive, feeling very happy to have achieved every task that lay in my path. The Shaolin Temple is definitely a place were serious martial arts practice takes place.
The ‘preparation’ level is likely to be where I stay for a considerable amount of time but none the less, it is a fabulous work out and a great alternative to the less than cultural experience of a conventional gym.

Having a real life Shaolin Temple to train in here in London is a dream come true. The Shaolin Temple UK does not disappoint. Run by Shifu Shi Yanzi and Shifu Yan Lei means classes are taught by real monks. You can learn meditation, Qigong and of course Shaolin Gung fu. The classes are broken down into levels so beginners learn at an even pace and progress when ready. The training is very hard, but just being in the presence of real life fighting monks makes the experience worth every penny.