Results 1 to 4 of 4

Thread: Stanford Shaolin

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    Stanford Shaolin

    There's some vids if you follow the link.
    Stanford Report, February 28, 2012
    Seeking harmony of body and mind at Stanford through Shaolin Kung Fu

    "The big plus is that I'm learning real kung fu from real Shaolin monks, whom I would have no access to if I were still in China – all under the California sun," said one Stanford staff member who is enrolled in the class.
    Steve Fyffe

    By Kathleen J. Sullivan

    Master Shi Yanran has performed kung fu all over the world – with the Shaolin Temple Kung Fu Monks Corps, in the theatrical extravaganza Shaolin: Wheel of Life, and with contemporary ballet dancers in Long River High Sky.

    In 2010, he was named martial artist of the year at the 12th World Congress on Qigong and Traditional Chinese Medicine, which was held in San Francisco.

    Yet here he was, a Buddhist monk ordained at the legendary Songshan Shaolin Temple in central China, striding into a Stanford campus courtyard, ready to teach a mind-body fitness class sponsored by the university's Health Improvement Program.

    He wore a cinnamon-brown robe with a sparkling name – a "triple jewel robe." It signifies that he has accepted the three gems of the spiritual life – the Buddha, the teachings of Buddha and the monastic Buddhist community.

    Master Yanran was accompanied by six monks, ranging in age from 18 to 27, who wore light blue, belted robes, trimmed in black, bearing the embroidered logo of Shaolin Temple USA, which is headquartered in San Francisco. The logo shows the front gate of the Songshan Shaolin Temple, which is revered as the birthplace of Chan (Zen) Buddhism and as the cradle of Shaolin Kung Fu.

    Their students – wearing T-shirts, loose-fitting pants and athletic shoes – soon converged on the courtyard for the weekly hour-long class, which takes place in a courtyard behind the Medical School Office Building on Welch Road.

    Paula Bailey, an education coordinator at the Center for Biomedical Ethics, arrived with a straight sword, its blade resting safely inside a garnet-red scabbard.

    Paochen Zhang, an administrative associate in the research lab at Stanford Blood Center, carried a slender wooden staff grasped firmly in one hand.

    Kathleen Guan, an administrative associate in the Department of Structural Biology, brought no weapons – only her novice self, eager to learn. Guan, who was born in Beijing and came to the United States 30 years ago, said the class represented a rare opportunity to study with Shaolin monks.
    Steve Fyffe

    "The monks are surprisingly good teachers," Guan said. "They are graceful, patient and eager to teach us. The big plus is that I'm learning real kung fu from real Shaolin monks, whom I would have no access to if I were still in China – all under the California sun."

    They were among the 17 students – 12 women and five men – who attended a recent class. Currently, 22 people are enrolled in the class.

    Master Yanran, who began his studies at the Songshan Shaolin Temple when he was 9 years old, recently celebrated his 30th birthday.

    The monks began teaching Shaolin Kung Fu: Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced at Stanford during winter quarter of 2011.

    "Participants will achieve harmony of body and mind through a well-balanced program, appropriate for people of all ages and physical abilities who seek to create better health and well-being, train for self-defense, and improve strength and flexibility," the class description said. "No prior martial arts experience necessary."

    The class, which costs $100, is offered at a discount rate of $20 to Stanford faculty and staff who have completed the Stanford Health and Lifestyle Assessment (SHALA), an online questionnaire that is part of the BeWell@Stanford Employee Incentive Program.

    Jerrie Thurman, group fitness program manager with the Health Improvement Program, said a Stanford employee contacted her about bringing the Shaolin Monks to campus. After reviewing Shaolin Temple USA, its curriculum and instructors, Thurman said she decided to offer the class for one quarter to gauge interest in the class.

    "I was pleased at the initial response and am happy that the interest continues to be pretty high," she said. "The class is offered every quarter, and will continue to be offered unless interest in the class drops off significantly, or if the instructors become unavailable to teach the class."

    Master Yanran said Shaolin Kung Fu is different than other martial arts systems because it incorporates the teachings of Buddhism.

    "The spirit of Shaolin Kung Fu includes compassion, harmony, diligence and inclusiveness," he said, speaking through translator Diana Hong. "It is not a brutal fighting system. In addition to self-defense skills, Shaolin Kung Fu exercises also improve the health and overall spirit."
    Courtyard kung fu

    The class began with monks in a line facing students in rows. Monks and students alike brought their palms together for respectful bows.
    L.A. Cicero Shaolin monks teaching class at Stanford

    Warm-ups followed, including exercises for shoulders, arms, hips, knees and ankles; three laps of the courtyard; and stretches, including lunges, and front and side splits.

    The courtyard soon became a makeshift kung fu studio as small groups of students, each led by a monk, crossed the pavement – back and forth, back and forth – doing kicks, punches, blocks and turns, in increasingly complicated combinations.

    Later, the students divided into small groups. Nearly half the class members retrieved their staffs, which they had left leaning against a tree trunk, and headed to the lawn to practice a weapons form. Two monks led nine students in a choreographed routine in which each person battled an imaginary opponent wielding a staff.

    The other monks fanned out to help other students, including Kitty Lee, a life science research assistant at the Beckman Center for Molecular and Genetic Medicine. She was practicing "Five Stances Fist," a fist form that incorporates the five fundamental postures of Shaolin Kung Fu: horse, bow, drop, empty and cross stances.

    "Although the form itself seems possible to duplicate, it is the spirit of each movement that is hard to learn – as we don't really have a subject attacking us," Lee said. "The monks have been reminding us of the point of each move, be it that we have to follow our punch with our eyes, that the palm that pushes is meant for a direct cut, or that our sweeping motion needs to actually swing through with effort."

    Lee said the set of motions, done in the proper spirit, is exhausting.

    "You actually use all those muscles as if you were in a real fight," she said. "I think you probably saw us huffing and puffing last week in class. Imagine how much time the monks must have put in to perfect them and to perform seemingly effortlessly."

    A kung fu workout can also be exhilarating, said Ben Scott, a mechanical engineer at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

    "I was on a high the rest of the day," Scott said, referring to his first Shaolin Kung Fu class in January. "It was amazing how good I felt after it."

    Students said they had seen gains in strength, flexibility and endurance since starting the class, and had benefited mentally from the positive attitude of the monks, who are always smiling, calm, patient and focused on teaching. Other students said they especially enjoyed kung fu for its power and grace.

    At the end of the class, monks and students returned to the center of the courtyard, forming lines, each bringing palms together for a final bow. Then the students scattered, back to offices and labs and the rest of the workday.

    One of the monks asked the visitors: Would you like us to perform?

    Yes.

    They lined up on the lawn for "Seven Stars Fist," which is famous for being compact, agile, fluid, efficient and powerful.

    Master Shi Yanran performed "Fiery Whirlwind Staff," using a staff to create whirlwind currents around his body.

    Shifu Shi Hengyu performed "Drunken Sword," in which the monk staggered as if drunk, a disguise – Shaolin monks do not consume alcohol – designed to confuse the attacker with unexpected moves and attacks.

    Reflecting on that day's class, Shifu Shi Hengyu, who began studying at the Shaolin Temple in China when he was 10, said he was "very happy" with the students.

    "I saw some good movement today," he said. "I noticed their bodies are getting stronger."
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    More on Stanford

    Derivative of the previous article, but it made the newsfeeds again.
    Get fit like a Shaolin monk


    Lisa Becker, a Stanford research assistant, is among those learning kung fu from Shaolin monks. (Linda A. Cicero and Steve Fyffe/ Stanford News Service)
    By Matthew Stensland-Bos
    12:27 pm
    March 22, 2012

    Most monks are quiet souls who keep away from the distractions of the modern world. But not every monk is like Master Shi Yanran.

    The 30-year-old Master Yanran is not only an ordained Buddhist monk, but a martial arts master and teacher.

    In 2011, he began teaching a weekly mind-body fitness class at Stanford sponsored by the university’s Health Improvement Program. The class, taught with the help of six other young monks, uses kung fu to help students achieve a higher level of awareness while also improving their health.

    Kathleen Guan, an administrative associate in the Department of Structural Biology at Stanford, said that learning with Shaolin monks was a rare and incredible opportunity:

    “The monks are surprisingly good teachers. They are graceful, patient and eager to teach us. The big plus is that learning I’m learning real kung fu from real Shaolin monks.”

    The class description gives a summary of what students can expect when they enroll in the class:

    “Participants will achieve harmony of body and mind through a well-balanced program, appropriate for people of all ages and physical abilities who seek to create better health and well-being, train for self-defense, and improve strength and flexibility.”

    The class has delivered on those promises. Each begins with monks in a line facing the students. Monks and students alike give respectful bows before launching into targeted warm-up exercises for the knees, ankles, arms and hips, as well as specific stretches.

    Next, they get started with the kung fu, doing kicks, punches, blocks, and turns under the direction of the monks. Later, students get instruction on how to use weapons like staffs and swords.

    And although they admit the workout can be exhausting, students like Ben Scott, a mechanical engineer, say it’s worth the effort:

    “I was on a high the rest of the day. It was amazing how good I felt after it.”
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    I thought they were offering this already

    Shi Yanran's schools really deserve their own thread because they are official cultural centers, but I'm not going to merge all the past threads right now. Maybe in the future...

    Shaolin Kungfu advocates promote traditional Chinese health preservation service in U.S.
    Source: Xinhua| 2018-09-02 07:44:38|Editor: Xiang Bo

    SAN FRANCISCO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Built on its success of Kungfu classes, Shaolin Temple USA will start offering Shaolin Chan Medicine service and Health Qigong classes in the San Francisco Bay Area starting on Oct. 2.

    Since founded in 2007, the non-profit organization committed to promoting Chinese martial arts in the United States has set up four centers in the Bay Area and another in Herndon, Virginia, with more than 1,000 students currently enrolled, said Yan Ran, chairman of Shaolin Temple USA, on Saturday.

    "Many residents came to our centers seeking alternative treatment for sub-health conditions, such as back pain and weakness. We hope to combine Shaolin Kungfu with Shaolin Chan (Zen) medicine and Health Qigong to better serve the students and residents," said Yan Ran.

    The Shaolin Chan Medicine, which combines the medicine of Chinese Buddhism and traditional Chinese medicine, has a history of over 1,000 years. It's closely related to the development of Shaolin Kungfu. Most of the prominent Shaolin monks in history were versed in Chan, Kungfu and medicine.

    In recent years, Shaolin Medicine, a health care provider has published books on Shaolin medical practice over 800 years ago, has rediscovered secret prescriptions of Shaolin Medicine.

    "Shaolin Medicine is ready to share those prescriptions with the world. It also plans to send experts to overseas Shaolin culture centers to provide health care service," said Yan Ran.

    Like Kungfu, Chinese Qigong is getting increasingly popular among Americans in the Bay Area as they benefit from the breath-regulating exercise.

    "I feel more balanced and energetic (after the exercise)," said a local resident, 69, who preferred to be identified as Sally W. She attended a Health Qigong demonstration at the San Francisco center of Shaolin Temple USA.

    She was introduced to practice Qigong five years ago by her husband, who has been doing the ancient Chinese form of exercise for 10 years.

    She said she preferred Qigong to other physical exercises because of the slow and gentle style and relaxed mind.

    Health Qigong is a new form evolved from the traditional Qigong to meet the requirement of practitioners in modern society.

    The Chinese Health Qigong Association has organized experts to create eight exercises of Health Qigong based on traditional Qigong theory, including Yi Jin Jing (Muscle-Tendon Change Classic), Wu Qin Xi (Five Animal Frolics), Ba Duan Jin (Eight Section Brocade) and Da Wu (Big Dance).

    Health Qigong is a traditional national sport in China, which aligns physical movement, breath and mind adjustments as the major form of exercise, said Yan Ran.

    It's a health-preserving exercise that can improve the functions of the body, he said.

    To promote cultural exchanges between the United States and China, Shaolin Temple USA and the Wushu (Martial Arts) Department of Xi'an Physical Education have recently teamed up to send Chinese professors and students to the United States starting early next year.

    The professors will help train Kungfu instructors, while the students will have the opportunity to receive training on qualifying for International Wushu Judges and to participate in international Wushu competitions in the United States, according to Yan Ran.
    THREADS:
    Stanford Shaolin
    International Health Qigong Tournaments & Gatherings
    International Health Qigong Association
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 1970
    Location
    Fremont, CA, U.S.A.
    Posts
    47,947

    China Daily piece on Yanran's school

    I'm going to start building a separate thread for Shi Yanran's Shaolin Temple USA copying off the Stanford Shaolin thread first and I'll copy out some older posts from other places. There should be a fair amount as his school is very active and he was on our May June 2012 cover.

    Kung fu helps build road to success, strength
    By Lia Zhu | China Daily USA | Updated: 2018-09-10 23:36


    Yan Ran (front), chairman of Shaolin Temple USA, and kung fu instructors are practicing Chinese qigong exercise ba duan jin (eight section brocade) during a recent demonstration at a Shaolin culture center in San Francisco. [Photo/China China Daily]

    Like any other boy, Jason Luo wanted to be strong, so he started practicing kung fu eight years ago. As he grows, he finds that he has honed skills that can help prepare him for the future.

    "I started out because I had too much energy, and then I thought this is a good place to release it," said Luo, 14, who lives in the San Francisco Bay Area.

    "As I got older, this is not just a place to vent all my energy out, not only exercise, but to use as a stepping stone for something I need in the future, like college applications," he said.

    Luo enrolled in a Shaolin kung fu program eight years ago and has been practicing almost every day since.

    He said he's a lot healthier now and a lot more confident through participating in competitions.

    "I build confidence when hundreds and thousands of people are watching me doing what I'm prepared for. That's a very helpful skill that I developed through this program," he said.

    "I feel it paid off a lot. Sometimes I got frustrated that I don't get every move down immediately, but that's part of the process," said Luo. "You work hard for it, and after eight years, I've grown to what I am now. I'm grateful. I feel satisfied for where I am now, even though I have more to work for."

    Chinese kung fu became popular among Westerners thanks to Bruce Lee and Jet Li, but more people study the traditional Chinese martial art because they benefit from it, said Yan Ran, chairman of Shaolin Temple USA, a non-profit organization committed to promoting Shaolin kung fu in the US.

    Since the organization was founded in 2007, four centers have been set up in the Bay Area and another in Herndon, Virginia, with more than 2,000 students enrolled.

    "When I first arrived in the US 11 years ago, I felt the enthusiasm of the American people for Chinese kung fu, but there were few programs offering kung fu classes," said Yan Ran. He admitted that he fell in love with Shaolin kung fu because of Jet Li's 1982 film Shaolin Temple.

    For more than 1,500 years, the monks of Shaolin Temple have been practicing Chan Buddhism through martial arts. Shaolin kung fu is the most famous form of ancient Chinese martial arts and was listed as a national intangible cultural heritage by the Chinese government in 2007.

    Among Shaolin Temple USA's students, about 70 percent of them come from non-Chinese backgrounds, so the biggest challenge is the language, said Yan Ran.

    But Steven Delaney, 6, has no difficulty understanding his instructor. "I don't speak Chinese. I don't understand it. But I just look at what he (the instructor) is doing," he said.

    Young as he is, Delaney has been practicing kung fu for two years. He was drawn into the Chinese martial arts when passing by a training center in San Francisco.

    "We took him to the Shaolin Temple (class), and he tried the class and he wanted to do more," said Delaney's mother. He was almost 5 when he started. He really likes it, and he wants to move forward. He goes to the class almost every day," said Delaney's mother.

    Delaney's parents researched a lot on Shaolin kung fu before they put him in the martial arts program. The mother said they also fell in love with the Chinese culture because of her son.

    Unlike most of the kids who were attracted by Shaolin kung fu almost immediately, Kaitlyn Tran, 17, said she was "reluctant and hesitant" at first when her dad wanted her to try a Shaolin class years ago.

    "The first few weeks, I wasn't really into it, but as I continue practicing, I kind of fell in love with it. I kept going day by day," said Tran.

    "I found this is one of my passions and started to train every day for it. As I got better and better, I'm really into it," she said.

    Last year, Tran represented the US at the 7th World Kungfu Championships in Mount Emei in China's Sichuan province, and won a gold medal for dahong quan (large-frame red boxing) and a silver medal for damo sword.

    Next year, she is going to college and wants to major in sports medicine.

    "I hope to be able to continue in the future, even in college, it just might be hard to find time," said Tran.
    Gene Ching
    Publisher www.KungFuMagazine.com
    Author of Shaolin Trips
    Support our forum by getting your gear at MartialArtSmart

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •