8 Points of Root—A new perspective If you have ever trained Chinese Martial Arts, then you are familiar with Stance training—Horse Stance, Forward stance, Nail Stance, Crane Stance, Empty Stance, Dragon Stance, Snake Stance—to name a few. To gracefully accomplish these while using them to express power requires Root. Let's go beyond Theory. Try This...

功夫 Gong Fu- Time, effort, [energy], with attention to detail. –Grand Master Wang Tian Min and his Honored Student Shifu Ed. When you watch a master of Chinese martial arts (or any discipline) perform their art, what you are seeing is an expression of their Gong—the minutes, hours, days, and years they devoted to honing the details of their art. When a Master expresses their art form, it appears unique, effortless, natural, and is inspiring to the observer.

When it comes to Chinese Martial Arts, lineage and tradition are paramount. They are like the roots that form the foundation of the tree and connect it to the power and sustenance that feeds it. Lineage and tradition are the bridge that connects present and future students, Masters, and Shifus to the ancient scholars, philosophers, sages, and warriors that discovered and defined the 5000-year-old root of Chinese Medicine and Martial Arts Philosophy and Culture.

In addition to Resilient Stress Management, wherever I currently teach, I teach a style of Gong Fu called Shen Shing Wu Chan. Shen is spirit, Shing is movement, Wu is mixed Chinese martial arts, and Chan is meditation. Together they are “Inspired movement through conflict, while meditating.” I have the unique privilege of studying directly under Master Wang Tian Min, who grew up in China and had the rare opportunity to grow up studying under many Chinese martial arts Masters. Additionally, he studied Chinese medicine, philosophy, and culture: the I Ching, Ba Gua, Yin and Yang, and the Tao. Master Tian synthesized his knowledge and experience into the Shen Shing Wu Chan system. He embodies the art of extending[...]