April 1, 2024
Learn the three phases of situational awareness, “pre-departure,” “travel” and “arrival” for safe while traveling. 8 Min. Read
January 1, 2024
If you found information relevant to the group’s safety during your intelligence gathering, share it during the intel briefing.
Reading Time 3 minutes.
October 30, 2023
On the day before Halloween 2023, YMAA Staff Writer Gene Ching ruminates about demonic possession in Kung Fu and Qigong practice.
October 23, 2023
Your body’s matrix of fluid-filled tissue is a system capable of absorbing and donating electrons (qì) wherever they are needed, from the surface of our skin all the way into our DNA.
October 16, 2023
Ancient practitioners were mind/body scientists of the subtle body, working with their Qì to promote health, healing, and extraordinary vitality and longevity.
In Qìgōng we say “Where the mind goes, energy flows.” Or more traditionally, the “Yi leads the Qì”; your intention leads your energy. You can think of your intention as your core consciousness merged with, or “riding on”, your most subtle energy. How do you “lead Qì to the palms”? Bring your mind to the palms, and energy increases there.
Before we can have useful discussions about situational awareness and personal safety, both teens and parents must be willing and able to recognize their flaws.
Martial arts, combat sports, and self-defense are different realms, and, while interconnected, they are not entirely the same.
The meaning of our lives is to understand nature and untie all its mysteries. It is a long and timeless journey to reach the final goal of enlightenment. However, it is why we are here.
Using strangles and chokes is serious business and is not for the immature. It’s better to tap out than pass out.
The entire Tiger Claw combination should only take a few seconds to execute completely. With practice, you can deliver all four moves in less than three seconds.
Training that leaves participants terrorized, anxious and bruised fails the foundational ideal that makes it meaningful.
When claiming self-defense, you are admitting that you are guilty of what would normally be a violent criminal action and that you did so intentionally and knowingly. However, you are also stating that your actions were justified under the given circumstances.
If you see a change in your teen’s daily ability to function, ask about it and be supportive (without being judgmental). They may need your help, and it could be a sign that they need to talk to a mental health professional.
"Less Stress, More Energy". This is the driving theory behind Qigong (Energy-Cultivation). If we can coax the body into making more energy (Qi), we will have more resources to meet life's demands, and as a result feel less stress. Simultaneously, as we lower our stress levels, our bodies are able to make energy more efficiently.
We have spent the last century making light-years of improvement in our understanding of
biology, physics, engineering, chemistry, etc. Yet we seem to be less capable, in many ways, of
improving human health and well-being as a result of it.
So, what should you be looking for? In the beginning, the more important question is, what are criminals looking for? To fully understand the process of situational awareness, we need to take a step back and evaluate ourselves, our movements, and how others perceive us. To do this, we need to understand what predators look for in their victims and why they choose the people they do.
If you’ve read the first two books in my “Heads Up” situational awareness series, you may have already known that Emily is my youngest daughter. Her plan to escape the man in the truck wasn’t perfect, but it was efficient. The fact that she could fight off the effects of an adrenaline dump, devise a plan, and return home safely was good enough for me…This is a book about situational awareness, what it is, and how to teach it to your teens. That’s the goal here.
In this practice, a practitioner will use his mind, with some specific physical movements, to lead the Qì to the Láogōng (P-8, 勞宮) cavity and allow the Qì to be distributed to the entire hand. This practice has also been commonly used to improve the Qì circulation in the six Qì channels, circulating to the tip of the fingers.
China has more than seven thousand years of history. The greatest contribution it can make to benefit the human race is to share the knowledge it has accumulated in the field of Qi.
The Chinese word Qi (氣) is defined as energy, as in all energy in the universe, and Gong means hard work or study. Therefore, Qigong (氣功) means "the study of natural energy." Western science has identified a bioelectric potential in the body which could be one of the primary aspects of Qi energy. This "bioelectricity" is recognized by YMAA as an important area of Qigong study and research.
Both Western and Eastern medical traditions base their definition of health on the correct functioning of bodily systems. In the Western paradigm, this is considered optimal cellular metabolism. In the Eastern model, this is considered the smooth flow of qi. Which concept is correct? They both are.
Dr. Yang’s research and translations are extraordinary in themselves, yet he has also brought something else equally relevant and necessary to a grounded actualization of Qìgōng meditation: a clear and legitimate voice of modern science and the scientific method.
Therefore, when you know your honor but can keep your humility, the people of the world will come to you and stay around you just like the valley streams collecting the water from all directions. When you have achieved this level of leadership, you have built a sufficient eternal De. Then you should return yourself to simplicity. Applied to the world, this simplicity can be an effective tool.
With a preventive approach, we find a way to live well by following the ancient wisdom of “Going with the Flow.” Everything has two sides: the Yin, and the Yang. Going with the flow, we realize the Yin changes to Yang, and the Yang changes to the Yin. Everything turns out to be better eventually.