Courses
A Shaolin Nei Gong Journey
The Yi Jin Jing system of Inner Cultivation is meant to be a lifelong journey of discovery, refinement, purification, and honoring the Sacred gift of Life. Like learning a language, it takes time to learn the words, the syntax, the grammar, and the colloquial and contemporary expressions. The rest of your journey will focus on refining the classic forms and principles, while also discovering your unique ways of expressing embodied poetry.
Year One Training
In the first year, the focus is on restoring and repairing your connective tissues. Depending on your age, medical history, posture, and previous injuries, it takes some time to develop the foundation for the Yi Jin Jing process, which includes the journey of cultivating Whole-Body Myofascial Tensegrity.
Most of the first year is focused on learning the practices, forms, principles, and methods, while also engaging in a process called Bu Que 補缺. This term implies repairing any deficits, building more whole-body connective tissues, as well as balancing and improving everything front and back, left and right, up and down, through all of your gradually increasing mass of interconnected collagen filaments and precursor gel.
Year Two Training
In the Second Year, the purpose is to explore interactions that require a higher level of embodied awareness, while exploring more refined versions of Pandiculation and Tensegrity training. The focus of your resistance training will shift to increasing Jing/Essence as muscle density and Elastin levels, while also improving nerve conduction throughout your whole body. This cultivates even more potent aspects of training your Mind within the interactive capacities of sensation, contraction, release, momentum, and stillness.
This year is an invitation to refine every aspect of your practice, how you learn and train, and to actively begin the Alchemic, or subtle aspects of the Muscle Tendon transformation process. This year is dedicated to restoring, refining, and maximizing your Jing/Essence. In TCM your Kidneys and Liver share the root of Yin and Yang. The is expressed as Jing, which ensures your vitality and longevity if it is in abundance and harmony.
The Third Year
After completing the second year, your body is in the process of becoming more interconnected on a cellular level. This is what is meant by building and purifying your Jing. After two years, most of your cells and connective tissues are renewed, not only as tissue, but as tissue systems with upgraded capacity, interconnectedness, and density of tissue resources.
As well, your Liver’s Jing/Essence is expression as Jin, or as elastic/contractile tissues, fibers, and even microfilaments or micro meridians (Sūn Luò) – which are understood to be net-like minute collaterals. These microfilaments may be thought of as the ‘finest matter’ expression of your Jin with respect to Yi Jin Jing practice, and with respect to the physical aspect of your Meridian System.
A scientific perspective, although theoretical, is that a high level of Yi Jin Jing practice, over at least two years, increases two microfilament cellular receptor and connective structures called Integrins and Cadherins. Cadherins help connect cells together on their external surfaces while Integrins connect your cell membranes to your intracellular matrix of organelles. Integrins support cellular communication through biomechanical and biochemical means, and have a unique capacity that allows Mitochondria to travel along the Integrins from inside of your cells outward to the surface, where they can share information through Biophotons or Light.
From a TCM perspective, Integrins and Cadherins would be called (Còu Lǐ), which includes all of the spaces, pores, and interstices between your skin, muscles, and organs where Qì and fluids (Jīn Yè) circulate. This includes the sponge like mediastinum and interstitium membranes that full the function of the Triple Heater (San Jiao) organ.
