THE YIQUAN WAY
I have heard, in high antiquity there were true men.
They upheld heaven and earth and they grasped yin and yang.
They exhaled and inhaled essence qi.
They stood for themselves and guarded their spirit.
Muscles and flesh were like one.
Hence, they were able to achieve longevity.
Such was their life in the Way.
Huang Di, Chinese Emperor, 221 BC
Learn an ancestral martial art and health practice with a disciple of Cui Ruibin
Chinese combat and health methods such as taichi, qigong, bagua, xingyi and the multiple kungfu schools are derived from one common source, whose origins date far back into antiquity.
Yiquan, a modern synthesis of these thousand-year-old practices, focuses on the most ancient body-mind training method known in China, a form of standing meditation called zhan zhuang.
The students of Cui Ruibin range from young practitioners who concentrate on the combative martial arts to elderly and people with medical conditions who are looking to improve their health. The curriculum consists of a common core of postural training and exercises adapted to each context .
Zhan zhuang, the fundamental exercise of internal Chinese martial arts, is mentioned in the Huangdi neijing, the oldest medical textbook in China.
Through the use of trained mental images, multiple postures and an almost motionless state the nervous system is refined and developed resulting in an increase in the practitioners global strength and overall health.
The intent is notably to produce a subtle vibration of the entire body by engaging every cells. The strength acquired in the posture, called hun yuan li (original force of the universe), is then further explored through slow, then increasingly fast and explosive movement drills.
These additional drills help practitioners to elevate their newly acquired nervous system improvement, reflexes and health benefits to a martial based training.
The genius of posture training develops a body strength intelligence that can be used for martial application, day to day activities, sports and self healing. This back door intelligence can be used and harnessed by all.
At the crossroads of health exercises, meditation, dance, yoga and combat sports, yiquan is intended for all those who wish to improve their health, deepen their self-knowledge and develop their potential, regardless of age or gender, thanks to its wide variety of exercises.
The training is accessible to all, even to people with limited mobility. It is focused on strengthening health through the use of qigong type exercises and martial practice (intense drills, two person drills and sparring). The pace is slow and the practitioner can decide to focus on health or to progress to combat application
