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The Shaolin Live Method is based on the synergic combination of the ancient oriental Taoist and Buddhist practices and methods and the most developed experiences of western live sciences. Utilizing the original sources of the thousand-year old but living experiences of the ancient East and putting them together with a well sorted set of the modern Western sciences, the Method may give a useful toolkit into the hands of the humans of our age. It may be used in order to relief the shocks and the stress, and it may bring some ideas about balancing the spirit and soul, as well.

The easy to learn and use physical practices, the easy to understand meditation methods and their combinations can be practised by everyone, everywhere and every day. No “musts” and “obligatory to do”-s are in the method. All practitioner of the method is free select the appropriate means and tools, even to alter and develop it, in order to harmonize the used techniques to the everyday’s needs and deeds.

Eight Section Brocade Exercises (Ba Duan Jin)

Nowadays, there are numerous versions, seated and standing, of Bodhidharma's exercise sets - including the related "Tendon-Changing and Marrow-Washing" qigong set.  Some versions of the 18 Lohan Hands have up to four levels, and scores of movement forms for qigong and martial purposes.

In the Shaolin Life Method we shall follow the way of Bodhidharma’s Lohan Qigong exercises and will provide and explain all the four levels of Eight Section Brocade exercises. The sequence and execution methods of the practices (Nei Dan) are based on the everyday experiences of the Shaolin monks. The related internal principles (Nei Dan) are based and explained in accordance with the Taoist way of philosophy.

Wai Dan (external) level of the Eight Section Brocade exercises. This is the “introductory” level of the system. The students will learn and practise the steps of the physical exercises one by one, the appropriate way of the Dao Yin (breathing and stretching) and to reach the state of Wu Ji. “Wu Ji stands and body follows the mind”.

Nei Dan (internal) level of the Eight Section Brocade exercises. This level is complex and worldwide well known Eight Section Brocade. The students will learn to develop the internal Qi and control it to flow in synchrony with the physical moves (Daoqi Yinti). “ Wu Ji stands, Qi flows and the body follows the flux ”.

Jing (essential) level of the Eight Section Brocade exercises. The six healing sound will be added to the internal techniques. The practices are extended with the silent sound meditation. This level frequently called as Opening the Gate of Spirit. (Shen Men). This is the point of real internal understanding of the trinity of the human being. “ Soul still listening alone, Wu Ji moves and let the Qi flow to control the moves”.

Shen (spiritual) level of the Eight Section Brocade exercises. This “phase” is the supreme and mostly meditative level of Eight Section Brocade understanding. A ind of moving meditation. Mind, spirit, soul and body are separated anymore. The state of spiritual integrity. The practitioner “just meditate” about the practices and they will happen. “Soul lives in Wu Ji and just think about the ideas of flux”.

Historical Background of Shaolin Life Method

The use of calisthenics, stretching, and breathing exercises to maintain good health, fight disease, and enhance the quality of life is of great antiquity. This type of physical activity has a long documented history in China.  Artwork, medical manuals, folklore, treatises, scriptures and reports on the subject go back over 2,500 years. Likewise, military physical conditioning techniques, military codes of conduct, and training with military weapons (bow, sword, staff, sabre, knife, spear, etc.) are of comparable antiquity. Over many centuries in China, traditional medical remedies (e.g., herbs, massage, diet, heat, acupuncture, exercise routines, etc.) were combined with esoteric and magical Taoist practices. In addition, trade and cultural exchanges between India, Tibet and China transferred Buddhist theory and practices, Tantra, Yoga, Dao-yin, medicinal herbs, medical techniques, and martial arts training techniques between the three regions.

Taoism emphasizes the underlying unity of the individual and the cosmos, living in harmony with the true Way or Tao, giving up petty viewpoints, solitary retreats, avoiding violent interference with others, a simple natural diet, natural and compassionate living, sharing with others, seeking insight into "emptiness", seeking a higher understanding or enlightenment, living a healthy lifestyle, storing and circulating energy (Qi, Chi, Prana), practicing meditation, studying and working diligently, and seeking mystical insights. These methods and practices were explored and adapted in China for thousands of years to help maintain good health, to prevent and cure diseases, to restore vitality, to calm the mind, and to enhance the spirit of the patient or practitioner. Seeking ways to enjoy a long, healthy, energetic, ethical and enchanted life were, of course, of widespread and perennial interest. Ba Duan Jin first appears in writing in an eighth century Taoist text, Ten Treatises on Restoring Original Vitality.

Interesting theories about the origin and development of the Eight Section Brocade Qigong abound.  It is likely that ancient dances, military drills and exercises, shamanistic rituals, and Taoist practices were all sources for the specific and formal movement routines of Dao-yin or Qigong. The ancient terms for these types of Qigong or Chi Kung (energy/qi/breath training) fitness exercises were Dao Yin (breathing and stretching) or Daoqi Yinti (guide the qi and stretch the body). Literature that talks about such health and fitness exercise postures or routines, with some movements quite similar to movements in the Eight Section Brocade, goes back nearly 2,150 years. One tradition is that the Buddhist teacher, Bodhidharma (448-527 CE), the famous founder and Grand Master of Chan (Zen), introduced a set of 18 exercises to the Buddhist monks at the Shaolin Temple.  These are known as the "Eighteen Hands of the Lohan."  This Shaolin Lohan Qigong (the art of the breath of the enlightened ones) is an internal set of exercises for cultivating the "three treasures" of qi (vital energy), jing (essence), and shen (spirit). The first eight Lohan Hands are the same as the eight exercises in a famous set of chi kung exercises called the Eight Pieces of Brocade.

During the Southern Sung Dynasty in China (1177 - 1279 A.D.), General Yeuh Fei developed a set of exercises that were used to train his troops, and they were one source of an Eight Section Brocade style.  He recorded each of the movements in the form of a poem that explained its execution and purpose, and taught them to his soldiers to improve their health, stamina and martial art skills. In more recent centuries, eight of the Lohan exercises, done with far less speed and force, became widely used as a warm-up exercise set in many soft style internal martial arts, or in parts of other Chi Kung practice routines; and, became widely known as the Eight Section Brocade or

Eight Treasures Exercises.  The soft qigong style of the Eight Section Brocade, emphasizing Taoist exercise methods and the aims of inner qigong, and general bodily and mental health benefits, is arguably the most popular qigong exercise set now practiced all around the world.