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The Ways: Through the Body
The first of the Ways of Wudang is the way through the body. This is the physical level of the practice and it the the way where the bulk of our cultivation begins. Just as the Jing is our vital essence that we build our existence from, the physical body is the main fulcrum to our mental and spiritual well-being. In this way, we focus on cultivating the body and slowly bring this awareness to more focused and deeper levels over time. This way is the root, the foundation, and the starting point for everything that we build later. This is what we mean when we say "gongfu" (功夫), or hard work that develops skill over time.
The main curriculum of the Way of cultivating the body is through the San Feng Pai Martial Arts program. Within this program, there are external and internal systems of practice. External to break the body down and rebuild it with unimpeded circulation, and internal to relax the body and gain awareness of the deeper networks within the body. A large part of these practices is dedicated to learning body mechanics, techniques, coordination, and conditioning the body to be strong yet flexible, fast yet smooth, and powerful yet balanced.
In the following pages you will find explanations of course content and structure. The full content is broken down as follows:
â–ºWudang Way - introduction to free online practice material
â–ºMartial Arts - overall guide to the systems of training and to approach them
â–ºOnline Classes - access free content or sign up for private lessons
â–ºExternal System - introduction to wushu training
â–ºEmpty Hand - read about the different empty hand styles offered
â–ºWeapons - list of all of the weapons, both single and double handed types
â–ºInternal System - introduction to qigong and taijiquan
â–ºQigong - learn about qigong principles
â–ºTaiJi Quan - discover taijiquan methods and the corresponding practices
We work with external practices to "break" the body down and rebuild it with clear circulation and strong foundations. Only then does the internal cultivation begin. We must peel away the layers of our conscious mind and bring our awareness from the superficial to the deep and potentially hidden aspects of our being. With basic training, we begin this process. With forms, we build stamina, flexibility, strength, coordination, power, endurance, and more. With time, we advanced and improve these systems. With Qigong and TaiJi, we begin to connect these aspects to a deeper sense of our practice, integrating concepts into our reactions and habits. With mastery over our practice, we gain understanding of ourselves.
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