I left Hong Kong by train and arrived in Changsha (Southern China) for 10 days of Swimming Dragon practice with master Yu Anren, the headmaster of the style and the teacher of my Swimming dragon teacher in Australia, Li Yong Liang. I suspect that Li had told his Swimming Dragon family that I was coming, because I was treated very generously and kindly during my stay in Changsha.
Changsha is not the most beautiful city, but the park is absolutely great and the people in Changsha are very friendly. For some reason I was always stopped by groups of school kids who wanted to have photographs taken with me!
It was a great experience to train with Yu Anren and his students. He was very helpful and gave me allot of attention and explanations of the meaning and feeling of the movements. I didn’t learn any new forms but just revised and improved my Swimming Dragon taiyi form. Master Yu likes to explain movements by demonstrating applications and this is a quality I really appreciate. Applications bring out the intention within the movements.
The taiyi form is not really a fighting form. The fighting applications are just a part of the first level of the form. The first level is the co-ordination level – understanding what the movements mean and how to perform them mechanically. In many ways I am still stuck in the first level.
The second level is the internal level. Here the movements become fluid and relaxed. The breath is co-ordinated with the movements, and the movements themselves are co-ordinated in a constant flow, like a dragon moving in the water.
The third level is the energetic level, where the chi is circulated in the body, harmonizing and balancing the body’s energy. The fourth level is a spiritual level, basically meditation. I will report more on this level when I get there!
My sincere thanks to Yu Anren and his Students and their families who took such great care of me and made me feel most welcome! I will return to train in Changsha in July ’09.
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