STQI Toronto News History

It's been an incredible start to the 2021 Winter Term. With over 50 students in our Virtual Classes, we can say that our school has managed to adapt to a virtual learning environment for martial arts kung fu, tai chi, and qigong. It's a lot of work and effort for everyone including teachers and students. We all have to learn new skills and setup our own training environment. BUT it's worth it! And in some ways, Virtual Classes are even better than in pers... [more]

and a Special Shaolin Tai Chi Gentle Fist Demonstration by Master Dao Chinese New Year is an important time for Chinese people. We get together and celebrate with family and friends, and wish each other health and happiness. But what are people actually doing about their health? In this video, Master Dao offers some insights into what health means in the hopes that people will become more aware of their health goals now and in the lon... [more]

Here's an old video of Master Shi Guosong demonstrating the Plum Blossom Fist 梅花拳 (Méihuāquán). It was filmed at the Shaolin Temple in the early 1990s. Plum Blossom Fist is a particularly special form as it is a primary taolu training exercise for the guards at the Shaolin Temple. It requires years of proper traditional training to master, and features strong stances combined with athletic movements to deliver practi... [more]

Watch this special Fairchild Television documentary on traditional Shaolin in Canada! It was filmed in 2015. Since it's in Mandarin Chinese, here's a quick summary of the content: Master Guosong talks about how he first established Shaolin in Canada. In the beginning he only had 3 students. It was important to teach student's properly through the traditional methods and first build their foundation... [more]

Big Flooding Fist, or Dàhóngquán 大洪拳, is one of the top 10 Shaolin forms of all time. It is meant to be a powerful form with damaging short strikes, quick movements, and athletic movements. Master Dao demonstrates the traditional form of Big Flooding Fist at the Chinatown Festival in 2017.... [more]

Master Shi Guosong is the first to ever demonstrate hard qigong techniques in Canada. Watch as an early Master Dao cracks thick wooden dowels on Shifu Guosong's head, arms, belly, and legs. The early apprentice Dao had hair back then and was given that honour to swing the wooden dowels. Master Dao recalls, "These dowels were thick and made of fresh wood. I remember trying to hit my own arm with one. Not only did it not break, it... [more]

STQI celebrated its 10th Anniversary on September 22, 2017. It marked a decade since Master Shi Guosong arrived in Canada in the hopes to spread traditional Shaolin culture and kung fu martial arts. Under the leadership of our very loved Master Shi Guosong, STQI expanded to several schools across Canada with over 700 students. His notable disciples, Shi Changdao, Shi Changchuan, Shi ChangZhi, and Shi Changxin, were all in ... [more]

The traditional form of the Shaolin Sitting Meditation is a Still Meditation exercise. The goal of the exercise is to continually lessen the mental activity. The 7 Points or Steps of Sitting Meditation are: 1. Seated Position 2. Straight Back 3. Shoulders Back and Chest Forward 4. Hand Position 5. Neck Straight and Head Levelled 6. Tongue on Roof of Mouth 7. Eyes Click the links above to view more details about each point. Not all deta... [more]

The 2021 T1 Winter Term Begins January 4, 2021 - Register for Shaolin Kung Fu, Qigong, and Tai Chi today! We're pleased to announce that the 2021 T1 Winter Term begins on Monday, January 4, 2021. The term will run the usual 14 weeks of classes until April 18, 2021. There are 15 weeks during this time and includes a 1 week break from February 22 to 28. Normally our classes are run in-person at our downtown Toronto school and our Mississauga locations. Since we are on a lockdown as of this arti... [more]

There is more to it than just simply choosing a room with space. Here are some tips we've gathered from experience of running Virtual Classes to help you select a room and space at home. Image credit: https://www.coachmag.co.uk/home-exercises/7572/the-best-home-exercises-for-all-levels Training Area Size Is the best training space the biggest available area in your home? You may be surprised that the answer is: ... [more]

What is Stress? Stress is an uncomfortable emotion that can accumulate and significantly drain your energy. Stress comes from pressure to meet an expectation and has an impending time limit. Too much stress can make you feel worn out, develop anxiety, and lose sleep. In this article, we attempt to apply the teachings of Chan-Dao to the idea of stress, in the hopes to help us clearly understand it and manage it better. Where Does Stress Come From? Your ... [more]

Happy Chinese New Year from STQI! Chinese New Year is as important to Chinese people (if not more!) as the New Year is for Canadians and many parts of the world. It is a time for family to gather, eats lots of food, and wish each other good health, fortune, and prosperity. We will say things like: Wish you happiness and prosperity! Gōng xǐ fā cái! (恭喜发财) Wishing you lots of energy and alertness! Lóngmǎ jīngshén! (龙马精神) Hoping everything goes well! Wànshì r�... [more]

The Plum Blossom Broadsword, or 梅花刀 Méihuādāo, is an exciting taolu form that demonstrates a certain mastery of Shaolin kung fu as it requires many elements of strict foundation jibengong training. It's a fast moving form with fast defense-based strikes. It requires great wrist strength and flexibility as well as athleticism. The broadsword weapon itself is the second key weapon of Shaolin (the staff or cudgel being ... [more]

Small Flooding Fist, or Xiǎohóngquán 小洪拳, is one of the top 10 Shaolin forms of all time. These form focuses on speed and short strikes to effectively defend oneself from all kinds of attacks. Master Shi Guosong demonstrates a gentle fist version of the form. Slow and relaxed movements generated from soft energetic qi coupled with powerful bursts of energy - it's mesmerizing to watch!... [more]

In 2018 we had a school trip to the Shaolin Temple in China. We were trying to have an audience with the Abbott but their main Administrative Manager told us he was busy that day with a delegation from another country. But as a result we got treated to an impromptu performance and demonstration by the Shaolin Warriors there. Amongst the dazzling display of Shaolin Kung Fu, one of the Shaolin Warriors displayed an incredible technique and purposely fel... [more]

The rebuilding of the Shaolin Temple in the early 1980s was a slow process. New Shaolin Monks such as Master Dao's Shifu, Shifu Shi Guosong, had to undergo strict and tough training for many years to rebuild the martial art talent. By 1997, the Shaolin Temple was ready to announce its Shaolin Top 10 Taolu Forms. This was a special project declared by the Abbott to develop instructional videos for each of these Shaolin Top 10 Taolu Forms. The Shaol... [more]

These seated positions are some of the more common positions of the Shaolin Seven Points Sitting Meditation. There are many different ways to be seated. Try these first to see if they will work for you. You can even lie down on your sides with one hand propping the head up and the other resting on the thigh. What is important is that you find what suits you best now. You can always work your way towards other seated positions. Cu... [more]

The traditional form of the Eight Brocades Qigong is a Soft Moving Meditation exercise, and sets the foundation for many other Shaolin qigong forms. It is this with this form that the practitioner develops the awareness, experience, and understanding of the breath and qi energy moving in the body. Each movement shown here has a specific purpose in moving qi throughout the body. All of these are intended to develop a Net Qi Gain. This is ... [more]

Many people will reflect upon 2020 and decide it was a turbulent year. And as we look forward to 2021, there appears to be much uncertainty. For instance, we wonder if we will be able to conquer COVID-19. Will we be able go back to our normal lives?  With such a drastic change to our livelihoods and having such great uncertainty, how can we make resolutions for the New Year? A Shaolin Chán-Dào Perspective When we hold onto s... [more]

What is Shaolin Meditation? Shaolin Meditation is a discipline that stems from a philosophy called Chán 禪 (pronounced 'Ch - ah - n' in Mandarin Chinese with a rising tone). It’s well over 1,500 years old and was initially conceived by an Indian prince named Bodhidharma who first established Chán at the Shaolin Temple in Central North China around 500 AD. Since then, the ideas of Zen have evolved a little differently all over the world. The word Chán 禪 is more commonly known as Zen ... [more]