ABOUT ETERNAL SPRINGTIME WING CHUN KUNG FU

 

Whether you are male or female, in your teens or in your 70's, an experienced martial artist or a complete beginner, training in the art of Wing Chun Kung Fu can be a wonderful experience that enriches the rest of your life. Apart from the obvious benefits of training in a martial art, such as coordination, fitness and self discipline, Wing Chun has a particular focus on developing a "present moment awareness" .

As humans we have the capacity to recall the past and to project into the future. This clearly is a net benefit to our species, however the sword cuts both ways. Too frequently our minds drift back to obsessively dwell on long past events or worry endlessly over seemingly dire potential futures. All of this unfocused time traveling keeps us from being fully present in the actual moment we are experiencing.

 In Kung Fu as well as playing music and many other activities one must be actively engaged with "what is" to allow the training, reflexes and creativity to flow spontaneously. When one experiences this flow, the concept of time becomes meaningless as there is only the now. The ability to access this quality of human awareness has potential to help increase your effectiveness in any situation to which you apply it.

When we struggle against what is we experience life like rowing a boat laboring against the tide and wind. When we can be fully present and flow with the way of things life is more like a sailboat harnessing the natural momentum of the wind. At its core Wing Chun is a martial art. The principles, techniques and training were developed for real world application. So it is trained with an awareness of the combat/self-defense realism balanced with conscientious mindfulness for the safety of our training partners and ourselves.

To learn a martial art books, magazines and videos are great supplements but not substitutes for a qualified instructor. For the most effective learning method a student must be able to feel techniques applied directly from senior students and the Si-Fu, then they will have direct experiential knowledge. No amount of reading about the taste of chocolate can convey the experience of the taste, so we strive to provide a focused friendly environment for any who are interested to experience Wing Chun for themselves. If you can walk and have decided to try Wing Chun you already have the raw materials to learn the art. You already move your arms and legs the rest is simply regular sustained practice and learning to be patient with yourself.

I hope to see you on the mat,

Si-Fu Jim