News and updates from Norwich Kung Fu Academy.
15 November 2019
Think of Water in its many various contexts: the bubbling brook, the steady flowing river, the lake, the waterfall and the ocean. Water never strives to go up hill. It makes no effort of its own. If an obstacle is in its way, it goes around, it is patient, it finds a way without effort. […]
15 November 2019
Picture the leaping bush fire, the roaring furnace. Now think of the full flowering of crops in Summer, the optimism of the expected harvest; the joyous anticipation of the harvest to come. Picture the Celtic army fighting in full passion and absolute exuberant optimism; Their charge will either sweep the enemy aside or fail. Death […]
15 November 2019
The traditional place of Metal involves cutting and adornment. Both weapons and agricultural implements are generally used to cut; often they were the same tools, if you found an area that was forested, you wouldn’t be surprised if the local men tended to fight with axes. Metal jewellery, other adornments like buckles and fine crafted […]
15 November 2019
Think of the wind bending a bamboo. Start with being fully rigid, then relax just enough to allow for bending, but always with enough tension to snap back like a bow, or a wooden ruler or a cane. (ahh, school days!) Wood has its own way of moving, of holding tension and that is what […]
15 November 2019
Think mountains, rock, crystal, granite and diamonds. When a muscle is tensed it is harder than bone, harder than wood. The first artillery missiles were rocks; and they worked very effectively. Stone is solid, stable and immutable; it drives through. Stone or Earth is central. It is this element that takes water and energy from […]
15 November 2019
As students progress through the Masters’ Course they develop their understanding of the Elements that they have been learning about during the Advanced Course. Now, in addition to appreciating how the Elements represent attitudes, approaches, times & seasons and even techniques, they begin to appreciate how they all interact with each other in an holistic […]
15 November 2019
The symbol for Heaven is three Yang solid lines. Picture the sky, it represents infinite space to accommodate any possibility. It is the most pure Yang. It is positive, progressive and persevering. It represents the great initiator, the primary active, productive, creative force. It is from the heavens that the sun shines, supplying all the […]
15 November 2019
Picture the lightening strike at night hitting a mountain and the shocking crack of thunder that shakes us even though we expected it. It arouses and excites us. It creates a visual division, cutting down across the panorama. This symbol expresses a force that has been building, perhaps against an obstruction, and suddenly explodes into […]
15 November 2019
Fire is forever radiating outward energy, rushing for the top, yet is essentially empty inside. It is bright, beautiful and illuminating. It has direction, but no goal. By comparison water tends to find the low and dark places, unaffected by superficial obstacles, it is unconcerned about direction, yet will always reach it’s goal, as a […]
15 November 2019
The imagery of the eight trigrams represent the combinations of yin and yang that are possible with three sections. The solid bar represents yang, while the broken bar represents yin. The eight are arranged around the yin/yang in such a way that creates opposites. Each trigram has a related season, compass point, Chi Kung exercise, […]