The Shaolin training that is not about fighting
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34th generation Shaolin disciple
Most people meet Shaolin through the kicks and the forms. Inside the temple, that is one quarter of the practice. Shifu Yan Tuo teaches the other three: the breath work that builds internal strength, the tea ritual that trains attention, and the Chan meditation every Shaolin monk sits in daily.
You can train hard for years and still feel wound up
Strength and flexibility are the visible half of Shaolin. The invisible half is what makes the practice sustainable, and it is the half almost nobody is taught.
Movement, and nothing underneath it
- Forms learned by copying, with no idea why the stance is shaped that way
- Breathing that is never actually taught, so the body stays tense under effort
- Meditation described as important, then skipped because nobody shows you how to sit
- Energy that spikes in a session and crashes the rest of the week
The complete Shaolin method, in order
- Five stances with the reasoning behind each one, built from the ground up
- Zhan Zhuang and Ba Duan Jin, so breath and posture do the work instead of force
- A tea ritual that trains presence using nothing but hot water and attention
- Chan meditation you can hold for 5 to 15 minutes a day and keep
Four sessions, one complete system
Each session is a full hour, recorded live, and built to stand on its own. Together they move from the body, to the breath, to the ritual, to the mind.
01 Origins of Shaolin and Foundational Movements五步拳 · Wu Bu Quan 60 min
Where the practice comes from, and then how to stand, breathe and move with the alignment that makes everything after it easier. The session includes stance training and a walkthrough of Wu Bu Quan, the Five Stance Form, which is the first routine a Shaolin student learns and the one every later form is built on.
- Ma Bu 马步, horse stance, for strength and stability
- Gong Bu 弓步, bow stance, for rooted focus
- Pu Bu 仆步, crouch stance, for flexibility and flow
- Xie Bu 歇步, rest stance, for control and balance
- Xu Bu 虚步, empty stance, for awareness and agility
Best for: beginners, returning practitioners, and anyone who wants to open tight hips, strengthen the knees safely and finally understand the real basics.
02 The Power of Qi Gong气功 · Qi Gong 60 min
Qi Gong is energy cultivation through breath, posture and awareness. This session teaches two cornerstone practices and, more importantly, teaches you to feel the difference between holding a shape and being held by your own structure.
- Zhan Zhuang 站桩, standing meditation for alignment, balance and inner strength
- Ba Duan Jin 八段锦, the Eight Brocades, a flowing sequence for circulation and posture
- Breathing mechanics that release the tension daily stress leaves in the body
- How internal training changes focus, mood and recovery between sessions
Best for: anyone carrying stress, shallow breathing or screen fatigue, and anyone who wants calm, sustained energy rather than spikes.
03 Tea Ceremony and Meditative Ritual功夫茶 · Gong Fu Cha 60 min
Shaolin monks use tea as meditation in motion. Shifu Yan Tuo walks through Gong Fu Cha, the traditional method built on focus, patience and presence, then shows how to practise it at home with no special equipment. Hot water, a cup, and your full attention is the whole requirement.
- The Gong Fu Cha sequence, step by step
- A home version that works with whatever cup you own
- How tea, breath and stillness harmonise body and spirit
- Turning an everyday act into a daily reset
Best for: anyone mentally scattered or overstimulated who wants a short, repeatable practice that fits between tasks.
04 Meditation, the Heart of Shaolin Practice禅 · Chan 60 min
The final session is the one everything else was building toward. Chan (禅) Buddhist meditation is the original root of what the world later called Zen, and it has guided Shaolin monks for over 1,500 years. You learn how to sit comfortably, how to breathe with awareness, and how to quiet the mind without fighting it.
- Posture that you can actually hold, with no flexibility requirement
- Breath awareness and mindful observation as practical method
- A 5 to 15 minute daily sit you can sustain long term
- How stillness deepens every part of your Kung Fu and Qi Gong
Best for: everyone, including people who have tried meditation before and concluded they were bad at it.
What you will actually be able to do
Shifu Yan Tuo
释延陀 · 34th generation Shaolin discipleShifu Yan Tuo began learning Kung Fu at the age of six, under his father's guidance in Shandong Province. In 1997 he entered the Shaolin Temple at Songshan, and by 2000 he was training directly under the abbot, Shi Yongxin. Over the decades since, he has worked through the traditional Shaolin fist forms and weapons, Qi Gong, and Chan meditation, which together are the full expression of Chan Wu He Yi, the unity of Chan and martial arts.
Since 2008 he has taught Shaolin culture across Korea and the United States. He is now based in Seattle, teaching online, in person, and on seminar and retreat tours worldwide. Where much of the Shaolin world abroad focuses on forms and fighting, he teaches the internal dimension alongside the Kung Fu, which is how the practice is actually trained at the temple.
Chan and martial arts are one.Chan Wu He Yi · the principle Shifu Yan Tuo trains by
Who this course is for
We would rather you buy the right course than the wrong one. Here is the plain version.
This is for you if
- You are drawn to Shaolin as a way of living, not only as a martial art
- You have never trained before and want a calm, explained starting point
- You already train and know your breathing and stillness are the weak link
- You want a practice you can do in a small space with no equipment
- You have tried meditation apps and want the tradition they borrowed from
- Stress, shallow breathing or screen fatigue are affecting your energy
This is not for you if
- You want sparring, fighting application or self defence technique
- You want a long progressive Kung Fu curriculum rather than four sessions
- You want live feedback on your form from an instructor
- You want weapons training
If that is you, start with The Shaolin Foundations for a structured six week beginner curriculum, 100 Foundational Movements for the full jibengong system, or our live Zoom classes for direct feedback.
One payment, yours for good
- 4 x 1 hour sessions Recorded live, full length, nothing cut
- Lifetime access Watch as often as you like, on any device, forever
- Four practices Kung Fu stances, Qi Gong, tea ritual and Chan meditation
- Real lineage Taught by a 34th generation Shaolin disciple, not an interpreter of it
- Beginner ready No equipment, no flexibility requirement, no prior training
- Your own pace No cohort, no schedule, no expiry date
Where to go next
Shaolin Meditation, Chan and Qi Gong
The full guide to the spiritual side of Shaolin practice, and how the three fit together.
Read the guide →Free to readThe Shaolin Stances, a beginner's guide
Ma Bu, Gong Bu and the rest, broken down with the common mistakes to avoid.
Read the guide →Train in personShaolin retreats
When the home practice is established, come and train it where it came from.
Explore retreats →Common questions
Is this course live or recorded?
Recorded. All four sessions were filmed live with Shifu Yan Tuo and you get the full recordings, so there is no schedule to keep and no timezone problem. You start the moment you enrol and you keep lifetime access. If you want live instruction with feedback, see our online Zoom classes instead.
I have never trained Kung Fu or meditated. Is this course too advanced?
No. It is built for beginners. Shifu Yan Tuo explains the reasoning before the movement, every stance is taught from the ground up, and the meditation session assumes you have never sat before. Experienced practitioners get value from it too, usually from the Qi Gong and breath work.
What equipment do I need for the Spiritual Path of Shaolin course?
Nothing. Loose clothing, enough floor space to take a stance, and for the tea session a cup and hot water. The Gong Fu Cha ritual is deliberately taught in a form that needs no special tea set.
How much time does the daily practice take?
The sessions are an hour each, but the practice they leave you with is short by design. The Chan meditation is 5 to 15 minutes, the Ba Duan Jin sequence runs about 10 minutes, and the tea ritual takes as long as you let it. The point is something you can keep doing, not something heroic.
How is this different from The Shaolin Foundations?
The Shaolin Foundations is a structured six week beginner curriculum with a daily training plan, weighted toward building physical capability. This course is four sessions weighted toward the internal practices: Qi Gong, tea and Chan meditation, with the stances as the physical base. Many students take both, and they complement each other rather than overlap.
Will I learn self defence in this course?
No. This course is the internal and foundational side of Shaolin. For practical technique, Shifu Kanishka's Shaolin Qin Na masterclass covers six joint locking and control techniques for real situations.
Is Chan the same thing as Zen?
They are the same tradition. Chan (禅) is the Chinese original, and Zen is the Japanese pronunciation of that same character, which is the name it travelled under into the English speaking world. What you learn in session four is the Shaolin form of it, taught inside the lineage it started in.
Can I ask Shifu Yan Tuo questions?
The course itself is recorded, so it does not include direct access. If you have a question about the practice, email support@shaolinww.com and we will get it to the right teacher.
Train the half of Shaolin nobody shows you
Four hours with a 34th generation Shaolin disciple, and a practice you can carry into every ordinary day after it. Yours for one payment, for good.
Get the full course · $149