Dear Health Conscious and Martial Arts Friends, and Students;
Happy New Year! I wish you all to be prosperous and happy! The Year of the Dog has just arrived. People born in the Year of the Dog possess the best traits of human nature. They have a deep sense of loyalty and honesty and they inspire confidence in other people because they know how to keep secrets. Traditionally, the Chinese New Year is based on the lunar calendar, starting with the New Moon on the first day of the New Year and ending on the full moon 15 days later. The 15th day of the New Year is called the Lantern Festival, which is celebrated at night with lantern displays and children carrying lanterns in a parade.
The Chinese New Year is customarily celebrated with loud fireworks and dragon festooned parades. In China, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day are celebrated as a family affair - a time of reunion and thanksgiving. Departed relatives are remembered with great respect because they were responsible for laying the foundations for the fortune and glory of the family.
This year, the Liu Institute International celebrated the New Year with over 400 friends and family members in both New Orleans and Mobile on January the 27th and 28th, respectively. Besides our own great performances this year, we also did lion dances and Kungfu- Tai Chi performances for the Vietnamese Community Church and Buddhist Temple in Mobile. Everyone seemed to thoroughly enjoy celebrating with us.
This is going to be a busy year. We have a lot of activities and events ahead of us. February 24-27th we will have a Chan-Qi retreat in Celadon Beach, Florida. It’s going to be a great and peaceful mind/body healing event. It will not only help you release stress and balance your energy, but it will also greatly improve your Qi power. You will learn not only the techniques to facilitate your Qi balance but also techniques to redirect your Qi and Channel your Qi flow. Many students from different parts of the country have registered for the retreat. We have a few rooms left. If you are interested, please call us at 251-343-6023 for a space.
Patrick Barry just left for northern Wyoming. His first fight will be on the 24th of February and he will be fighting in April in Las Vegas for K-1. He is growing stronger and smarter and better equipped with skills. He will be going to Holland for a month of training and sparring with heavyweight fighters. Patrick is always striving to learn. In spite of many challenges and vicissitudes in his life, Patrick is getting everything under the control. He never loses sight of his goal and stands on firm ground. Patrick has also just finished filming a documentary and instructional DVD in Mobile, AL as he is preparing for his future movie career.
On March 18, Jeff Bordelon will host this year’s first USASKF’s US Open Kungfu Sanshou Fighting Challenge in Houma, LA. United States of America Sanshou Kungfu Federation and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in cooperation with the Liu Institute International and Southern Kungfu will work together to raise funds for New Orleans Katrina affected students and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital (non-profit) which is the single largest center in the United States for the treatment and research of pediatric genetic immune defects, cancer and Aids, and other childhood catastrophic diseases. Houma is only about 35-40 minutes from the New Orleans international airport where Jeff’s school will pick all the incoming fighters. The Federation and the Liu Institute will work hard with him so that he may run a hugely successful event. There will be both beginner and advanced divisions for not only novice enthusiasts but also internationally recognized Kungfu Sanshou fighters. Patrick will be back in New Orleans for the fight. The event location is 111 Kade Lane, Houma, LA. His phone number is (985) 879-2262. His Email is: www.jeffbordelonska@msn.com. The event accommodation is 2500 QUALITY HOTEL, 210 SOUTH HOLLYWOOD RD, HOUMA, LA. The phone number is: (985) 868-5851; Email: gm. LA137@choicehotels.com. For tournament information and registration, please call 251-343-6023, or visit www.usaskf.org or www.shaolin-world.net
On April 29th, we will be celebrating World Tai Chi Day, a Tai Chi and Qigong Day that is practiced worldwide. The Liu Institute International Tai Chi and Qigong (Chi Kung) exhibitions will be held at 10 am in Knowood Park, Mobile, at 9:00 AM in Audubon Park, New Orleans, Louisiana (across Tulane and Loyola University on St. Charles) in New Orleans, and 1:30 AM at the YMCA in Daphne. Our hope is that we may help to educate the citizens along the south gulf-coast to the benefits of the traditional Chinese exercises of Tai Chi and Qigong (Chi Kung) for health and wellness.
The Liu Institute International along with Shaolin Master DeYang’s Shaolin young warrior team from the Shaolin Temple, China, will coordinate with Asian Village in Atlanta to perform a Shaolin Legacy Show for the Asian Cultural Week coming in May 2006. I am sure we will train harder with more Qi to make the event a great success.
This year’s Shaolin-Tai Chi Qi training and studying trip will be tentatively scheduled for July 29th thru August 15th (exact date to be finalized) at the Shaolin Temple, China. Shaolin & Tai Chi Instructors Certification Credits may be available after completion of the tests. We will as usual have one week training from July 8th thru 14th (tentative dates) in the US as part of the preparation for training in China. Shi DeYang, Shi DeRu and other Shaolin monks and Masters will conduct all training and studies under the guidance of the Great Master Su Xi. This Shaolin-Tai Chi China Retreat is sponsored by Shaolin World Federation directed by Great Master Su Xi as Chief advisor, run by Shi DeRu and Shi DeYang as Chief Instructors.
Over the last few years, students have had the rare privileges of visiting & studying with the living Buddha and legend Great Master Su Xi – the only great spiritual Master of the Shaolin Temple – along with his close disciples and other top masters such as Shi DeCheng in the Shaolin Temple as well as Tai Chi Master. They had a truly unforgettable training experience. CCTV, the largest TV network in the world, followed the training group and did a one week documentary film.
Last year the Shaolin-Tai Chi Qi studying delegation studied at the Shaolin Temple, Zhengzhou, and Xian. They saw Terra Cotta warriors, Beijing, the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace, the Temple of Heaven, South Capital of Nanjing, the modern city of Shanghai, Yu Yuan Garden and other cities. They saw the best performances while experiencing delicious Chinese cuisine and the most beautiful, natural and historical sights. This year promises even more, perhaps the Yellow Mountain – the most dazzling natural beauty in the world.
This year’s Qi Retreat and the training Camp will teach basic Shaolin traditional skills and techniques for mind, body and spiritual growth. That includes Shaolin Chan Philosophy of man’s true spiritual freedom, mindfulness, and ancient Shaolin forms handed down from generations of the Shaolin Great Masters and Legends. The retreat and the training camp will also teach some of the most fundamental self-defense skills such as Shaolin Qinna (grappling and common Demarks), body and mind toughening, and Chinese healthy nutrition must-knows.
For more information call (251) 343-6023 or Write to: info@liuinstitute.com; The Trip is sponsored by World Shaolin Federation and Liu Institute International.
Peace,
De Ru
Shawn Liu
www.shaolin-world.net
