STQI Toronto News History

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]

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 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 to 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... [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 a... [more]

How to Have a Great Internet Connection for Virtual Martial Arts and Qigong Classes A great Internet connection is absolutely necessary for Virtual Classes to ensure video quality, video smoothness, and audio quality. However, technology is so complicated these days and it’s easy to encounter problems or get tricked. We hope this guide will help you to understand the Internet service you need and how to optimize the Internet to your computer, tablet, or phone. The Video You See of Yourself... [more]

You are excited to start Virtual Classes and you’re in need of some tech tips on your computer setup. This guide is for you! The Computer - desktop / laptop / television / tablet / projector / cellphone The first thing you will want to consider is what screen and computer you want to use. Certainly it will need to be compatible with the Virtual Meeting Software you want to use. Look up your software provider details to find out what k... [more]

300 pounds of crushing force on the fingers! Normally this would break your fingers but through hardwork and practice it pays off eventually. Master Shi Guo Song previously demonstrated this in a Discovery Channel program. Here, his student Tong Jiaolian is demonstrating that he too can do it! Mind you, he struggled with it initially and Master Shi Guo Song makes it look so effortless. We took this video when... [more]

Shaolin Tai Chi is also known as Shaolin Gentle Fist. It's been around since the 1500s and that's over 500 years! It's not well known like Chen Style Tai Chi so it was great to have Zoomer News cover our class and educate the public. Here we are having some fun demonstrating some of the self-defence techniques learned. For many students, Shaolin Tai Chi is really about a healing art with slow graceful movements that emphasize flexibility and core strength.... [more]

Our STQI family of schools were featured on CBC's production titled 'CBC Masters of Our City Keepers of Ancient Culture'. Watch Master Shi Guo Song perform a traditional Shaolin Praying Mantis form and appreciate the speed, sharpness, and fluidity of his movements. He also talks about some philosophy and qigong and how he views traditional Shaolin going forward through his disciples. You also ge... [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 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 poi... [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]

Perhaps the most confusing thing about meditation today is that the word is being used for many different ideas, and sometimes these ideas will conflict. Can someone be considered meditating if he/she is standing, moving slowly, or moving quickly? That is, does meditation have to be done sitting still? What if there is music or what if it is silent? Some people view meditation as a way to achieve some mental benefits such as reducing stress. Some look at it as a... [more]

How to Have a Great Webcam Setup for Virtual Martial Arts and Qigong Classes Any webcam can get you started on Virtual Classes, but have you thought about the ideal setup? Here are some things to consider if you are looking to buy or upgrade a webcam. Field of View Perhaps the most important feature is the Field of View or Viewing Angle. This is the viewable area that can be captured by the camera and for students, it's important to show your whole body so that your teacher can give you the ... [more]

This is a throw back to times around the early 1990s when Master Shi Guo Song was living at the Shaolin Temple. Back then there were only a handful of actual Shaolin Monks that did kung fu martial arts. Master Shi Guo Song was the Chief Warrior Coach and responsible for all the traditional Shaolin Kung Fu training at the temple. Here he is being interviewed by Discovery Channel and showing what traditional Shaolin kung ... [more]

Being on the Zone with Suki was seriously fun! In the first segment Raphael talks about his trip to the 12th Zhengzhou International Shaolin Wushu Festival and the results of the competition. Raphael then teaches Suki how to build a proper foundation for his legs with the Mabu horse stance! In the second second, we ramp it up and we teach Suki how to twirl the staff (cudgel) before trying the Windmill technique!... [more]

In this video, Master Dao demonstrates how he channels his inner qi (called subtle qi) to his head in order to lessen the blow of 3 stacked iron bars. You can see the level of mental focus required for this high risk demonstration. He makes it possible to break a three iron bars without any bruising or swelling. Hitting yourself with an iron bar is a lethal venture so don't ever try this yourself! It takes years of dedicated training an... [more]

One of the places we visited in 2014 was a school that still maintained some traditional forms of Shaolin. In fact, many of the teachers there were once students of Master Shi Guo Song and we got the opportunity to train with them. This school is close to the Shaolin Temple in Dengfeng city and is quite large with thousands of students. This is a short summary of our trip there including an incredible demonstration by their students.... [more]