Shaolin Toronto News

The 2024 T3 Fall Term Is Completed

Sun, 15 Dec 2024 09:12:00 +0000

The 2024 T3 Fall Term Is Completed It has been a great term which began with a high off great student performances at the Chinatown Festival and Dragon Festival. The new term, 2025 T1 Winter, will begin on January 6, Monday. Do continue to practice and train on your own during this 3-week holiday. We will reconnect with many of you at the STQI Year-End Party which promises to be great fun and company. We look forward to you continuing your Shaolin journey and getting stronger!

Chinese New Year 2025 Performance at Chinatown Centre - Join Us

Tue, 10 Dec 2024 10:58:00 +0000

Chinese New Year Performance at Chinatown Centre - Join Us We have been requested to perform and celebrate Chinese New Year at the Chinatown Centre in support of the Chinatown BIA (just south of Dundas and Spadina - about a 5-minute walk from our school). The performance will be held on Saturday, February 1st and Sunday, February 2nd, at 4pm for 30 minutes. All students of qigong, tai chi, and kung fu are welcome to join us! We need adults and children for both days. Our only key requirement is that you come to our Performance Classes in January 2025 on Mondays at 6pm for 1.5 hours. This is our only time available to practice as a team. There are four Monday practices: January 6, 13, 20, and 27. We have also refreshed our stock of performance robes in case you were unable to purchase one for our last performance in August. If you would like to participate, please email us at info@stqitoronto.com and let us know. Why Perform? Performing brings another dimension to your training and gives you a clear goal for improvement. It helps you to elevate your focus and prepare you for competitions. You will also be supporting our school and inspiring others to learn martial arts and skills for mental and physical health.

2024 T3 Fall Term Begins for the Dua Ping Pong School

Sun, 17 Nov 2024 09:55:00 +0000

2024 T3 Fall Term Begins for the Dua Ping Pong School Classes have begun a couple weeks after we announced our intent to start ping pong classes. The inaugural adult class for beginners and intermediate students has just begun and we are already in our second week, which runs for a shortened 6-week term. Fitness levels are rising steadily as the beginner students are surprised (and excited!) about the level of conditioning and training in program. Next term starting January, we will have a full 14 weeks of classes. We intend to continue opening new classes as more students sign up (including classes for children under 13 years!). If you want to learn how to play ping pong properly, please click the link below to learn more about the Dua Ping Pong school and classes: https://www.stqitoronto.com/index.php/s/duapingpongschool 2024 T3 Fall Term Adult Class with Coach Dua and Assistant Dao. Taken after a very tough training session!

Experience 2 Days of Shaolin Warrior Training at the Winter Retreat on December 21-23 2024

Fri, 15 Nov 2024 09:29:00 +0000

Experience 2 Days of Shaolin Warrior Training at the Winter Retreat on December 21-23 2024 Experience the life of a Shaolin Warrior with Master Dao through Shaolin Martial Zen and the arts of Kung Fu, Tai Chi, Qigong, Meditation, and Zen philosophy! The Shaolin Winter Retreat is a 16-hour, two-day Shaolin training program for adults. It is held on Saturday, December 21st and Sunday, December 22, 2024, from 9am to 5pm, at the downtown Toronto STQI school at 393 Dundas Street West, second floor. Participants will learn and practice Self-Wisdom, and train in the arts of Shaolin Kung Fu, Shaolin Tai Chi, Shaolin Qigong, and Shaolin Meditation. The training can be as intense as you prefer! Lunch is also included. The event will be limited to 20 students and is open to everyone. You must be 18 years of age or older in order to participate. Pricing for STQI Students of the 2024 T3 Fall Term (with at least 14 tokens) is discounted at $245 + tax. The fee for all others, including the public is $295 + tax. For more information and to register, please click here: https://www.stqitoronto.com/index.php/s/eventview/XT5bdYfxsd

What is New for the 2025 T1 Winter Term

Thu, 14 Nov 2024 11:00:00 +0000

What is New for the 2025 T1 Winter Term Shaolin Kung Fu Level 3 Coming this January! The 2024 T3 Fall Term is coming to an end. It is time to strive and make our minds and bodies even stronger! The 2025 T1 Winter Term Begins Monday, January 6th, 2025 with 14 weeks of classes. The term ends on Sunday, April 20th, 2025. There is a break week between March 10 and March 16.Register online at www.stqitoronto.com! New Classes and Schedule Changes for the 2025 T1 Winter Term We are excited to offer many new classes this Winter Term, starting January 6th. Thank you to all the students that filled the planning questionnaire. We could not accommodate everyone's requests but we do plan to continue to offer more classes in the future as we grow. We need more instructors so if that is something that interests you please let Master Dao know! Students have been asking for a level 1 kung fu class for adults for quite some time and we can now make this possible with our expanding instructor team. This class will be for beginners and advanced students and will include foundation exercises and around 10 to 15 minutes for the Wubuquan taolu form. There will be fewer exercises and more explanations. Beginners can greatly benefit from a slower approach, while advanced students can continue to train when they have minor injuries and lower energy without the pressure! Zoom is now available for Adult Kung Fu Levels 1 and 2 on Saturdays from 1 pm to 3 pm! This is for the foundation and taolu forms class. If you want to train remotely or are not feeling 100%, you can continue to train from home! It is time to push students to new heights! A level 3 kung fu class for adults has been added on Thursday evenings which promises to be a much tougher class with advanced training and sparring exercises. Students can expect to be greatly challenged and pushed with higher intensity. It is not suitable for seniors as flexibility and strong knees are required. It will run alongside the Level I and II classes for both foundation and forms classes. Master Dao will be overseeing both classes with Val as an Assistant Instructor. To qualify for the level 3 class, you must achieve a Grade of A in the Kung Fu Level 2 exam as of January 21st, 2024 (the older exams do not qualify since we have made the level 2 exams more difficult). Students may qualify temporarily by speaking with Master Dao or doing a trial (you must still take the Grade 2 exam in April 2025). We have noted that weekday evening classes for children are too late, so we have adjusted Thursday and Friday children's kung fu classes to start at 4 pm and end at 6 pm. Children who attended the evenings during the 2024 T3 Fall term may continue to have their child train in the adult class instead, but they are greatly encouraged to continue in the children's classes, as those are more suitable for kids under 14 years. We will continue Wednesday's children's classes from 6 pm to 8 pm.We have also removed Children's Kung Fu on Wednesdays from 1 pm to 3 pm since there are not enough students and we found that there are already too many competing classes for homeschooled children. We will revisit the idea of reopening this class as demand increases. We recently started the Dua Ping Pong School and have our first 6 adult students of the 2024 T3 Fall Term! We plan to continue to grow this area of our school as there is great demand in the downtown area for proper table tennis training. We are also hoping to start children's ping pong classes on Thursdays at 4 p.m. for 1.5 hours, which will require a minimum of 4 students. If this interests you, please let us know and register! Here is a complete list of additions and changes for the Winter Term: Class Schedule Change or Addition Adult Kung Fu Foundation and Forms Level 1 *NEW* Tuesdays at 6 pm for 1 hour with Disciple Andrew Adult Kung Fu Foundation and Forms Level 1 *NEW* Saturdays at noon for 1 hour with Disciple Luka Adult Kung Fu Foundation Levels 1 and 2 *ZOOM ADDED* Saturdays at 1 pm for 1 hour Adult Kung Fu Taolu Forms Levels 1 and 2 *ZOOM ADDED* Saturdays at 2 pm for 1 hour Adult Kung Fu Foundation Level 3 *NEW* Thursdays at 6 pm for 1 hour with Master Dao Adult Kung Fu Taolu Forms Level 3 *NEW* Thursdays at 7 pm for 1 hour with Master Dao Children Kung Fu Foundation Level 1 and 2 *NEW* Sundays at 1 pm for 1 hour with Disciple Luka Children Kung Fu Foundation Level 1 and 2 *REMOVED* Wednesdays at 1 pm Children Kung Fu Foundation Level 1 and 2 *MOVED* Thursdays at 4 pm for 1 hour (moved from 6 pm) with Instructor Katherine Children Kung Fu Foundation Level 1 and 2 *MOVED* Fridays at 4 pm for 1 hour (moved from 6 pm) with Instructor Izab Children Kung Fu Taolu Forms Level 1 and 2 *NEW* Sundays at 2 pm for 1 hour with Disciple Luka Children Kung Fu Taolu Forms Level 1 and 2 *REMOVED* Wednesdays at 2pm Children Kung Fu Taolu Forms Level 1 and 2 *MOVED* Thursdays at 5 pm for 1 hour (moved from 7 pm) with Instructor Katherine Children Kung Fu Taolu Forms Level 1 and 2 *MOVED* Fridays at 5 pm for 1 hour (moved from 7 pm) with Instructor Izab Qigong Stretch Therapy *NEW* Wednesdays at noon for 1 hour (Zoom enabled) with Master Dao Shaolin Tai Chi Foundation and Forms I *NEW* Fridays at 6 pm for 1 hour (Zoom enabled) with Instructor Andree Shaolin Tai Chi Taolu Forms II *NEW* Fridays at 7 pm for 1 hour with Master Dao Adult Ping Pong Level 1 *NEW* Saturdays at 5 pm for 1.5 hours with Coach Dua Children Ping Pong Level 1 *NEW* Thursdays at 4 pm for 1.5 hours (minimum 4 students) with Coach Dua All other classes of the 2024 T3 Fall Term remain unchanged and continue in the 2025 T1 Winter Term. Casual Ping Pong is Included with Unlimited Tokens We continue to offer casual Ping Pong on Thursdays at 8 pm at no additional cost when you register for 'Unlimited Shaolin Tokens' this Winter Term. Otherwise, you can drop in for $10 per class and students with at least 7 Shaolin Tokens can purchase 7 or 14 tokens for $5 each token (HST extra).Please note that casual Ping Pong is not part of the Dua Ping Pong School (see below), and is intended to foster fun and interest in table tennis for students and the public. Ping pong, or table tennis, is one of those rare sports that you can enjoy as a senior or as a child. It is easy to get into, enjoyable socially, obtains health benefits such as cardio and calorie burn, and can be as challenging as you like. https://www.stqitoronto.com/index.php/s/pingpongclub Dua Ping Pong School Now Open! We had a great start to the 2024 T3 Fall Term with the first 6 adult students of the Dua Ping Pong School! This is a unique opportunity for you to learn from a professional player and coach. Coach Dua has trained extensively since the age of 7 and was a champion for 7 straight years in the highly competitive State of Delhi (NCT). He brings his talent, passion, knowledge, and experience to anyone who wants to learn seriously. What a treat to have him here at STQI! Registration is open for children under 14 and adults; also for beginners, intermediates, and advanced players, for the 2025 T1 Winter Term. The classes are organized in the same term system as our Shaolin Classes with 14 weeks of classes. We limit each class to 8 students (with 3 tables) so everyone can learn more intensely. There are 2 spots left for the 5pm to 6:30pm class and we already have 4 new students registered to start next term - so don't delay and register early to get in! (we will open more classes provided there are enough students). To register and learn more about the Dua Ping Pong School and classes, please click this link below: https://www.stqitoronto.com/index.php/s/duapingpongschool Join Our Discord Server! Our STQI community is growing with over 750 members, and schools established in Markham, Downtown Toronto, and Scarborough. Discord will help support the social experience for our students and also the public. So everyone is welcome to join! Please click the link below to join our STQI Discord Server: https://discord.gg/6vYurPdnHf Feel free to share this with your friends and family! What can Discord do?Discord is a free service that allows you to join a 'server'. We have our own STQI server. Primarily, Discord is great for contacting other people, such as instructors, students, etc. You can make voice and video calls, send messages, and participate in Shaolin-related discussions, including sharing photos and videos. Overall, it's a great way to create a social community, and you can connect with students from our school, STQI Markham, and STQI Scarborough. Students can arrange social meetings for meals, gaming, etc. You can access Discord from your phone (iPhone and Android supported), tablet, and desktop computer. It will take some time to learn this new software. Ensure you read the 'welcome-and-rules' section on how to setup properly. Students will be 'validated' and given the correct permissions to access many resources and channels for their school. What can the Public do? Those who are not students will benefit from getting more involved in our events throughout the year including workshops, performances, public events like our Shaolin Retreats, free resources on Shaolin Kung Fu, Qigong, and Tai Chi, Meditation, and access to our photos and videos. Key Events for the Winter Term March Break Kung Fu Camp for Kids from 5 to 16 years of age Event Date: March 10 to 14, 2024Your child will experience all-day kung fu training with special emphasis on having fun! Master Dao will once again be conducting a LARPG (Live Action RPG) where the children must demonstrate their understanding of the Shaolin Virtues and use their kung fu to defeat the Vexspawn monsters in an engaging and exciting story. Register early to ensure your child gets in! This popular event is limited to 20 children and fills up every year. You can find more information and register here: [Camp Information and Registration Link] Worldwide Meditation Workshop Learn how Shaolin Meditation and philosophy can help bring you peace. The next worldwide meditation workshop will be held on Monday, March 3rd, 2025, at 7 pm EST. The topic will be 'Finding Your Spiritual Path Through the Ego Self'. This is a major topic that introduces one of the fundamentals of Chan-Dao Self-Wisdom. This powerful workshop will put you on a path to truly understand who you are in this seemingly complex universe we live in. Who are you really? What is life about? Why do we exist? These are some of the most important questions for humanity as guidance to answering these questions will give us meaningful purpose. It is a necessary step everyone needs to pursue wisdom and to find peace and happiness. [Meditation Workshop Registration Link] Grading Exams on Saturday, April 26, 2025 All students are encouraged to participate at least once a year. This is an especially useful tool for parents to see how their kids are progressing. Adults and teenagers wanting to get into the Adult Kung Fu Level 3 must also be able to pass the Grade 2 Exam. The Grading Exams are usually held twice a year. Students are tested on their knowledge and skills. The judge(s) provide an objective rating with encouraging feedback to strive. There are 5 grading levels for qigong, tai chi, and kung fu (adults and kids). The exams will take place at the end of April (after the Winter Term is over), on April 26th, 2025. [Grading Exams Event Information and Registration Link] Shaolin Classes This Term Shaolin Kung Fu The winter brings a transition from cooler weather to colder weather. It is important to keep moving and exercising to give your body the circulation it needs to fight off pathogens. In the Shaolin Kung Fu Foundation class, we will explore the Shaolin Virtues for children and adults along with themed and progressive content. In the Shaolin Kung Fu Forms class, we will continue to emphasize 'play sparring' exercises. These will be safe exercises involving control drills and techniques to develop decision-making in simulated encounter situations. In the Shaolin Sanda Fitness class, we will challenge our cardio and footwork abilities. In the Shaolin Sanda Sparring class, we will work on our offensive and defensive toolkits, while developing strategies through visualization techniques. In the Womens Self Defence class, we will emphasize scenario-based self-defence training to deal with real-life situations. Additionally, extra effort will be put into the Ziwei Jibengong taolu form. The Shaolin Performance Class continues on Mondays from 6pm to 7pm. We are continuing to bring our performance capabilities to new heights for our next performances! All students are encouraged to participate to broaden their experiences in Shaolin Kung and Tai Chi. Shaolin Tai Chi Shaolin Tai Chi emphasizes breath with gentle movements to invigorate the body for health and vitality. Breathing better means having more energy in the body and gentle movements improve deeper circulation for the vital organs. For the Shaolin Tai Chi Foundation and Forms I class, we will emphasize Breath Qi and Qi Flow in our classes and, explore how we can utilize our subtle 'Yang Qi' energy to move more softly and to flow the energy around the body to promote circulation. For the Shaolin Tai Chi Taolu Forms II class, we will emphasize advanced Taolu Forms such as Yun Quan, Rou Quan, and Gentle Staff. We will also explore self-defence applications to enhance our understanding of many techniques, and how the ideas of softness with quick and relaxed movements can overcome powerful strikes. Students are required to attend the Shaolin Tai Chi Foundation and Forms I class at least once a week to participate in this class. It is recommended as well that students have finished the Baburouquan form to ensure they have the necessary fundamentals to understand this class. Shaolin Qigong Shaolin Qigong is about the awareness of one's energy, and learning how to cultivate it through breath work, and move it around the body. Qigong will improve your understanding and awareness of your energy (Qi), as it relates to your mind and body, and the environment around you. You will be able to make better lifestyle choices based on what you want in life. In the Shaolin Stretch Therapy class, we will continue to explore how to optimize all the joints in our body.In the Qigong Foundation class, we will emphasize the Breath Qi with specific qigong exercises. In the Qigong Forms class, we will investigate the Liver Vital Organ and Meridian, and learn to manage and diagnose common problems and other disorders through palpation, tongue reading, pulse reading, tuina, and qi flow exercises. We will also work on advanced qi-flow techniques and practice advanced martial qigong forms for overall health and wellness.

Dua Ping Pong School - Adult Classes Begin this Saturday November 9th - Few spots remain

Mon, 04 Nov 2024 09:05:00 +0000

Dua Ping Pong School - Adult Classes Begin this Saturday November 9th - Few spots remain We now have 5 students and are starting ping pong classes for adults, on Saturdays from 5pm to 6:30pm! There are still 3 spots left for anyone interested in joining. We are also still looking for more children so we can start the Thursday 4pm to 5:30pm classes. The 2025 T1 Winter Term will begin the week of January 6th. For more information about the school, your coach, and how the classes are run please visit the Dua Ping Pong School homepage: https://www.stqitoronto.com/index.php/s/duapingpongschool

Join Our New Ping Pong School Starting November 2024

Tue, 29 Oct 2024 12:05:00 +0000

Join Our New Ping Pong School Starting November 2024 Anyone interested in seriously learning table tennis and making proper progress will be interested in joining the school. Those new to Ping Pong, beginners, intermediates, and advanced players are welcome! 2024 T3 Fall Term We would like to begin classes immediately during the week of November 4 to 10. This gives us 6 weeks of classes ending December 15, 2024. We will start this class with at least 4 students. Students who register for this term will be able to guarantee their spot for the 2025 T1 Winter Term (starting week of January 6th). Available classes: Thursdays from 4pm to 5:30pm for Beginner/Intermediate Children 5 to 13 Years (maximum 8 students) - $20+HST for the term paid up front (i.e. $120+HST if you start week of November 4th) Saturdays from 5pm to 6:30pm for Beginner/Intermediate Adults 14+ Years (maximum 8 students) - $20+HST for the term paid up front (i.e. $120+HST if you start week of November 4th) For more information about the school, your coach, and how the classes are run please visit the Dua Ping Pong School homepage: https://www.stqitoronto.com/index.php/s/duapingpongschool

Your True Life Partner - The Subconscious

Tue, 22 Oct 2024 21:00:00 +0000

ARTICLE SERIES The Principles of Chan-Dao Self Wisdom PERCEPTIONS EMOTIONS SUBCONSCIOUS EGO-SELF(coming in February 2025) Your True Life Partner - The Subconscious The topic of 'Subconscious' is an important one, and is one of the 4 key components of Shaolin Chan-Dao wisdom. Before continuing, we recommend you first study the previous two key components: perceptions and emotions. This article brings clarity to the existence of your life partner, the subconscious. You will discover that your Subconscious Partner does exist, that you can understand it, that you can communicate with it, and that you can even work with it. Everyone needs to take This powerful and necessary step to pursue wisdom because it will help bring clarity to your existence. What is the Subconscious Partner? The Subconscious Partner is the intelligence that helps You interface with your body, mind, and the world. In this article, we have avoided using only the word ‘subconscious’ because there are too many different and conflicting definitions (and understanding) of the subconscious. By creating a new perceptual layer called the ‘Subconscious Partner’, we hope that we can push through the stubborn layers of perceptions and benefit from the wisdom of this article. Let’s explore our newfound term, the Subconscious Partner. The first keyword we use is ‘intelligence’. That means the Subconscious Partner is smart and can rationalize, calculate, store, and retrieve information, communicate, command the physical body, and make decisions. The second keyword is ‘You’. The You is your consciousness, your ability to rationalize, calculate, store, and retrieve information, communicate, command the physical body, and make decisions. These sound the same except there are three key differences: Firstly, You can make the final decision. Secondly, You can only command your mind and body while your Subconscious Partner carries out the work. In other words, everything you do including thinking requires you to make a request to the Subconscious Partner. Thirdly, The Subconscious Partner is designed to keep you alive and support You in your endeavours so that You do not have to worry about it. These three differences highlight how You interface with the body, mind, and the world through your Subconscious Partner. Let’s explore some examples to understand the nature of the Subconscious Partner in relation to You. An Example to Prove Our Subconscious Partner Exists Let’s use a simple and common example to prove that our Subconscious Partner exists. We are going to see just how complicated a simple example can be! Sating Your Appetite Feels Good The Example In our first example, you are working or in school and are very busy. You work or study for a few hours and have not finished, and a deadline is approaching. You also did not bring your lunch and getting a meal outside is time-consuming. You want to continue but your stomach is complaining and you feel hungrier every minute. You start thinking of all the delicious options such as fast food. Perhaps you are thinking of eating your favourite burger, sandwich, or salad. Someone comes over and asks you a question related to your field, and you snap back at the person, feeling annoyed or angry that they have disturbed your focus. Finally, you decide you have no choice and you seek out your meal. You find your meal and as you are eating you have this very satisfying feeling. You feel sated and with that, you resume your work or studies. Subconscious Partner Analysis Let’s review this example and analyze how the Subconscious Partner plays an important role. In our first example, you are working or in school and are very busy. We start off at work or school, and we use our mental faculties to study or solve a problem. How are you actually doing this? From the interpretation of what you can see with your eyes, to reading and analyzing information, and the decision-making to memorize or act upon information, is already a complicated process. In a sense, you have no idea how this is even possible! How did your body and mind allow you to perform all these mental functions? This is your Subconscious Partner at work. When you see something such as words in a book or an email, your Subconscious Partner is making some complicated comparisons of visual information to deduce letters, words, and sentences. It determines the idea behind them and conveys it to your consciousness, that is You. You trained your Subconscious Partner to do all this. You may recall that in school you spent a lot of time with a teacher to learn to read and write, and you have continued to do so throughout your life. What’s actually happened is that your Subconscious Partner was learning what you were trying to do and it assisted through its ability to analyze and manage memory. You work or study for a few hours and have not finished, and a deadline is approaching. You also did not bring your lunch and getting a meal outside is time-consuming. You want to continue but your stomach is complaining and you feel hungrier every minute. For whatever reason, your progress is a bit behind and it makes you feel anxious. Your logical deduction is that you can delay lunch in favour of getting more done now so that you don’t have to worry. Your Subconscious Partner understands this, however, it also understands that you are lacking the energy needed to be alert and to do the work or studies properly. It also knows you plan to work or study all day, and so it triggers the emotion of hunger in an attempt to make you reconsider. You start thinking of all the delicious options such as fast food. Perhaps you are thinking of eating your favourite burger, sandwich, or salad. As you continue to work and ignore the hunger, your Subconscious Partner may entice you with imagery of tasty food, causing you to lose focus, salivate, and daydream. It might also start to get angry with you (and thus the expression ‘hangry’!). Someone comes over and asks you a question related to your field. You snap back at the person, feeling annoyed or angry that they have disturbed your focus. As time goes on, your Subconscious Partner will increase the feeling of hunger and make you feel irritable. You might hear a gurgling noise in your belly further communicating the need to eat. Finally, you decide you have no choice and you seek out your meal. Your Subconscious Partner has finally gotten through to you and now all you can think about is the food you are about to eat. It might also punish you in a sense depending on how long you decided to wait before making this decision to eat. For example, it might express its dissatisfaction by making you feel even hungrier, hoping that you will pay attention next time and make an earlier decision. You find your meal and as you are eating you have this very satisfying feeling. You feel sated and with that, you resume your work or studies. Finally, your Subconscious Partner rewards you with that satisfying feeling of delicious taste as you eat, and also the feeling of being sated afterward. It’s like giving you a pat on the back for making the right choice to eat! Understanding Your Subconscious Partner Before continuing, we need to acknowledge the need for logical and clear thought and its relation to science. There is wisdom in science when it suggests that something is not real until proven. On the other hand, the Subconscious Partner is not something that can be proven at the moment, so it is a dead end for many, meaning some people cannot get past this and are unable to carry on to learn self-wisdom. It is good to proceed with skepticism and rely on your logic and ability to compare with your past experiences and knowledge, to determine if any of these ideas are valid to you. In this way, you can take your time to digest the material, introspect, and gain self-wisdom. The Primary Role of Your Subconscious Partner Your Subconscious Partner has one major role and that is to keep you alive. This starts sometime when your brain develops and while you are in your mother’s womb. Already your Subconscious Partner is learning about its environment including what is happening outside through sounds, light, and information being sent to you by your mother. It is also in charge of running your vital organs such as your heart and digestive system. Once you are out in the world, your Subconscious Partner knows that your physical body needs to be cared for, and it will make you emote by crying and other emotions to learn how to communicate your needs. As you grow older, your parent or guardian, caregivers, and eventually school and friends will play a role in shaping your Subconscious Partner’s understanding of how you can stay alive in your social environment. As you experience events and make choices in life, You and your Subconscious Partner will learn together what works and what doesn’t. Keeping you alive means reminding you to eat, drink, defecate, rest, sleep, and more. It also teaches you to be fearful so that you do not get poisoned by a creature, eat the wrong foods, or make decisions that put your life in danger. We are also social creatures and we are meant to have social relationships. Your Subconscious Partner understands this and will edge you on to be part of a societal group, make relationships, and contribute in some way. The Secondary Role of Your Subconscious Partner Your Subconscious Partner has another role, and that is to interface between You and the body. In the previous analysis example, we highlighted how You interfaced with your Subconscious Partner to study or solve a problem using your mental faculties. Seeing and interpreting words, retrieving memory, storing ideas, comparing and analyzing - these are just a few examples of many things that you can do without knowing how to do them. We can extend this idea to the entire body. How do you move your head, write, type, and walk? You do this by projecting an idea to your Subconscious Partner. This can include visual, auditory, or other senses. For example, you can move your hand and arm upwards by sending a visual projection of your arm moving upwards, and your Subconscious Partner will interpret and process the idea. In another example, you can sing a particular note (such as C#) by sending an auditory projection of that tune, and again, your Subconscious Partner will interpret and process the idea. Because your Subconscious Partner is responsible for processing things you can sense (with your eyes, nose, ears, tongue, and skin), it can also interpret and add things to them before presenting the information to you. For example, you could see things that no one else can see, or hear things that no one else can hear. It is important to recognize that the interfacing function of your Subconscious Partner is only secondary. This means that your Subconscious can shut you out and manipulate your body or thoughts if for some reason it needs to do so. For example, this could happen due to a traumatic event, abuse, self-abuse, extreme danger, etc. We will not go into much detail here as we will have future workshops to explore common problems that people experience (and how to overcome them), but you can take the time to contemplate this statement and reflect upon your life and real-world events. Communicating with Your Subconscious Partner Communication with your Subconscious Partner is best understood by exploring both directions, that is from You to your Subconscious Partner, and from your Subconscious Partner to You. How Your Subconscious Partner Communicates with You We have discussed the role of your Subconscious Partner and suggested some ways in which it attempts to communicate with you. But how does it actually communicate? Since your Subconscious Partner does everything for you, it can use any part of your body to communicate. Here we clarify with some specific examples. Communication Through Emotional States Your Subconscious Partner can initiate any Emotional State as a means to communicate. Before continuing, we recommended studying or reviewing the past article on Emotions, and how they are composed of Emotional States and Emoting. In the previous example about work or study, your Subconscious Partner communicated the ‘need to eat’ and the validation of ‘eating is good’. This extends to any Emotional State that you have. We can imagine the Subconscious Partner saying, “We need energy - please eat something”, and “Good job getting nutrients into our body! Now I can support you in your work or studies.” Here are some simple examples of your Subconscious Partner communicating with you. Can you imagine the Emotional States that you will experience? “The bladder is getting full - please empty it.” “We need more water in our body - please drink something.” “I need to process what you have learned today - please go to bed and sleep.” “Your body needs to rest in order to repair it - please go rest or go to bed.” “That is a very dangerous idea - don’t do it!” “That person looks dangerous. Stay away!” “That person hurt you badly - be cautious.” “Stop being careless and hurting your body!” “It is cold - hurry up and make us warm!” “You are alone too much. Please go develop your friendships.” “We are invaded by a pathogen and I need to limit your energy consumption so I can fight it.” Sometimes your subconscious does not have enough time to talk to you, and instead, it will make you physically react first and then tell you afterwards why it needed to do it. Here are some examples: You touch a hot kettle and you immediately pull your hands back. Afterward, you may experience pain or discomfort in your hand. If you continue to touch a kettle that is hot and that physically damages your body (i.e. a burn), then your Subconscious might make you feel fear every time you see one. You are driving and suddenly a cyclist riding towards you makes a turn in front of you. You immediately press your brakes and/or turn the steering wheel to avoid collision. Afterward, you may experience frustration or anger. You are at the end of a high cliff with a fence and someone plays a trick on you and pretends to shove you off the cliff. You immediately try to stop yourself from going forward. Afterward, you may feel frightened and angry. Communication Through Thoughts and Dreams Ever had a thought suddenly appear? It could happen while you are working, talking to someone, and when you are alone. If an event occurred that made you worry, have anxiety or stress, or feel disturbed, you may ruminate about it with an endless cycle of reviewing the event and justifying your feelings and actions. Something you see, hear, or experience may trigger rumination and endless thoughts. Thoughts that appear to randomly appear are actually coming from your Subconscious Partner. It’s trying to communicate with you. If you take the time to listen, you may learn that it is concerned or is worrying about a particular thing, just like you are or would. This extends to dreams. Dreaming is a function that occurs while you are sleeping and is the time that your Subconscious is processing and optimizing your knowledge, thoughts, and worries. During this time, your consciousness may be active so you may experience what your Subconscious Partner is reviewing or thinking. This could happen if you take drugs or eat certain foods that stimulate the brain. On the other hand, your Subconscious Partner might be purposely presenting an idea to you, to get you motivated, to make you fearful, etc. In this case, it is trying to communicate with you, to tell you something. Later on, we will explore how to interpret your thoughts and discuss them with your Subconscious Partner! Communication By Disabling or Manipulating Your Interface Have you experienced a time when you could not move or say something even though you wanted to? This could happen as a result of a fear emotion but it could also happen without an emotional state change in your body. A Milder example of this could be hesitation. For example, you are thinking of picking up a pot but you are not able to immediately. Moments later you realize that the handle is very hot. Your subconscious is causing you to hesitate in hopes that you make this realization. More extreme examples could be related to trauma (but not PTSD), and more specifically after you feel you have recovered from it. You might not feel fear, but your Subconscious Partner may still remember it strongly, and prevent you from taking an exception to repeat a traumatic incident. How You Communicate with Your Subconscious Partner Before continuing, we highly recommend that you review the article on Perceptual Layers. Previously in the ‘The Secondary Role of Your Subconscious Partner’ section, we presented how you visually projected an idea to move your hand or arm or to sing. This is a basic way to send requests to your Subconscious Partner to carry out. We can extend it to mental functions such as mathematics, logical comparisons, retrieving memories, etc. Your Subconscious Partner knows everything you do. Your thoughts, interpretations and judgements, are all perceptual layers and form your knowledge base. In response to your environment, you will continue to learn skills and knowledge, compare and evaluate to determine what is good and bad, handle worry and stress, and learn wisdom when responding to events and your environment. You will also continue to communicate with your Subconscious Partner without realizing it. Here are some examples of how you are continuously communicating with your Subconscious Partner: Teaching it what is good and what is bad, Teaching it to track your worries, such as a task list, priorities, people to watch out for, and to what degree you need to be alerted, Teaching it how you want to live your life - i.e. your lifestyle - things you want to eat, when to sleep, how you want to develop relationships, when you need or want to work, and to what extent you want to be physically fit, etc., Teaching it how to respond to environmental factors, such as developing fearful instincts to bugs, darkness, people who seem mentally distraught, etc. (note that these are not universal fears but merely examples of some people who have learned to respond with fear) Note that your Subconscious Partner may not agree with you, and we will explore this idea later. Working with Your Subconscious Partner In order to effectively work and communicate with your Subconscious Partner, you have to give it recognition and respect. Recognition Recognition is the realization of the existence of your Subconscious Partner. If you are not sold yet on this idea, you need to review the prior material and rationalize it until you can logically conclude that your Subconscious Partner must exist. One of the exercises you could do, for example, is to pay attention to how your Subconscious Partner is trying to communicate with You and direct You throughout the day. You can use the ‘How Your Subconscious Partner Communicates with You’ section as an example of what to pay attention to. Practicing meditation also helps to calm the mind, and will increase the likelihood of You paying attention to your Subconscious Partner (vs. dealing with day-to-day stresses in life). The step of recognition is the most important if you want to work with your Subconscious Partner. If you do not have 100% recognition, your Subconscious Partner will know. Respect Respect is the realization of the importance of your Subconscious Partner. This also includes understanding its role and how it communicates with you. When you develop respect, you will improve your rapport with your Subconscious Partner. That is to say, respect is a long-term development that builds mutual trust. It will not come right away and you must work hard at it. Here is a general categorization of the levels of respect you can develop: Levels of Respect Level 1 - Recognition of the Subconscious Partner. At this stage, you have successfully recognized the existence of your Subconscious Partner and in the early period of observing it Level 2 - Realization of the role of the Subconscious Partner At this stage, you see how important it is for the Subconscious Partner to do its job Level 3 - Increased awareness of when the Subconscious Partner wants to communicate with you. At this stage, you are building an understanding of the many ways in which your Subconscious Partner communicates to you Level 4 - Mutual trust. At this stage, you are working together with your Subconscious Partner and developing a tacit understanding. Working Together When you are at the 3rd level of respect, you can work together with your Subconscious Partner much more effectively and work towards mutual trust. There are a few ways you will want to consider spending time working with your Subconscious Partner on a regular basis: Reviewing and managing perceptual layers together Reviewing and managing emotional states Addressing outstanding issues that cause stress or anxiety Developing a plan for the immediate and long-term future - i.e. what do you want to do in life? What is your plan for the current situation, 5 years from now, and in the long term? Optimizing your physical body Managing your lifestyle and choices These ideas form part of the discussion and exploration of the ego-self, the final component of the Shaolin Chan-Dao Self-Wisdom. We will post a link here after we present it in our next meditation workshop. For now, let’s explore how powerful it can be to work together and manage perceptual layers and emotions. Working Together with Perceptual Layers and Emotional States Before continuing, we highly recommend that you also review the article on Emotional States (in addition to the article on Perceptual Layers). Your Subconscious Partner knows everything you do. It is responsible for managing, storing, and retrieving your perceptual layers after all. The interesting thing is that your Subconscious Partner doesn’t have to agree with you! You will recall in the ‘The Power of Clarity: Developing Awareness of Our Perceptual Layers’ workshop that there are ‘evaluative perceptual layers’, and that these can be attached to other perceptual layers that define objects and complex ideas. Some complex ideas include your current priorities, your future goals and dreams, things that are important to you, things that are dangerous, etc. Here is a simple example of how your Subconscious Partner may disagree with you: When you were a child, you were playing in the backyard and you spot a cat walking into the cover of a bushy tree. The cat looks cute and harmless, so you approached it as it hissed. Not knowing any better, you reach out and try to pet the cat. Shockingly, it bites you in the hand, makes you bleed, and experience pain. You feel scared because you had heard of rabies and hoped that you would not get it. Years later, you visit friends as an adult and they have a pet cat. You want to believe that it is safe to pet this cat. You fail at your first attempt to pet the cat but finally, you are able to pet the cat albeit feeling very cautious and nervous. In the example above, You and Your Subconscious Partner developed a strong Evaluative Perceptual Layer that effectively says, “All cats are dangerous”, and there are strong emotions of fear and pain associated with it. Every time you see a cat, whether it’s a stray or a friend’s pet, you will feel cautious. Logically you will come to realize that a friend’s pet is very unlikely to bite you and you may want to really believe it’s safe. However, you cannot help but feel the emotional state of anxiety. In this simple example, You believe it’s safe to pet the cat but your Subconscious Partner does not. So how do we work with our Subconscious Partner to remove the anxiety associated with being around cats? The answer is to reflect upon how you would help someone with a similar problem. You would need to put quite a bit of effort into convincing that person how to read a cat to determine if it is dangerous. For instance, if it’s not hissing at you or it wants to cuddle up to you, then it will be safe. If it is hissing at you (as it happened in the past), then avoid petting that cat until you’ve earned its trust. If we apply this to our Subconscious Partner, we can get it to accept it in time. You can do this by talking to your Subconscious Partner in your mind and with your thoughts. If you’ve passed the stage of ‘Recognition’ then addressing your Subconscious Partner will be easy. If you’ve passed onto stage 3 or 4 of ‘Respect’, then it will take less time to convince. Either way, likely you will need to present examples of your idea of when it is safe and not, but repeatedly petting cats as you talk to your Subconscious Partner. To further clarify this example, here is an example dialogue that could work: You: “Hi partner!” <- This is you addressing your Subconscious Partner so it knows that you are talking to it. Subconscious Partner: Silent for a few seconds and no visual thoughts. <- This is a good sign that it is paying attention! You: “I want to affirm that petting a cat is safe if it shows signs of affection.” <- You are pitching the idea to change your Evaluative Perceptual Layer about cats. Subconscious Partner: Sends a signal to make you feel uncomfortable, anxious, or fearful. You may feel tension in your chest or head. It also makes you recall the time you got bitten. <- It is saying, “I don’t believe you!” You: “It’s okay if you don’t believe me, and thank you! It is your job after all to second guess my decisions of what is safe and not safe. Can you let me try petting the cat? Look, it’s even rubbing up on my legs. It’s not hissing at us.” <- You are respecting your Subconscious Partner and giving it the power to make a decision (i.e. not giving it pressure). Subconscious Partner: The uncomfortable feelings lessen but do not disappear completely. <- It is saying, “Okay go ahead and be ready to pull your hand back,” You: “Thank you! Let’s try this!” <- You are thanking your Subconscious Partner for trusting you. You reach out your hand to pet the cat cautiously and everything is fine. The cat purrs and brushes up against your leg as it walks around and in between your legs. You: “It’s safe isn’t it?” <- You are confirming by asking your Subconscious Partner to evaluate the situation. Subconscious Partner: The uncomfortable feelings begin to subside and you feel almost completely relaxed. <- Your Subconscious Partner is saying that it agrees this time, but is not 100% sold on the idea yet. By repeating this with the same cat and with other cats, you will be able to gradually overcome the Evaluative Perceptual Layer that all cats are dangerous. Instead, it may evolve into several layers of perceptions: Cats are dangerous if they are hissing Cats MAY be safe if they are not hissing Cats are safe to be around if they are purring or cuddling up to you Your levels of anxiety will also be reduced depending on the situation. Shàolín Chándào perspective: By recognizing your Subconscious Partner and giving it respect, you will gradually develop a higher level of mutual trust. You will then be able to work with your Subconscious Partner to effectively resolve stress, anxiety, regret, loss, grief, and many other emotions that cause you suffering.

Break Week Reminder

Sun, 20 Oct 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Break Week Begins We have a scheduled break for the 2024 T3 Winter Term from Monday, October 21st to Sunday, October 27th. Strive to practice on your own! Classes will resume on Monday, October 28th. There are 7 weeks left in the 2024 T3 Fall Term which runs up to and including Sunday, December 15th, 2024.

Free Ping Pong Lessons with a Ranked Player and Coach on Saturday October 19

Mon, 14 Oct 2024 18:00:00 +0000

Free Ping Pong Lessons with a Professional Player and Coach on Saturday October 19 We have invited a rare talent in Table Tennis a.k.a. Ping Pong to provide FREE coaching for new and beginner students, adults and children! This workshop will take place on Saturday, October 19th from 5:30pm to 8:00pm. We hope to generate more interest and passion for Ping Pong in downtown Toronto. Introducing Darren Dua Darren started studying and learning ping pong at the age of 7. He fondly remembers training for 13 hours a day! Among his extensive credentials and experience is reaching 3rd rank in the India State of Delhi (more accurately NCT) and becoming a champion in his zone for 7 straight years. He is excited to continue the next chapter of his life as a coach and carry on his passion, knowledge, and experience with anyone who wants to learn seriously. Master Dao Can Attest! In just 3 lessons, Master Dao has seen significant improvement in his game and skills. Although not quite battle-ready, Master Dao hopes to become an advanced player and compete in major tournaments. "Darren is an excellent teacher. He can spot technical areas for improvement right away and push me to improve in the right order. That comes from the experience he earned from his master and through his tough training regimen. One of the greatest values of having a coach at his advanced level is to get instant answers to many questions about technique, strategy, and conditioning. It feels like taking a shortcut!" - Master Dao How to Register - Limited Space! We have a limit of 20 participants. Must of 7 years of age and older. If we have enough children, we may split the session into two - one for adults and one for children. Please bring your ping pong racket if you have one. Non-marking indoor shoes are required. Please click here to view the Event and to register

Your Feedback is Needed for School Planning 2024

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 10:10:00 +0000

Your Feedback is Needed for School Planning 2024 Dear Students, We are always looking to improve our school. As we grow and look forward to the 2025 year, it is important to ensure we grow in the direction that meets your needs and expectations. Click the link below to open the questionnaire and carefully take the time to read and answer each question. Your feedback is important to us. Thank you! Click here for the school Planning with Students Form Thank you!

STQI Year End Party Planning Questionnaire 2024

Wed, 02 Oct 2024 10:04:00 +0000

STQI Year End Party Planning Questionnaire 2024 We used to have an annual party in December where students celebrate with a potluck, games, and casual kung fu forms. Your feedback will will help us to determine if we will run this again (and when!) for 2024 December. Please click here for the Year End Party Questionnaire

Student Community Board Now Available

Tue, 01 Oct 2024 11:31:00 +0000

Student Community Board Now Available We now have an online Community Board and students can post a community message! To view the Community Board, find and click on it in the Student Menu (after you login to this website) Posting Rules You can post 1 message per Active Student in your family with at least 14 tokens. We encourage you to advertise your products and services, promote an event, or post a personal notice. Please keep your messages clean and tasteful. Do not post opinions or anything sensitive such as things related to religion, gender, politics, etc. or you will lose your posting priviledges.Your posting will remain every term as long as you renew and meet the requirements. How to Post Click on the 'Community Board' icon in the Student Menu (after you login to this website). If you or a family member meet the requirements, you can click on the 'Create a Posting' button. Fill in the fields: Posted By: Select who is posting in your family (defaulted to you unless you have already posted). Background Colour: Choose any you like! You can change it later too. Image URL: This is optional. If you like to include an image, it must be hosted elsewhere. For example you can copy and paste an Image URL from another website. Message: Enter a maximum of 200 characters. Plain text only - no HTML styling is allowed. Action URL: This is optional. You can copy and paste a URL from another website if you like. Click on 'Post Message' and it will be live immediately. How to Edit Your Post You can edit your posting by clicking on the button with the 4 Orange Squares (it will only appear if it is your posting). Change the fields as you like. Click on 'Post Message' and it will be live immediately.

Free Trial Class for Your Family and Friends

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 10:51:00 +0000

Free Trial Class for Your Family and Friends Did you know that you can invite your family and friends for a FREE trial class? Kung Fu, Tai Chi, or Qigong! The only requirement is that you must have a valid membership and be an active student with at least 7 tokens in the current term. To proceed with a free trial class: 1. Your family or friend must have an account at our website. 2. Have them sign up and purchase a Trial Token (ask them to checkout but don't pay) 3. Email us at info@stqitoronto.com and let us know that you have referred a family member or friend. We will then zero out the balance, activate the token, and inform them to reserve a spot using our online calendar.

LearnShaolin v2.1.1 Release Notes - Better Chapter Progress Information

Wed, 25 Sep 2024 10:06:00 +0000

Wednesday, September 25, 2024 LearnShaolin v2.1.1 Release Notes New Features! Better Chapter Progress Information We've updated the Chapter Completion Status to show that it is incomplete if the XP requirement has not been met. The amount of XP needed is also displayed.The Chapter scroll bar has also been stylized to make it easier to see (useful for those who have completed multiple chapters).When you click on an incomplete chapter, you will see more information in the ' Completion Requirements' section, including a suggestion to complete more steps and repeat classes for XP.

Vacation with Master Dao February 2025

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 11:02:00 +0000

Vacation with Master Dao February 2025 Master Dao is planning for a vacation in Cuba, Cayo Coco, from February 10 to 17 (Monday to Monday) at an all-inclusive resort. We are not planning to host classes (it is a vacation after all), but you might find Master Dao in the early morning training. You are welcome to join.Vacationing with people you know makes it a lot more fun! Families and children are welcome.By registering, you will be notified when we book a place. You will be given the contact information to book your own package so that you can be at the same resort. We expect to finalize the location by September 22nd, 2024. The price will be approximately $1300 per person (flight, resort, etc. included). You will be responsible for your own travel insurance. Registration Form Please fill out the form below to be on our mailing/notification list! This resort appears to be sold out as of October 1st, 2024. You may still be able to find similar dates available such as departing on Sunday or Tuesday, etc. Good luck! Click Here for Online Registration Form

STQI a Highlight at the Dragon Festival 2024

Tue, 17 Sep 2024 10:37:00 +0000

STQI a Highlight at the Dragon Festival 2024 We had a great time at the Dragon Festival and performed on Saturday and Sunday morning (August 31 and September 1) from 11am to 12pm. Here we have the summary video of the Dragon Festival 2024 and our school performance is featured at the following times: 1:53 to 2:00 4:33 to 4:54 We are honoured to be one of the highlights of the event. Of this nearly 6 minute video, and considering so many performers, we are featured in almost 5% of the video with 30 seconds of screen time :) Congratulations to all the students and volunteers to help make our school performance one of the most special ever!

Pre-Register for the 2026 China Trip to Shaolin

Fri, 13 Sep 2024 09:38:00 +0000

Pre-Register for the 2026 China Trip to Shaolin We are mobilizing and preparing for our trip to China in 2026, mid-October. This is your chance to connect to our 1,500 Year Shaolin Roots, and join us as a competitor or casually as a fan and tourist! The last time we went to China was in 2018. We had 45 people from our school which included students, parents, and friends. Why Pre-Register? We may need to limit the number of people on this trip. By pre-registering, you will get priority. No commitment is required and you can change your mind later. Pre-registering will also let us know if you would like to compete and in what taolu forms, so our instructors can work with you and develop goals for the competition. Finally, you will be involved early in our trip planning, fundraising, and sponsorship activities. This will indeed be an expensive trip, and we hope to reduce the costs for everyone. Preliminary Itinerary In our experience, the tournament is held mid-October, and we expect the Opening Ceremonies to be on Saturday, October 17th, 2026. There is a chance it may be start 1 week later on October 24th and we will not know until around June of 2026. Last time we took a flight to Shanghai and then a train, which took 36 hours from Toronto to the hotel near Shaolin Temple (Dengfeng). We will find a faster route this time and take an internal flight to Zhengzhou - target travel time is under 26 hours.Our itinerary as follows (may change as we get closer to the date): Wednesday, October 14th - Departure from Toronto (there is no direct flight as of 2024 September)Thursday, October 15th - Arrival in Shanghai (1 stop, 20 hours, around $1300, or 1 stop, 18 hours around $1600), Flight to Zhengzhou (2 hours - around $100), Bus to hotel (1 hour)Friday, October 16th - Shaolin Temple Visit (we plan to spend a whole day from early morning until mid-afternoon) Saturday, October 17th - Opening ceremonies of the Zhengzhou International Shaolin Wushu Festival including a live outdoor show in the evening Sunday, October 18th - Competition Day 1 (there will be sightseeing and shopping opportunities and we will plan it carefully) Monday, October 19th - Competition Day 2 (there will be sightseeing and shopping opportunities and we will plan it carefully) Tuesday, October 20th - Competition Day 3 (there will be sightseeing and shopping opportunities and we will plan it carefully) Wednesday, October 21st - Competition Day 4 (there will be sightseeing and shopping opportunities and we will plan it carefully) Thursday, October 22nd - Training at Grandmaster Song's school and/or second Shaolin Temple Visit (we plan to spend a whole day from early morning until mid-afternoon) Friday, October 23rd - Free Time (you can arrange your own sightseeing or join one of our groups) Saturday, October 24th and beyond - We will group you up for those who wish to continue travelling in China (likely in groups of 12 or fewer) Pre-Registration Form Please fill out the form below to reserve your spot for this unforgettable trip! Pre-Registration Online Form

Shaolin Virtue of Perseverance