What is New for the 2025 T1 Winter Term

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:

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, 2024

Your 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.