“Taste the amazing Kung Fu experience!”
5 Day Shaolin Kung Fu Course in Pai
Nam Yang Thailand Mountain Training Camp, 116 M 5, Mae Na Toeng, Pai District 58130, Thailand
Qigong and Shaolin Kung Fu Class Thailand
Join Nam Yang Kung Fu Retreat for an intense burst of old style Kung Fu course in an amazing mountain setting. Live eat and train in a real Kung Fu school with genuine enthusiasts. It’s a program packed with training that will give you an insight into this fascinating ancient art and leave you feeling fitter and fresher. This is a chance to learn some useful skills and exercise techniques which you will be able to continue practicing.
Meet the instructors
+3
Highlights
- Training three times a day
- Simple meditation sessions
- Tiger Crane combination Kung Fu
- Qi Gong and Sun Frost White Crane internal art
- Experienced teachers and breathtaking environment
- Daily breakfast and dinner
- 4 nights accommodation
3 days with instruction
Airport transfer available:
Chiang Mai International Airport (US$ 131 per person)
Chiang Mai International Airport (US$ 131 per person)
Accommodation
Check-in Time:
14:00
Check-out Time:
10:00
Facilities
- Gym
- Dining area
- Kitchen
- Restaurant
- Laundry
- Library
- Wireless internet
The rooms at Nam Yang are very spacious and comfortable with fan and en-suite shower room and toilet or wash room. You could choose between a private or shared room.
The school itself is built in the local Shan style architecture according to Chinese Feng Shui principles. They grow their own vegetables. There are also kitchen and dining area where food are prepared using home grown ingredients wherever possible.
There’s wireless internet which is free to all those staying in the school.
Program
The course includes:
- Shuang Yang Pei Ho Rou Rouan Chien (Frost Sun White Crane soft and gentle Art)
- Sum Chien, the internal power training exercise of Shaolin Kung Fu
- Tong Ling Chi Kung system
- Bohdidarma’s vein tendon Chi Kung
- Pushing hands for training of touch sensitivity and mindfulness
- Meditation
- Stretching and developing the fascia
This course is run by Nam Yang Puglistic Association, founded in Singapore in 1954 by Great Grand Master Ang Lian Huat and dedicated to passing on the real arts of old China. Nam Yang has now become an international community with branches in Thailand, UK, Russia, Italy, and Germany.
Train with experienced professional teachers, including Master Iain Armstrong in relaxed, constructive atmosphere. Leave your ego behind and become part of the community. This course is taught for Westerners. Here in Nam Yang, your needs will be met. Complex concepts are explained in clear English by experienced teachers. There is no need for translators.
Sample schedule
- 06:00 Morning training in Chi Kung, the Frost Sun White Crane internal art, the Sum Chien (three wars) internal strength routine, Kung Fu technique and combinations, old style Kung Fu exercises with a partner for stability, timing, distancing, coordination, and balance, how to disarm an attacker with a knife, stick, or bar, control and restraint techniques, joint manipulation, and pressure points (break halfway through for Chinese tea for questions and answers and a talk on Chinese philosophy and wisdom)
- 09:15 Breakfast
- 11:00 Midday training (supervised practice time finishing with a meditation session, incorporates pushing hands and optional use of Nam Yang's Kung Fu gym) followed by a lunch break
- 15:30 Physical session including warming up then work on stretching and strengthening the fascia
- 16:30 Technical sessions including practice on the routines, including the Shaolin weapons, pushing hands, traditional Kung Fu fighting skills, in-depth training on topics such as breathing, developing the internal organs, training the senses, taking control of your emotions, adopting the right mindset, developing speed, power, and accuracy
- 18:00 Dinner then rest time
In a three-day stay you will immerse yourself in the culture and lifestyle of Shaolin Kung Fu and experience for yourself what it is all about. You will learn:
- The basics of Sum Chien (three wars)
- The Tong Ling Chi Kung routine for health, relaxation, and energy
- Bodhidharma’s vein tendon Chi Kung for tendon power
- The walking meditation and four step routine from the Sun Frost White Crane internal art
- Some good insights into self-defense
- Pushing hands: a safe introduction to practice with a partner
- Basic meditation
After three short days, you will feel fitter and healthier, enhance your confidence, maybe experience a small weight adjustment, improve your flexibility, detox your body, and enjoy yourself.
Elements of training the Shaolin arts
Tiger - Crane Kung Fu
Fast, accurate, and deadly, the tiger - crane combination is a classic southern Shaolin style which emphasizes intricate hand techniques thrown from a solid, stable stance.
Being close to the original Shaolin white crane, this style emphasizes the use of touch sensitivity to connect to an opponent and feel their movement and intention, countering them immediately when they initiate a move - before it can become dangerous. It also uses "springy" power generated from the tendons rather than the muscle - the hallmark of genuine Shaolin Kung Fu.
The tiger-crane stance is fairly high allowing for mobility and fast stepping. The hand techniques are thrown from close range so as to maximize their chances of success and generally target weak points where they will have the greatest effect.
At an advanced level, springy power from the tendons can be used to generate a power which penetrates deeply into the body and affects the internal organs - ask an instructor for a safe, controlled demonstration!
Benefits of practicing the tiger crane art include:
- Toughening of body to resist blows
- Packing chi into the internal organs so as to rejuvenate them and make them healthy, resilient, and resistant to being struck
- Building elastic power into tendons so as to be able to deliver fast, super powerful blows
- Expansion of lung capacity leading to greater stamina and a healthier body
- Replenishing of essential chi in kidneys which counteracts aging
- Manipulation of the spine, opening of joints and chi flow
- Training of the eye to keep vision sharp
- Rejuvenating facial muscles and pressure centers to look healthy and young
- Developing positive body language
- Sinking chi to the lower tan tien (chi center) to give clearer thinking, calmer attitude, and less stress
- Training the use of the most advantageous body mechanics so that skill can be used to overcome strength
- Development of touch sensitivity and training to react to touch for fighting
Sun-frost white crane (Shuang Yang)
Usually referred to as "Shuang Yang" for short, this is the internal form of the white crane art. It is performed in a very soft, relaxed way, gently opening the chi flow in the meridians, training elasticity into all of the tendons and massaging the internal organs. Whilst superficially very similar to Tai Chi, it is part of the Buddhist Shaolin tradition, rather than the Taoist Wutan tradition.
Many people practice the Shuang Yang primarily to benefit their health, vitality, and longevity. Whilst the slow, gentle nature of the training make it ideal for older or less fit people, make no mistake: this is a genuine martial art.
The Shuang Yang art uses mostly the bow arrow stance - a longer stance than the tiger crane art. Weight is sunk down and movement is generated from the core of the body, moving out to the limbs like a wave through water. Training connects all of the tendons in the body into one resilient, elastic network with incredible strength. All movements are performed with the whole body.
Shuang Yang training is particularly suitable for China - the Chinese art of twisting joints, pressing pressure points, and sealing off the flow of breath or blood. As a crane art, the Shuang Yang develops touch sensitivity and encourages sticking to an opponent, neutralizing their attacks and then countering decisively.
The benefits of the Shuang Yang art include:
- Gently stretching and releasing the body’s tendons in a slow rhythmic fashion, increasing its strength and stimulating chi to flow
- The practice involves a great deal of flexing and twisting in the torso, as well as opening the meridians and energizing the tendons, which strengthens muscles which you do not usually use
- Wringing out and cleaning the internal organs, pushing fluids along their course, and manipulating the joints of the spine, keeping them moving freely to promote a healthy spine and body
- Genuine "meditation in motion" that requires sinking of the chi, calming of the mind, and breathing from the core of the body with regular practice greatly improving health, vitality, and aging
Shaolin weapon
Weapons have always featured strongly in Shaolin Kung Fu training and are one of the most popular parts of the syllabus - even in the modern era. Training starts with simple basics such as how to stand, grip the weapon, etc. and extends to cover simple and advanced moves, strategies, tactics, target areas, etc.
The weapon training is not just "show style". The genuine art of weapon use for combat will be taught. Unlike in many other cultures, the Shaolin weapons were still used for war very recently, such as by the Chinese army in WWII and by Kung Fu groups as recently as the 1970s.
Some of the teachers here at Nam Yang have direct experience with these weapons - this is not something which you will find in many schools.
The benefits of Shaolin weapon training include the following:
- Weapon training teaches you to extend your concentration and your energy (chi) beyond your bodies into the weapon
- The training works like a sort of weight training: performing with weapons, especially heavy weapons, strengthens the muscle and tendons and conditions you to exert more power
- Many techniques are complex and intricate and develop your co-ordination: this is particularly true of the double weapons
- Heavy weapons require a great degree of stability and balance so as to be able to wield them with speed, power, and accuracy, providing excellent stability training
Soft Chi Kung
Many people are vaguely aware of the great benefits of Chi Kung meditation to the health and longevity but don’t really understand how it works. Here is an overview:
- Chi circulates around the bodies, in a daily cycle, mainly but not entirely through pathways called meridians and vessels
- Chi is stored in energy centers or reservoirs called tan tiens
- The two main sources of chi are the Earth (yin chi) and the sky (yang chi)
- When the chi in the bodies is circulating freely, and is balanced between yin and yang, you will enjoy good health
- Opening the meridians through stretching exercises and guiding chi through them facilitates strong, smooth circulation of the chi
- Drawing in fresh chi from the earth and sky keeps your chi plentiful and allows you to balance yin and yang
- Expelling stale or excess chi keeps the chi fresh and prevents it becoming excessively strong
By its nature, Chi Kung (also known as Qi Gong or Ki Gung) is simple and easy yet amazingly effective. Anyone can practice it successfully, regardless of age or fitness. The essential requirements are a properly trained instructor and good, fresh air. The basic Chi Kung system taught is Tong Ling (clearing and circulating) Chi Kung.
Martial Chi Kung
Martial Chi Kung goes a step beyond Chi Kung for health. It develops abilities well beyond those of normal people.
Mastery of this type of Chi Kung is what enables martial arts masters to perform such "super human" feats as punching the ends off bricks, washing in broken glass, rubbing red hot metal, and being hit with hammers and axes.
There is a number of different systems of martial Chi Kung. The first is vein tendon Chi Kung is a simple but effective system which tones all of tendon in the body and increases its elasticity so that it can store energy.
The next is Tat Moh Chi Kung, a straightforward system which emphasizes reverse abdominal breathing and therefore trains elasticity into the internal organs, energizing them and making them resilient to injury
The Sum Chien routine from the Tiger - Crane combination art is perhaps the most powerful exercise for martial Chi Kung. It involves building elasticity into the whole body and then using it to store energy in the lower tan tien (the lower chi energy center of the body), releasing it in explosive bursts down to the hands, and then returning it to the tan tien to be used again. It incorporates reverse abdominal breathing and exercises absolutely all of the tendons in the body.
Martial Chi Kung can be learned by people of reasonable fitness, male or female. It takes regular training over a period of time to achieve a high level of skill, but the exercises can be learned in a relatively short space and then practiced anywhere.
Martial Chi Kung has the following benefits:
- It packs chi into the internal organs, strengthening them, energizing them, and making them resistant to injury or disease
- It replenishes essential chi in the kidneys, combating ageing and greatly increasing vigor
- It builds springy, explosive strength which can be released at short range to produce large amounts of power
Meditation
Meditation forms an intrinsic part of the training program. Generally, you are taught how to perform simple, safe meditations and then encouraged to practice them in their own time, quietly and comfortably. On nights of the full moon, a special meditation together at midnight is practiced directly under the full moon.
The meditation taught include:
- Chi Kung focusing on circulating the body’s chi microcosmic orbit
- Relaxing the whole body
- Fostering internal awareness
- Improving vitality and life energy
These can be combined with natural or reverse abdominal breathing. Full moon meditations take advantage of the pure yin energy which emanates from the moon at midnight (the most yin hour) when it is full (the moon’s most yin phase). These special meditations give an amazing charge but are best practiced under supervision, at least to start with!
The complement to the full moon meditations is the practice of Chi Kung just at sunrise on the day of the new moon, taking advantage of yang energy.
Practical self-defense
The self-defense training is very practically based and can be tailored to suit the individual. What is emphasized is avoidance as opposed to confrontation (it’s much safer) and techniques which do not inflict serious injury (killing or maiming an attacker is likely to get you into very serious trouble in most countries, especially if they are a local).
Practical self-defense involves forward planning, awareness, positive body language, quick thinking, diplomacy, and confidence. Physical confrontation is a last resort. If it does get physical, take downs and restraints are both good options - they prevent an opponent from hurting you without inflicting injury on them.
It may be necessary to disarm the opponent first. The defense techniques that are taught are based on Kung Fu, Chinese boxing, and a great deal of experience. The training, which is simple and effective, will enable you to travel without fear.
Workout and stretching
Conditioning and flexibility are vital for any martial artist. At Nam Yang, morning meditation and soft arts are complimented by approximately one hour of active workouts and stretches in the afternoon to improve endurance and elasticity.
Conditioning routines are borrowed from various martial and athletic disciplines to maximize stamina, cardio, and strength improvement while maintaining safety and a mind for technique.
Stretching routines employ methods from both Kung Fu and yoga to greatly improve joint and muscle flexibility and teach body relaxation. Students often notice significant improvements in flexibility and elasticity after leaving the mountain retreat.
Instructors
Master Iain Armstrong
Master Iain is a Kung Fu philosopher and author with 36 years of living in Kung Fu. Trained personally by Grand Master Tan Soh Tin in Singapore, he’s a two-time world champion and veteran of real street battles. Famous for his high-quality Kung Fu teaching, his instructional films and magazine articles, and for his demonstrations of Iron Shirt Qigong, Master Iain is a mine of information but retains a very practical, down-to-earth, and realistic approach. Most people who meet him are struck by his air of calm, patience, and wisdom.
Craig
Craig is a very easy-going, popular teacher who can make complex movements seem easy. He is naturally very athletic and keeps up a high level of physical fitness. He has a flair for weapons training and teaches weapons classes twice a week. He is also interested in San Da (Chinese boxing). He has a deep wish to focus properly on learning and understanding the arts and likes living in the mountains and forests of Northern Thailand with its mix of cultures and ethnicities. Craig is usually present from September to April.
Kanika
Kanika has a warm personality and is very approachable. She is deeply interested in kung fu in all its aspects including philosophy, culture, and wisdom. Kanika comes from a background in Tae Kwon Do and has great flexibility. She came to the Kung Fu Retreat in 2015 and discovered that Nam Yang’s Kung Fu was her true calling in Martial arts. Aside from English, Kanika speaks Hindi and Bengali.
A.J.
A.j. first came to the looking for help dealing with combat stress due to multiple deployments in Iraq. After participating in the Shaolin Warrior program, he found it helped me so much that joined the Instructor team and created “Project Hammer” as a way to raise money for post-9/11 Combat Veterans suffering from PTSD, anxiety, and/or depression through the Shaolin Warrior Program. A.J. is usually present at Nam Yang for a few months each year.
Veronica
Veronica was interested in the comprehensive approach to fitness and the philosophical way of life that Kung Fu represents. Once she came to Nam Yang, she instantly fell in love with the school as it exemplifies these concepts. She enjoyed Nam Yang's dedication to its members so much that she decided to join the instructor team. Veronica is usually present at Nam Yang for a few months at the beginning and end of the year.
Ophir
Ophir found Nam Yang looking for personal recovery, injury management, and healing. He found our training and stretching routines aided him in this direction and found more than what he was looking for regarding personal development. Eager to make his life better and aid those around him, he joined our instructor team seeing that it would do just this! Ophir is usually present at Nam Yang 4-6 months a year. He also assists with the Children's Classes.
Location
This Kung Fu training course will take place in Nam Yang Mountain Retreat, located in the foothills of the mountains overlooking the Pai river valley in the northern part of Mae Hong Son, Thailand’s remote North Western province. Mae Hong Son translates as ‘the land of mist’. It is dominated by fairly high, forested mountains and is sparsely inhabited, mainly by Thailand’s famous hill tribes.
The mountain retreat is designed to be the ultimate martial arts training and meditation venue. It is set on 2.1 acres of land on the side of a mountain spur, bordering the jungle and maintaining awesome views across the Pai river valley to mountains which rise steadily to the Himalayas.
The training facilities include two octagonal training areas: an open area 18 by 18 meters and a roofed area 13 by 13 meters with two centimeters thick mats throughout. There is also a training circuit with poles, a tyre dummy, punch bags, and parallel bars. Additional facilities include a prayer house, which may be used for meditation or prayer, an office, and a huge statue of Tat Moh (Boddhidharma), the Shaolin founder.
The mountain retreat provides fantastic photo and video opportunities, with constantly changing views according to the season. It is also sheltered behind a mountain ridge so that no built up areas are within view - only farms, small villages, and forested mountains - but is in fact only five minute ride from the lively town of Pai with its multitude of restaurants, bars, cafes, etc. so you really do get the best of both worlds!
The mountain retreat is designed to give a complete experience, providing the best training, food, fun, air, medicine, views and rest. This way, you get the best experience and the best results. You can expect to leave the Nam Yang Mountain Retreat feeling healthier, stronger, and more alert than when you arrived.
Thailand and Pai
Thailand is a great country. It is one of the most popular destinations for international travelers. If you are going to stay somewhere, why not stay somewhere really nice? It is close enough to Singapore that the top masters can travel easily.
The north of Thailand has some of the very best chi in the world. It flows down from the Himalayas. This makes for a perfect place to practice chi kung and seriously boosts health and vitality. This was the primary reason for choosing the location of Nam Yang.
The Pai Valley is an area of incredible natural beauty. High in the mountains, it epitomizes the Kung Fu dream of training in pure, fresh air with awesome views well away from the distractions of modern life and the pollution of modern cities.
Distances
- Pai Town - 5 minutes
Features
Activities
- Gym
- Mountain walking
General
- Dining area
- Garden
- Kitchen
- Terrace
Services
- Internet access
- Mosquito net
Food
Quality food is essential for martial artists in hard training. Nam Yang Kung Fu Retreat has their own kitchen garden, herb garden, and fruit trees. They are fully self-sufficient for rice and papaya and largely self-sufficient for vegetables. Nam Yang also produces a fair amount of fruit, according to season.
What Nam Yang doesn’t grow themselves, they choose carefully. They prepare local style food but use selected medicinal herbs to improve its value. The diet is calculated to best support the Kung Fu training.
Food prepared on site is as fresh, organic, and healthy as possible and is usually delicious local Thai or Shan style, or sometimes Chinese or southern Thai style. Meals start with one or two types of fruit and possibly some salad.
Typically, there will be two main dishes with rice. Most dishes are vegetarian but some meat and fish are also served. There will always be at least one vegetarian dish with each meal. Nam Yang also tries their best to cater for specialist diets.
Nam Yang supplies breakfast daily and evening meals on training days. Drinking water is supplied free with meals and is available from the kitchen free of charge at any time for resident students.
The instructors eat in the dining area, together with the students, which is testimony to the quality of the food and helps provide a good ethos for the school. Meal times are therefore ideal for discussing Kung Fu and asking questions.
Almost any style of food can be purchased in Pai (Italian, Western, Middle Eastern, Chinese, Indian, etc). The local diet is based mainly around rice, meat, fresh-water fish, vegetables, fruit, and spices. However, seafood is relatively expensive in the mountains. Local fruit and vegetables are great, fresh, and very cheap.
The following meals are included:
- Breakfast
- Dinner
- Drinks
The following dietary requirement(s) are served and/or catered for:
- Regular (typically includes meat and fish)
If you have special dietary requirements it's a good idea to communicate it to the organiser when making a reservation
Things to do (optional)
During the off days, you could explore Pai Town around and about. Pai acts as a hub for activities and excursions, for example trekking (usually with overnight stay at a hill tribe village), elephant riding, caving, ox cart riding, rafting, off road driving or motorcycling and visiting waterfalls, temples, hill tribes, and many more.
What's included
- 4 nights accommodation
- Breakfast and dinner
- Drinking water and teas made with beneficial herbs
- Training three times a day
- Use of all facilities, including gym and training areas when not being used for teaching
What's not included
- Airfare
- Goods purchased
- Insurance
- Kung Fu gradings
- Lunch
- Personal expenses
- Private tuition
- Transportation to the retreat center
How to get there
Recommended Airports
CNX
Chiang Mai International Airport
88 km
Transfer available for additional US$ 131 per person
Driving Directions from Pai to the Retreat
Head out of town towards the airport / Mae Hong Son.
On the far side of the airport turn right, parallel to the runway.
We are the first turn on the left, about 400m down the road, on a sharp right hand bend. We have a prominent sign. A little way before our sign is a flashing orange sign signalling sharp bend / left hand turn.
If Arriving to Thailand by Airplane
The best way to get to Nam Yang Kung Fu Retreat is to fly to Bangkok or to Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai is much nearer to the Kung Fu Retreat but Bangkok has more flights and is usually cheaper. There is an abundance of hotels, guest houses etc in Bangkok to suit all budgets, should you need to arrange an overnight stay.
If you are on a budget to get to Chiang Mai, we suggest flying to Bangkok and taking a train to Chiang Mai or a bus. Please be aware that trains in Thailand often run very late. The trains are very comfortable and afford great views of the Thai countryside. If you are on a very tight budget, you can go to Kao San Road in Bangkok and get an overnight coach for about 300 Baht or so. This is the least comfortable way to travel. We recommend the flight, especially if you have not spent much time in Thailand before.
Once you are in Chiang Mai, you will need to get to Pai.
You have a choice between taking a minibus, taxi or flight.
Minibus: The minibus trip from Chiang Mai is about 150 Baht and has awesome views. It takes about three and a half hours, most of which is spent on amazing winding roads through mountains the like of which you have probably never seen before. The views are breathtaking and the journey is an adventure in itself so we recommend that you travel during daylight. We suggest taking a minibus with the provider Prempracha Transport. To get there from the airport, simply take a taxi with a meter or a Tuk Tuk to Chiang Mai Arcade Bus Station. It should take 15 – 30 minutes depending on traffic and cost very little.
You can book your seat in advanced online and pick up your bus ticket once you arrive to the Bus Station. Once you arrive, if you didn’t book your seat in advanced, you will need to book on to the next available minibus.
Minibuses run between about 6.30 am and 5.30pm. If you arrive in Chiang Mai later than about 3.30pm you are likely to need to either stay overnight in Chiang Mai or get a taxi to the Kung Fu Retreat. If staying overnight, which is the cheapest option, we recommend that you still go to the Prempracha office when you arrive and book on to a minibus for the next day. Then look for a guesthouse. You should be able to get a nice room near the centre of Chiang Mai with fan for 400 – 500 Baht. If in doubt try looking on tripadvisor.
Taxi: We can arrange for a taxi from Pai to come to the airport to meet you. Alternatively you could speak with drivers in the taxi rank outside the airport. Recently taxis have been charging about 4,200 Baht for the trip. This does vary and will likely be higher if late at night or in December / January. If we arrange a taxi for you we will need to pay in advance so please do not pay the driver otherwise he will think that he has just got the best tip of his life and likely take a week off! If you do want to give a tip, 100 – 250 Baht would be about right.
Flight: Wisdom Airlines has recently started providing flights from Chiang Mai to Pai for 1790 Baht per flight for 1 person. Currently, you can book tickets in person, online, through a booking agency or by phone. We suggest doing this in person or through a booking agency though as sometimes the website does not always work. Wisdom Airlines is the only carrier that flies from Chiang Mai to Pai.
Airport: Chiang Mai International Airport
Airport transfer available:
Chiang Mai International Airport (US$ 131 per person)
Additional charges may apply. You can request this in the next step.
Cancellation Policy
- A reservation requires a deposit of 14% of the total price.
- The deposit is non-refundable, if the booking is cancelled.
- The rest of the payment should be paid 30 days before arrival.
For this organizer you can guarantee your booking through Tripaneer.com. All major credit cards supported.
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