Autumn Qigong Routine

Posted on 16/03/202016/03/2020 by admin — 1 Comment

15th March 2020 News & Updates

We will discuss the impact of the coronavirus on our school, and gyms in general, and what precautions should be taken to maintain your health. Our class times and prices have been updated. The launch of our Spring Qigong Routine is expected any day now and you can read an inspiring interview with one of our students in our latest Student Spotlight article

COVID-19: Is it safe to attend my kung fu classes?

We are not experts on infectious diseases by any stretch of the imagination, however, due to the warnings from health officials we have sought advice on what precautions we should be taking to ensure the safety of our students and their loved ones.

If you have been infected by the novel coronavirus or have symptoms of COVID-19, you should stay at home unless directed otherwise. If you don’t have any symptoms and have no reason to believe that you have been exposed to it, then there is currently no need to lock yourself in your home.

The recent advice from health officials is to practice “social distancing,” to reduce the spread of the virus from one person to another. This is achieved by staying about 6 feet away from each other, avoiding large gatherings, and working from home (as far as is practicable).

Attending our classes in Inverness is a great way to escape the anxiety and stress of everyday living for many of our students. There have only been a few cases of the virus in the Highlands (at this point) so the threat is relatively low.

According to current advice, perspiration alone cannot transmit COVID-19. It is estimated, however, that the coronavirus can live on metal, glass and plastic surfaces for up to nine days. In an effort to reduce the risks we will be cleaning and disinfecting mats and equipment before and after use. Where possible, students are asked to bring their own equipment which they might need for any of the classes.

“Where possible and safe to do so, we will remain open as usual. We ask that all our students attend as normal, where possible and safe to do so.”

If any of our students are unsure or require further information, please phone or email in advance. In the event that we must close our doors, we will post announcements on our website and social media channels. We will also look into the possibility of introducing teaching classes online, if the closure is for a sustained period.

In October last year we published our first seasonal Qigong routine titled “Autumn Qigong Routine to Boost Immunity.” Qigong can be a gentle, yet effective, way to boost your body’s natural ability to fight off disease and infections. Despite the fact that it is no longer Autumn for us here in Scotland, our Autumn Qigong Routine still remains a fantastic way to boost the immune system. This will give your body the best possible chance of fighting the virus quickly and efficiently, so you will be back on your feet sooner than you might think. Why not give it a try and see what you think.

Spring Qigong Routine

Spring has sprung, here in Scotland. Snow drops, crocuses, daffodils and cherry blossom have all begun to bloom everywhere. Temperatures are very slowly rising and the days are beginning to stretch longer. We are working on our Spring Qigong Routine and hope to deliver this very shortly. We aim to balance the body’s systems with focused, deliberate, slow exercises and rhythmic, deep, diaphragmatic breathing. To be sent our routine, completely free of charge, into your inbox, simply send us your name and email address in the form below:

Updated Prices & Times

You may have noticed that our timetable has been adjusted to include or Qigong classes on Thursday evenings at 6.15PM. Our classes in Forres have also been running for a few weeks on Friday evenings. We have updated our prices too, making it more affordable to attend our public classes along with our private tuition once a week.

We also have private tuition spaces available all day on Monday and Wednesday this week. It is actually really easy to book these by choosing a space on the following calendar and entering your details. You will be redirected to PayPal where you can pay securely for your session. All you need to do after that is turn up on the day, ready for action!

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Hire Our School

If you have thought about running your own martial arts, yoga, meditation or exercise class but you’re put off by the high charges for renting space out, we have a great solution. Our Academy has a fantastic central location in Inverness. It is available throughout the day Sunday to Saturday. We also have Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday nights available for you to run your classes. If you wish, we can even designate space for your marketing and help get the word out on our social media platforms. It only costs £12 to rent out our school for an hour. If you need more time, speak to us about what you need and we can come up with a fair arrangement. As always, you can email us directly or read more about what we can offer you in this article: Space Available

Student Spotlight

Our latest Student Spotlight article focuses on Emma Archer. Due to Emma’s work commitments Emma is often working away. This doesn’t stall her unwavering commitment to practicing the art of Hung Kuen. Far from it in fact. Emma is so dedicated to learning that she trains at multiple branches of Yee’s Hung Ga whilst travelling. Find out more about her inspiring story here: Student Spotlight: Emma Archer

As mentioned earlier, our Spring Qigong Routine will be launched very soon. Please make sure that you have signed up to our email alerts for this. Any further information about the coronavirus or school closures as a result of the pandemic will be announced via our website and social media channels, so please make sure that you check regularly, or sign up to our email alerts below…

Posted on 24/11/2019 by admin

24th Nov News & Updates

This week we’re preparing for a few future articles and events. We have some exciting workshops, Chinese new year and a Winter Qigong Routine all in the pipeline for students and the general public to take part in. We have extended our sale on the Fu-kit section of our website to include all t-shirts and now all accessories, including tea paraphernalia, beanies & hat, mugs, beanbag chairs and our famous dit da jow is now almost half price. There are also updates to our private tuition & class schedule for the week ahead.

Hung Sale Extended Further

Our Hung sale is extended to include all accessories

Our t-shirt sale has been extended even further. We’ve added all our accessories, including all beanies, hats, mugs & beanbag chairs. Even all our tea paraphernalia and famous dit da jow is included. You can browse all sale items on the Fu-kit section of our website. We can ship worldwide, making ideal gift ideas for kung fu martial artists, wherever they might be, at amazing prices!

Chinese New Year

Our dragon makes an appearance at Belladrum

One of the biggest events in the Chinese calendar is the Spring Festival, commonly known as Chinese new year. It is the longest holiday of the year. The national holiday begins on the first of the Lunar Calendar and lasts until the 15th of the first month. In 2020, the Spring Festival begins on January 25th and ends February 8th. All stores are closed during the first five days, with some not opening until the very end. Throughout the festival there are specific activities and traditions for each day which vary between regions. We’ll update you on some of these traditions as we get closer to the dates. The main day is on January 25th, which is the 1st day of the lunar calendar. It is a day for greetings and blessings. A day spent celebrating. There is an ancient Chinese practice where the weather, stars and moon are analyzed to predict the fortunes of the year. It is called zhàn suì (占岁). On this day it is forbidden to sweep or clean. It is symbolic of sweeping away the good fortune that the new year has brought in. Similarly, when the lion dancers ‘eat the green’, the leaves of the lettuce are strewn by the lion’s mouth, spreading good fortune. It is seen to be especially auspicious if the leaves land on you. Sweeping the leaves away, is seen to be sweeping away the good luck, so one must pick the leaves up carefully to dispose of them. To find out more about our plans for the 2020 Spring Festival or to book a lion dance for yourself or place of work, you can follow our special Facebook page: Yee’s North of Scotland Lion & Dragon Dance Team. Or you can email us directly for information.

Our Autumn Qigong Routine is still available for you to try out and practice. Just follow the link and give it a go. Don’t forget to let us know what you thought. We are in the process of developing a Winter routine for you to practice too. This will further develop the theory from our Autumn Qigong Routine. If there is anything specific that you would like us to cover, just let us know, send us an email or message us on our social media channels.

Classes

Private 1-1 tuition this week is available all day on Monday the 25th. We also have some evening slots available too. Just check the following calendar for available times on specific days.

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Our public classes will be running regularly, right up until Christmas. If you are looking to join our classes, or just want to see what it’s like to train at Yee’s, you don’t need to be super fit or have loads of energy and stamina. These are some of the benefits that you gain from training. If you fancy joining us, it’s really easy and your first class won’t cost you a penny! Have a read of our How Do I Join? article. If you are thinking of joining but still not sure and would like to motivate yourself to make it off the couch, have a look at our Motivation Hints and Tips article. Whatever your reason for training, whether it’s to learn how to defend yourself; gain confidence; get fit and healthy; to get out of the house more and meet new people or you would like to learn something new, anytime is a good time to start. Right now is a great time to start though. The sooner you start, the sooner you receive the benefits.

Coming Soon….

We have a few plans that we are working on at the moment. As mentioned earlier, we have over 2 weeks of preparations for Chinese new year to get ready. We also have some exciting workshops and a brand new Winter Qigong Routine that we are also preparing for. To avoid missing out on details of these exciting opportunities, make sure you enter your email below. If you would like to register your interest in any of these workshops, please email us directly.

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Posted on 17/11/2019 by admin

17th Nov News & Updates

After our gradings and seminars last week in Peterhead, it’s back to the grindstone. Practicing, preparing and sharpening those skills. We are hoping to conduct future gradings again, next year in the Spring. Students who have reached the necessary standard can attempt to take on the challenge then. In the meantime, training resumes. We have a lot to prepare for too, with the festive season and Chinese new year just around the corner.

Chinese New Year 2020

Our lion dance team at Belladrum music festival.

The Chinese New Year of 2020 falls on January 25th (Saturday), and the festival will last to February 8th, about 15 days in total. 2020 will be the Year of the Rat according to the Chinese zodiac. The Rat is the first of all the zodiac animals and represents the beginning of a new day. In Chinese culture, rats are seen as a sign of wealth and surplus. Because of their reproduction rate, married couples also prayed to them for children. People born in the Rat years are likable, charismatic and energetic.

In China, you’ll hear it being called chunjie (春节), or the Spring Festival. It can still be very wintry, but the holiday marks the end of the coldest days. People welcome spring and what comes with it: planting and harvests, new beginnings and fresh starts.

At Yee’s Hung Ga, we celebrate with lion dance parades and martial arts displays. Yee’s displays in New York Chinatown are world renowned. Here, in Scotland, our displays gain ever increasing popularity and media coverage. We travel all over the north, performing at galas, highland games, weddings, festivals, special occasions and events. Chinese new year is a big deal for kung fu schools the world over. It is a chance to demonstrate the skills of the students and promote the school, raising awareness and interest. It is a great honour for kung fu students to be involved in these celebrations. It shows a high level of commitment to the school and also that their skills are worthy of such demonstrations.

Make sure you sign up for our email updates below to find out more about our plans over these festivities. If you wish to get involved or would like us to perform for you or your business, you can contact us through our social media channels or email us directly.

Hung T-shirt Sale Extended

Our ‘Furious Five’ t-shirt sale has been extended to now included all our t-shirts. This includes our embroidered polo shirts, now down to only £12.99, and all-over print t-shirts, such as our ‘Tiger Stripe All Over Print T-shirt,’ now only £21.99 or our ‘Ladies All Over Leopard Print Crop Tee,’ down to just £17.99.

You can also find our new kids uniform t-shirts and new adult uniform shirts on the Fu-kit section of our website under the uniform menu. They can also be purchased, in the school, from Sifu Hepple.

Autumn Qigong Routine

Our Autumn Qigong Routine has had a great response from people of all ages and backgrounds. It is a gentle, low impact, form of exercise which has a huge impact on physical and mental health & wellbeing. It is easy to follow and shouldn’t take too long to complete. Best of all, it’s completely free and won’t cost you a single penny. You don’t have to subscribe or give away any personal details. There’s a description of the exercises, a YouTube video to follow along to and a detailed description of the main benefits and theory behind the exercises. The background knowledge and theory is a great way for interested beginners to find out more about qigong and its benefits. It should also be an interesting read for more advanced practitioners who are looking to further their studies and personal development with qigong. We would like to introduce more of these practical guides and would love to hear your input. If there’s anything in particular that you are interested in or would like to find out more about, we would be delighted to hear your thoughts. You can message us on our social media sites or email us directly.

Classes

If you are interested in learning more about qigong or kung fu, or would like to get fit and healthy, perhaps drop a dress size before the christmas party, why not book a private tuition timeslot that suits your own schedule. You can book on the schedule planner below or on our homepage, Facebook or Instagram pages. This week we have availability all day on Monday 18th & 19th of November, as well as in the evenings on the other available days. Just check the calendar for specific times on certain days. Private tuition is a fantastic way to improve on your qigong & kung fu practice; whether it is learning new form, theory, meditation or a mix of everything. Whatever your goals, we can arrange a training plan to suit you.

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Forthcoming seminars & Workshops

We are planning to host two practical seminar workshops at Yee’s Hung Ga in Inverness. These will be open to the public as well as Yee’s students. If there is enough interest, we may also host a Winter Qigong Routine Workshop. This will be similar to our Autumn qigong routine but specific for the winter season and the theory which goes along with it. The two planned workshops should take place before the festive period and they will be an exciting opportunity to learn the theory and practical application of the five elements. One workshop will be based on qigong and the other on kung fu applications. To avoid missing out on details of these exciting opportunities, make sure you enter your email below. If you would like to register your interest in any of these workshops, please email us directly.

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Posted on 10/11/2019 by admin

10th Nov News & Updates

It has been a bumper week this week at YHGInverness. We have had students gradings in Peterhead with Sifu Pedro Cepero Yee. He also conducted some amazing seminars for junior and senior students. Our ‘Furious Five’ t-shirt sale continues. We have updated info for private tuition and public classes this week. Chinese New Year draws closer, it will soon be time to dust off our lions. There are uniform updates for our kids t-shirts and adult shirts.

Sifu Pedro Cepero Yee (seated in the middle) surrounded by sifus from the three Northern branches (in black) and students being tested (in yellow)

Gradings & seminars in Peterhead

On the 5th of November, students from three of our North of Scotland branches congregated in Peterhead for gradings and seminars. Yee’s Hung Ga is an international association with branches all over the world. Inverness is one of three across the North of Scotland, along with Ellon and Peterhead. The Northern schools often collaborate together. We join forces for displays such as Belladrum and Chinese New Year, as well as fund raising events and also for gradings and seminars.

Our students train for a long time to prepare for their gradings. It can take a year or longer to achieve the standard necessary for the first grading. At Yee’s Hung Ga, we pride ourselves in the fact that we have a high standard set for the different levels within our system. Students need to train consistently with focus, passion and determination to succeed. For each grading every student is tested individually on form, knowledge, technical ability and foundation & endurance.

The form is a pattern, or routine, of fighting applications. It consists of various stances and methods to train the body and mind for combat. It creates awareness of surroundings, co-ordination, develops speed and different power applications, breath control, accuracy, endurance and confidence. It is the basic building blocks that we use to train ourselves with. Each student is asked to demonstrate the form for their level and is judged by a panel on how well it has been executed.

Knowledge is assessed by asking the students questions on the fighting applications contained within the forms. This can be tricky as there is often more than one application for any particular section within the form. Students are also asked question about philosophy, the history and development of the forms and the Hung Ga system, language, different ways to generate power and the students own personal development through their training. If the student is grading on one of the many weapons of the Hung Ga system, they are also asked about the weapon itself, its uses and limitations.

To understand how each student can use the knowledge and physical applications that they have learned practically, they are paired off with another student of the same level. They are then asked to spar with each other, using techniques of their level and ability. This is to gauge how well the students have grasped the basic principles, applications and concepts of their level.

The foundation and endurance of the students are really put to the test during the last part of the grading procedure. All students are asked to perform the basic stance, ‘sai ping dai ma,’ or ‘four point great stance.’ This stance is sometimes known as, ‘ma bu,’ or ‘horse stance.’ The length of time required to sit in this stance depends on the level the student is grading at. Jo Gow gradings, or our equivalent of black belt, can be half an hour or more. The stance can be difficult to master and the students must really focus to regulate their breathing. They must use their mind to overcome the physical limitations of the body, elevating the spirit above what is perceived as possible. This can only be done with regular and consistent practice. A break in practice, due to injury or personal circumstances, could set a student off course for years. We will discuss the ‘Horse stance’ in a future article and you can test your own endurance and stamina.

As we also have a pre-testing stage, it makes it a little easier on our students nerves when gradings come around. All our students did very well at handling their nerves though and this was reflected in their results.

Nerves of steel! Our students line up, ready for grading.

Sifu Pedro Cepero Yee also conducted two seminars whilst he was visiting. One for junior and senior students and another for senior students only. The junior seminar explored the devastating elbow techniques of the Hung Ga System. The applications learned in this seminar utilised ‘inch power,’ to generate a lot of power in a small space and concentrated at the point of the elbow. This can be very explosive. It can cause serious injuries or knockout. These techniques are only shown to loyal students who have demonstrated the restraint necessary to use them if a life threatening situation arises and not to abuse the knowledge frivolously. The senior seminar was to review key points on Grand Master Tang Fong’s famous form ‘Ngauh Gwat Sin’ or ‘The Beef Bone Fan.’ This form was created by our Great Grandmaster Tang Fong. It utilizes close range concealed techniques, locks, and pressure point strikes to disable an opponent. There are many practical applications for this unique weapon.