Who does not know the proverb: “In a healthy body dwells a healthy mind”. Or “Prevention is better than cure”. As long as one feels physically healthy, oneself is only slightly bothered or it applies especially to others. For me, it was a health shot across the bow that forced me a few years ago to deal with the real causes of my physical suffering.

This is how the contact to the teacher Richard Kleinert came about, because he was still working as a naturopath at that time. Richard invited me to participate directly in the training camp over Whitsun 2014. He thought that this kind of Kung Fu (Zi Ran Wu Yi Kung Fu school) would be good for me. My mind told me: “You are too immobile, too unathletic. This is not for you.” My gut told me, “There is something you should definitely try.” There was some positive energy in the air.

Luckily I followed my gut feeling at that time. Above all I feel a great gratitude to the teacher and my fellow students. You will find out the reasons for this in a moment.

I enjoy attending the two weekly training sessions. Even if I feel tired or groggy at times, one thing is certain: after the training I am full of energy.
During the training I learn what Zi Ran really means. Away from the artificial, constructed self, built on the past – and therefore extremely vulnerable and weak – to a natural self. Through the presence of body and mind, comparing and evaluating things is more and more eliminated. Presence directly dissolves the games of the mind (“I am worse than the other” or “I am better than the other”). When I am with myself, I can move naturally, spontaneously and correctly. Natural movements are not the work of the mind, because it cannot feel. The heart, the presence, however, feels the right movement and when I let the body do it, it carries it out. It is about letting the already existing divine intelligence work in the body. I only rarely succeed in this, because the mind still often turns itself on. But it is possible! Presence in the heart also enables me to feel my body and its movements better. I learn to perceive which (fine) muscles are tense and which are relaxed. So the more I learn to get rid of old patterns and programming, the more Zi Ran comes to the fore – the natural self.
This feeling of being fully present with the mind and at the same time feeling the body and then executing a movement is pure liveliness and also effortless. Effect and precision are increased enormously this way. And the beauty is: I don’t have to do anything. On the contrary – I am allowed to let go of the useless, old things.
To be able to achieve such a high effect in combat with so little effort is really very impressive. It also motivates to continue training.

Isn’t Zi Ran also exactly what we lack in our everyday life? In any case, what I have learned helps me there, too, when I can relax more because I have to defend an artificial self less. More moments of joy and peace are the result.

All these principles are explained in detail in training and especially in training camps. In the training I learn to apply them. What is a huge gift for all of us: a teacher with a profound knowledge of life and martial arts, an endless seeming patience and empathy like I have never experienced before. To call this Kung Fu school a school of life is probably most accurate.

What I have not experienced before either is the nature of the other students. Loving people, without prejudices, but with all the more kindness of heart. These qualities allow, among other things, to relax and to perform one’s movements without constantly comparing or evaluating. An ideal learning environment.

A few more things I have learned over the years are that I am not my body. I learn to sense that I have a consciousness that truly defines me. The body is a part of it, the physically visible.
What also helps me a lot is to know how I can achieve something without applying pressure: When I feel joy in what I’m doing, that triggers enthusiasm. This is contagious, relaxed and more effective than pressure with words. Being able to feel joy in what I do is therefore true power. I also like to remember being like water – as martial arts legend Bruce Lee teaches us. Formless and powerful instead of rigid and fragile.

Zu meiner Person

• Zi Ran Wu Yi Kung Fu since 2014
• Born in 1969
• Profession: Aircraft electronics engineer

My previous martial arts experience:

About 20 years ago, I practiced karate for several years. The biggest differences to the Zi Ran Kung Fu school are for me:

• Karate lessons mainly involved copying predefined movements, whereas in Kung Fu the spontaneous, natural movement is encouraged.
• In karate we did not work with the mind, the inner world. But: the body follows the mind. That is why I am glad today that we in the Kung Fu school place such a high value on this aspect.

My philosophy

If I do something from the heart and with joy, it has power.  Energy is then always present. Because I know that energy follows attention, I regularly ask myself the question: do I know what I want? Do I act accordingly?

Cultivation practice of Falun Dafa (independent of Kung Fu)

Thanks to the fact that some people in Kung Fu practice Falun Dafa, I also got to know it. Falun Dafa is a Buddhist meditation practice for body and mind. It is based on the highest universal principles: truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. As a practitioner I integrate these principles into everyday life, as well as the 5 easy-to-learn body exercises.
There is a lot I owe to Falun Dafa. For example, I have never been sick since I started practicing. But even more important for me is that I have gained clarity about where I come from, why I am in this world and where I am going.
Thanks to Falun Dafa’s power I have also been able to let go of many bad habits (such as cursing) and have found more peace in my heart.
The fact that I have come to know and practice this cultivation path fills me with great gratitude! You can learn more about it here: “What is Falun Dafa“

Lorenz Amstutz
July 2018