The secret of relaxation
Mountains have something healing, say the Buddhists, because they are infinitely greater than us. And the encounter with monks also has something healing - especially when you meet them in the middle of mountains. Every summer, the Tyrolean Posthotel in Achenkirch invites two monks of the famous Chinese Shaolin Temple to give their guests an insight into their philosophy of life. They meditate daily with those seeking relaxation, introduce qigong and tai-chi into the movement teachings, and energize tense bodies with massages and dazzle with their spectacular kung-fu martial arts. The whole thing in the cozy country-house atmosphere of the house, with a 5000 square meter spa landscape and organic meals. Asia in the Alps - that can easily end in kitsch, but does not do it here. On the contrary. The spirituality emanating from the monks reconciles body and soul.
The secret of serene balance: meditation
In the early morning hours I enter the meditation room - and something starts. Another rhythm. A pleasant feeling of slowing down. A young Buddhist monk in a bright orange robe sits on a thin bast mat in front of me on the floor, straight ahead and with clear eyes. A few other guests are already gathered around him. After sitting across from him and crossing his legs, he gives concise instructions in Chinese, which the marginal interpreter translates to us: eyes closed for the next 30 minutes, back straight, breathing and no thoughts held. But uninvited, they keep pushing between me and the desired silence in my body. Until I finally manage to focus only on my breath. I draw all my attention inside. Now I feel how the exhalation escapes tension and how with each inhalation more serenity spreads in me. And indeed, for a brief moment, an absolute emptiness sets in.
Euphoric and refreshed from head to toe, I leave the room. Regular meditation leads to fundamental changes in the brain, American neuropsychologists recently found in a large study with Tibetan monks. The activity in the left frontal brain is therefore much higher than in non-meditators. And it is precisely this area of the brain that holds bad emotions in check, providing the serene balance that characterizes so many Buddhists. Result: Happiness is a skill that can be learned like playing a musical instrument, and those who practice are getting better at it. Wonderful, I think. My brain half will not have changed after three morning meditations, but I notice: The perceived silence is addictive.
The secret of agility and harmony: Qigong
I am also looking forward to the afternoon qigong hours every day. Qigong is a gentle kind of concentrated movement designed to stimulate and strengthen the harmony between body and mind. This is - according to Zen Buddhism - the prerequisite for a long and healthy life, for out of this harmony springs the life force. We learn basic exercises that look easy but are hard to copy. Again and again, the instructive monk Shi Yantao makes the exercises without talking, nothing disturbs the concentration, which transfers more and more from minute to minute, until our movements eventually become more fluent and harmonious. And we are slowly getting closer to the goal: a reassurance, order and animation of the Qi River, ie the flow of energy. Of course, Chinese researchers have long since proven that regular exercise actually has a very positive effect on the vitality of the lungs, blood pressure and the immune system, and that stress is sustainably reduced.
The secret of mental strength: kung-fu
We have practiced a lot and meditated, now comes the moment of wonderment. In the evenings, the monks give an impressive performance of their spectacular kung-fu combat technique, which not only jumps high and wide from a standing position, but also hits steel tubes against collarbones and skulls with full force without injuring them. Only with a strong mind you can control your body - this knowledge is the basis for the kung fu training that the Shaolin monks do several times a day. The whole Qi is steered at the Kung-Fu to the point where the blow is expected - and "catches" this. Hard to believe and to practice for quite a long time, I think.
The secret of fresh energy: the Shaolin massages
The week is just half past time, and I'm totally relaxed. And curious what the Shaolin massage can do. In the massage room. Only a lounger and a white cotton cloth, with which one is covered.The massage is also about the Qi, which should flow through the meridians as unhindered as possible. Blockages of qi, ie the energy, often lead to muscle stiffness, ie tension, as in my neck and shoulders. 24-year-old kung fu master Shi Yansheng stands at the head of the massage table and I hear him rub his palms together, feel him laying them on my face. This is repeated two or three times, until a pleasant-warm feeling spreads from the head over the rest of my body in big slow waves.
Just before I go away, however, another rhythm begins: How drum rolls suddenly move his hands (or are they sticks?) Over my head, fingertips knead my nasal walls, hand edges roll over the eyebrows, knuckle hammer on forehead and back of the head. Over time, I feel only a complex stroking, pressing and pressing, accompanied by snapping and crackling noises, and miraculously, after my head floats on the neck, the ribcage is widened and the shoulders are movable as in months. Finally, two hands rest warm and comforting on my shoulders - and I feel incredibly light, like a bird.
By the pressure of the hands and the swift finger movements, so many capillaries and blood vessels have widened, that directly large amounts of oxygen flow through me and vitalise the whole organism, explains to me afterwards. Hu Ji, the hotel's TCM doctor. And because the technique affects deep muscle layers, it also increases muscle metabolism, and I can clearly feel how energetic I am.
Serenity: for 24 hours
My days almost always follow the same pattern - nothing exciting. And yet, this stay is something special. It must be up to the monks. Alone watching them relaxed and energized at the same time. Perhaps because they move without haste, but at the same time as purposefully, as if at any moment they know what they are going to do next. Perhaps because they embody something so different from ourselves: How can they be so balanced when they forgo so much - family, individuality, the freedom to go where you want? Or is there a voluntary renunciation of what everyone believes they must have, clarity and freedom? After a week you get an idea of the harmony between mind and body, the inside and outside. And the life force that is in us. After my last hour of qigong I let my gaze wander over the alpine panorama again and think like Virginia Woolf once in a happy moment: "Live, stand still here."
Three Self-Treatment Tips for "Maintaining a Long Life"
abdominal massage This massage strengthens the Qi and ensures balance. Here's how it works: lay flat on your back, place hands on top of each other on the navel and rub circular around the navel until it is comfortably warm and your stomach is pleasantly stimulated (takes about three minutes). Then knead and press the Dantian point (just under a hand's breadth below the navel) with three fingers together for two to three minutes. Then perform the same massage a hand's breadth to the left of the navel and a hand's breadth below the end of the sternum. Finish with the entire palm of your hand with light pressure over the navel.
Third hamlet on the river Acupuncture point, provides new strength and recovery. How to find it: bend the knees, place four fingers on the lower edge of the kneecap and from here move one thumb width outwards. Press this point with two fingers 50 times on each leg with medium pressure and knead.
The bubbling spring Acupuncture point, strengthens the constitution, eliminates inner restlessness. This is how it is found: It lies between the two front pads of the foot in a depression, approximately between the first and second thirds of the sole (excluding toes). Rub the dot with your thumb gently 50 times per side.
Three basic QiGong exercises
Stand like a tree Not only does this exercise provide an optimal qi flow, it also provides a serene, alert posture that says, "Nobody can knock me over." That's how it's done: Place your hands one scarcely under the belly button. Here lies the so-called Dantian point, the center of the body, breathing and energy. Feet shoulder width, knees slightly bent, back straight, head upright. Imagine that the spine is extended by a kind of crocodile tail, which supports you on the ground, and at the same time a cord connects the crown of the head and the neck. Stay that way for several minutes and keep your attention on the Dantian point.
The big ball The slow upward movements of this exercise, among other things, the breathing is harmonized. This calms the heart and regulates the circulation. That's how it's done: Feet shoulder-width, let your arms hang loose, then clasp your fingers in front of your stomach, as if you were holding a big ball.Raise your arms as if you're rolling the ball around with them until your hands are at eye level. From here, with your arms still open and your hands crossed, push the imaginary ball slowly down until it's buried in the ground. Repeat the circular movement, pushing out the folded hands and this time end up high above the head. Release the entanglement and slowly return the arms sideways, breathe in and out deeply, and repeat the exercise four more times.
archery This exercise builds tension that strengthens Qi and energizes the body. That's how it's done: Feet together, then put left foot aside and slightly kneel. Open the arms sideways and breathe deeply. Clench your fists and cross your arms over your chest with your left hand inside. Then extend the left arm to the left, forming a V from your thumb and forefinger so that you could drop an arrow in between. The head follows the movement of the left hand. The right arm pulls to the right, as if he is tensing the bowstring. Take a deep breath. Open both arms again, turn back to center, inhale and repeat to the other side. A total of three times to each side. Then put feet together again, fold hands in front of the chest and slowly lead down to the Dantian.
Shaolin
The monastery, the most important Buddhist center of faith in China, was founded in 495 AD by an Indian monk and was the "birthplace" of Zen Buddhism. Among other things, the teaching is based on four clear instructions:
1) Train the mindfulness for your own body and mind. 2) Let the vital Qi flow unhindered through appropriate exercises in the body. 3) Pick up possible blockages and diseases through acupressure and optimally also cure. 4) Master the body through a strong mind.
Even today, the Shaolin monks living in the monastery are largely untouched by modern, secular life, rather, they seek to continue the tradition of their predecessors with meditation and worship, qigong and kung fu.
The place of rest
Posthotel Achenkirch Double room with full board incl. Free use of the 5000 sqm swimming and spa world with various saunas, steam baths, aroma grottos, brine pools, indoor and outdoor pools, gym and sports courses etc.
From 139 euros per person. The monks are expected to be in the hotel until mid-September 2006. Meditation, qigong and tai-chi lessons are free, a shaolin massage costs from 62 euros.
6215 Achenkirch / Tyrol in Austria Tel. 0043/5246/6522 www.posthotel.at
