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Legend has it that an Indian monk known as Bodhidharma (Ta Mo) arrived at the Shaolin Temple and sat in silent meditation in a cave for nine years in search of enlightenment. During these long years of meditation, he noticed that the lack of movement plus the bitter cold and wind fatigued his body causing aches and pain. His disciples suffered the same fate and often dozed off to sleep during meditation.

To combat these hazards Ta Mo created a set of exercises known as 18 Lohan Hands. These exercises were based on: traditional Yoga; Indian dance forms; existing fighting arts of the time; Chinese health and longevity exercises; and his observation of the natural movements of wild animals. The exercises were used by the monks to maintain their strength, fitness and ability to defend themselves against bandits and wild beasts in the area. This system became the foundation for the development of Tai Chi, Wu Chi and Pakua and the blueprint system for most of Asia’s Martial Arts.

Initially Lohan Qigong was practiced and kept within the confines of the Shaolin Temple until its sacking and destruction by fire nearly 200 years ago. One of the surviving senior monks Choy Fook (96 years) fled south to Kwangtung province. There he was sought out by Chan Heung (an already accomplished martial artist), whom Choy Fook accepted as his disciple. Chan Hueng learned the entire system of Lohan Qigong, Shaolin Kung Fu and Traditional Chinese Medicine from Choy Fook. After perfecting his skill Chan Hueng was sent down the mountain to form his own school. He named his style Choy Lee Fut in honour of his teachers Choy for Choy Fook, Lee for Lee Yau San his second teacher and Fut (Buddha) in honour of the Shaolin Temple to whom all three of his teachers including his first teacher Chan Yuen Wu had their roots.

Over the last two hundred years Lohan Qigong had become a ‘folk qigong’ which is an orally transmitted tradition within the confines of a particular family. Master Chen Yong Fa the great-great grandson of Chan Hueng and custodian of the Choy Lee Fut system has acknowledged his wish to make this live-saving treasure available to the world. As Shaolin Lohan Qigong is one of the few soft martial arts systems world wide that can trace its direct descendants back to the original founder, the system provides clear concise transmission of training knowledge and the subsequent benefits.