My guest on the podcast this week is Bernard Kwan. Bernard hails from Malaysia and attended school and university in the UK before returning to Asia. He currently lives in Hong Kong. Bernard teaches Mind and Body principles that help realign the body and awaken the power of insight. We go into detail in the podcast.
He offers classes in Qigong, Tai Chi, Baguazhang and gives regular talks on various topics including but not exclusively, Chinese Culture, Philiosophy, Martial arts and Eastern approaches to Health and Cultivation. Bernard takes eastern teachings and re-interprets them for a modern audience, helping his students to strengthen their bodies and spirit. Bernard goes into detail in the podcast.
Timings
3:17 I'm actually Malaysian... I went to study for boarding school and university in the UK...
4:00 I did my undergrad at Oxford in Politics, Philosophy and Economics... I've been passionate about Philosophy, Western Philosophy and Eastern Philosophy...
5:24 My time in Taiwan... instrumental in bring me into contact with the more Chinese traditions...
6:53 I was also an avid martial arts enthusiast...there is something that's not explicable by science...
8:18 There are different conceptions of what "The Good Life Is"...
9:35 I really try and bring some of the things I've learned to spread it to the wider community
9:50 Qi Gong, martial arts... but also like tea... meditation, calligraphy, flower arranging ...
10:40 Working with many students with health problems...keep their bodies young and spry...
11:47 As we get older the body takes some punishment...stress...
14:00 What I teach is how to move energy around the body through breath and movement...gentle circular movements...
16:49 I do a series of different practices...Tai Chi can take care of a lot of basic things with the body...
19:25[Meditation] I have teachers in several lineages... I practice Taoist Alchemy...
21:44 Chinese Arts is a little bit like a spiral...
23:10 One becomes more sensitive and are of ones surroundings...
24:40 The Chinese over many centuries have refined the concept of "The Good Life"
27:18 People should be a little bit open new things...more traditional modalities...be a little bit patient...
29:20 When I was young I was searching for the big"Meaning of Life"...
30:42 A student story...
34:40 The western approach is very silo like...the Chinese approach ...a holistic approach...
36:44 Recently I have taken up flower arranging... Incense, tea and flower arranging ...I'm a custodian...
38:34 I practice at least three hours a day...in the morning...in the evening...
40:43 The morning energy is very powerful ...the yang energy...the evening energy is more meditative...
42:04 The whole concept of flow is very Daoist...it takes self discipline...
43:50 My current passionate the Chinese Arts...
45:09 Books: see below.
46:47 Some of the setbacks I've had have been some major injuries...they gave me the opportunity to pause...
Favourite Quote: This too shall pass
Books
Tao De Jing
Yi Jing
Dream of the Red Mansions
Contact Bernard
https://www.chi.academy
IG: chi.academy
bernard@chi.academy
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