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My focus in practicing and teaching Wing Chun (詠春拳 Yongchun Quan), the Shaolin tendon method (少林易筋經 Shaolin Yijin Jing), the Yin Yang and Five Elements methods (陰陽五行功 Yinyang Wuxing Gong) as well as the Daoyin method (導引功 Daoyin Gong) clearly is on the internal aspects of all of these practices.

Such an internal approach to movement traditions based on Daoist philosophy cannot only enrich a movement practice, but it can also support paths for much deeper transformation processes. With the text photo pieces here on this blog I want to offer additional inspiration and more creative ways to reflect on Daoist philosophy.

The Laozi and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass

/ Ansgar Gerstner - Daoist philosophy in movement

The Laozi (= Daodejing = Tao Te Ching) and Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants

Listening to the audio version of Braiding Sweetgrass it became crystal clear to me that the thought of the Laozi–I do not want to say Daoist philosophy in general, because it concerns the Laozi in particular–makes so much more, and deeper sense, if you approach it from the perspective of indigenous knowledge traditions.

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Yangsheng – nourishing life 養生

/ Ansgar Gerstner - Daoist philosophy in movement

Before I go into this blog post’s actual topic I would like to say something about my blog posts in general: Many among the readers who have been following me for some time, might already be familiar with many of the Daoist concepts I am writing about. On the other hand, it seems that many things need to be heard at least a „thousand times“ before one can actually listen to them for the first time. You might have experienced this yourself, but it is also an important insight for one’s own teaching.

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