About
THE WUDANG PAI STYLE
The Wudang Pai style is an ancient Chinese system of martial and life-prolonging arts based on the Taoist principles of Yin and Yang. The most famous of these arts is Tai Chi, an ‘internal’ martial art, which means it uses qi or life force to power movements rather than muscular strength. The Wudang Pai style comes from the Wudang Mountains in China, where martial knowledge is traditionally passed down from Master to Disciple.
Shifu Lucia has gone through this process within the Wudang Xuan Wu Clan, becoming a disciple of Master Yuan Li Min in 2010 and a Master herself in 2023. At Master Yuan Li Min’s school in Wudang the emphasis is on practising basic skills, as one has to be well-acquainted with the bottom in order to reach the top levels of practice. Lucia follows this approach in her Tai Chi, Kung Fu and Qi Gong classes in Hackney, London, as well as in online training and international workshops.
You can find out more about her, the clan, the approach, and the arts of Tai Chi (Taiji), Kung Fu (Gong Fu), Qi Gong, Wudang Sword, Meditation and the I Ching, by reading on below.
TAI CHI
Tai Chi (Taiji) is an art which is famous for its slow and graceful movements. Moving slowly helps the practitioner to build life force (qi), which wards off illness and promotes mental peace. At the heart of Tai Chi are eight ways of using qi called the Eight Tai Chi Powers; they are: Ward-off, Rollback, Squeeze, Press down, Pluck, Split, Elbow and Barge. These powers are common to all Tai Chi styles and they are made by combining qi with intention, structure and gravity. Through repeated practice these elements are melded and grown into powers which feel and operate in a certain way. For example Ward-off is an outwards-moving, expansive force like a bubble or bomb blast, and Squeeze is a penetrating point of force that travels through space…
WUDANG BASIC SKILLS
The Wudang basic skill set draws from across the board of Tai Chi, Qi Gong, Bagua and Xingyi, and includes the foundation exercises which are common to all these arts. Regular favourites include Standing Stake Nei Gong which teaches the body to ‘coagulate’ together and move as a harmonised, powerful unit, ‘mud-walking’ which improves balance and teaches precise footwork, and ‘fishes in eight’ which teaches power transmission and movement from the centre…
WUDANG KUNG FU
Kung Fu (Gong Fu) in its traditional Chinese meaning refers to practising something repeatedly until you become good at it. In the West however, the term ‘kung fu’ has become synonymous with a harder, faster style of training. The 18-step Wudang Kung Fu form takes the Wudang style’s faster-moving arts and combines them with Tai Chi and Qi Gong to make a mixed-pace and dynamic form. This class is taught in person in Hackney on Thursday evenings, with a focus on developing internal power through movement, coordination and qi training…
QI GONG
Qi Gong (Chi Kung) is an ancient art that, like Tai Chi, promotes health by nourishing life force known as qi. Unlike Tai Chi, Qi Gong focuses solely on health and internal development, and does not include martial elements. At the school we practise Five Element Qi Gong, with its five animals of Turtle, Snake, Crane, Tiger and Dragon, each of which correspond to an element and vital organ from Traditional Chinese Medicine. Turtle trains kidneys and water, Snake trains lungs and metal, Crane trains heart and fire, Tiger trains spleen and earth, and Dragon trains liver and wood. Each of the elements also has its place in the year, giving rise to a natural cycle of practice with the seasons.
WUDANG SWORD
The Wudang sword style is famous for its mix of fast and slow movements which make it exhilarating to practise. The sword becomes an extension of the body and mind, extending awareness as it teaches students how to transmit power over greater distances. Like Tai Chi sword, this art form builds on empty-hand skills; you need to know how to turn the waist, draw power from the feet, and structure the body for qi transmission, so sword practice is a graceful expression of whole-body power…
ABOUT THE TEACHER – SHIFU LUCIA RING-WATKINS
Shifu Lucia Ring-Watkins is a 16th Generation Descendant of the Wudang Xuan Wu Clan. She has practised Tai Chi since 2002, starting out with Yang Style, and has spent long periods of full-time study in Wudang Shan in China, where she was recognised as a Master in 2023. Lucia teaches Tai Chi, Wudang Kung Fu, Qi Gong and Taoist meditation in Hackney, London, as well as offering online training and international workshops…
THE I CHING
The I Ching or Book of Changes is a Taoist text that dates back over 3000 years. Its basic building blocks are the Eight Trigrams; these are three-line glyphs that represent archetypal forces of nature, and have names like Heaven, Earth and Mountain. In the I Ching, the eight trigrams are doubled and combined in all possible ways to make 64 hexagrams which represent universal life situations like the beginning of a project, courtship and political upheaval. The I Ching can be read cover to cover as a book of Taoist advice on how to do life, and it can also be consulted as an oracle, much like Tarot cards, using coins or yarrow stalks…
TAOIST MEDITATION
Taoist Meditation is based on observation within clarity and stillness; the most basic technique is known as Guan Kan – observation, and it uses breath to steady the mind, and the mind to illuminate the body. Through meditation the body opens and becomes clear; the intention becomes refined, and once the intention is refined, then spirit (shen) can begin to emerge. It can be said that Tai Chi form practice is a kind of moving meditation, and for many people the extra layers of movement help keep the mind focused. For others however, studying meditation on its own is a desirable prospect, as it allows for direct emotional regulation, a deeper understanding of consciousness, and can be a form of energy work in its own right…
THE WUDANG XUAN WU CLAN
The Wudang Xuan Wu Clan is one of two prominent Kung Fu clans still active in the Wudang Mountains today. The living head of the clan in Wudang is Grand Master You Xuan De, who is a 14th Generation Descendant of Zhang San Feng, the founder of Tai Chi. Grand Master You has hundreds of disciples in countries all over the world, among which are several highly skilled practitioners who have dedicated their lives to promoting Wudang Kung Fu. One such practitioner is Lucia’s teacher, Yuan Li Min. He, along with his wife, 15th Generation Descendant Tian Li Fang, set up Wudang San Feng School in the Wudang Mountains, and have helped their disciples establish schools across the world…