| Qi Gong | Nei Gong |
| Xing Yi Quan | Ba Gua Zhang |

Taoist internal arts training in Exeter

We are a small school dedicated to the study of the Chinese internal arts of Qi Gong, Nei Gong and Dao Yin, and the martial arts of Xing Yi Chuan and Ba Gua Zhang.These practices offer a simple and practical route towards physical and mental stability, and the possibility for more fundamental change and self-development.

Classes and workshops

We meet every Saturday from 9-10am at Exeter Community Centre (starting 4th October).

Four times a year we gather as a whole school for longer workshops to explore new methods with more focus and depth.These spaces offer an opportunity to significantly develop and integrate the underpinning skills and felt-sense of the practice.Our next workshop is:
An introduction to Qi Gong
Exeter Community Centre
27th September - 9.30am-4.30pmPlaces can be booked hereIf you're not local to Exeter and you still want to learn Nei Gong, you can join online classes with the wider UK school that we belong to.

Internal Arts

We study both the internal development systems and martial arts practices as handed down through teachers and family systems in China and Hong Kong.

Qi Gong

Qi Gong (or Dao Yin), traces its roots to shamanic practice dating back at least 7,000 years.It combines movement, stillness and breath to develop a more open and connected body, allowing its natural functions to operate and flow more freely.Practiced with Nei Gong principles at heart it offers the possibility to develop true skill and get closer to the root of this work.The Qi Gong sets we work with are The Eight Pieces of Silk (Ba Duan Jin), The Five Primal Animals (Wu Qin Xi) and Bone Marrow Washing (Xi Sui Jing).

Nei Gong

Nei Gong (meaning 'internal work') is a set of deceptively simple exercises focusing on structural and functional connections within the body.Practiced over time, these methods allow a practitioner to (re)develop natural and efficient movement, for both health and martial benefits.Nei Gong is the work that gives depth and integrity to both Qi Gong and internal martial arts practice that moves them from nice choreography to deeper transformation.

Xing Yi Quan

Xing Yi Quan (or 'form intent boxing') is thought to be one of the oldest martial arts in China.Rooted in martial training for war, its modern expression has developed over the past 300 years for changing historical context, across various ethnic groups, passed on through carefully nurtured family systems.Characterised by its direct nature and explosive but relaxed power, it trains the practitioner to integrate both 'form' (or body) with 'intent' (or mind), to develop a deep level of clarity and directness in both practice and life.

Ba Gua Zhang

Ba Gua Zhang (or 'eight trigrams palm') is the sister art to Xing Yi Quan, also rooted in both Taoist principles and martial practice.Said to be developed from Taoist circle walking methods - possibly shamanic in origin - as a martial art it is noted for its circular movements and twisting body.If Xing Yi is focused on being direct and moving through 'obstacles', developing skill in Ba Gua fosters the ability to hold a stable root while moving with life's constant changes.

About our teaching

The school is led by Max St John, a conflict trainer, blacksmith and forest school teacher who has been studying Chinese martial arts since 1998.Growing up in Hong Kong gave him a fascination with traditional martial arts and the associated culture, which eventually led to a long period of training in the external arts (Praying Mantis Kung Fu) and involvement in the Chinese community.Later on, he sought out internal martial arts teachers, training in Tai Chi and Ba Gua with various schools in the UK.In 2013 he met Roy Jenzen, founder of the Internal Intent school and dedicated himself to studying the Taoist development and martial systems under Roy's teaching.Max continues to train within the school and is privileged to be part of a wider network of practitioners and teachers who he learns from and regularly trains with, across Europe.

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