Before I was introduced to yoga 20 years ago, I was into Internal Martial Arts. I practiced devotedly every day, and embodied the principles of movement derived from animal movements. I soared like a crane, slithered like a snake, pounced like a tiger and leapt like a dragon. I danced their spirit as I harnessed ample breath, a glowing gaze and sharp focus. I gained agility and strength. But the strength that came from these long sessions was not only external and physical. It was a supple power of grace and resilience.

My teacher Master Li-Ajung was a tall Mandarin Chinese who had cultivated the power of “Nei-Gong” – internal strength so beautifully, that when he sailed through, his movements wafted a special breeze and fragrance around him. He always taught us to avoid “muscling” the movements, and activate the energy centers in the body, which in turn radiated the power from within. This art of internal force was called “Liq Chuan” or the “mental-physical craft”. I remember, he took us to the park and made us hold trees, as we tuned to the force of nature and asked permission to inhabit that sacred space. We trained our kicks on trees and branches, conditioned our body on wooden and metal bars and benches. We lay on the soil and flipped through the grass. We would train in shine and rain, through blizzards and scorching heat. It was all part of the natural force that we were trying to attain.

Internal Martial arts was all about inquiring within, of harnessing the massive resources of “Qi” from nature and within our human bodies, of peeling away the external layers that covered our divine glow. This particular practice of “internal strength” focused on developing awareness of structure, relaxation, and energy. Master Li had artfully blended the mindfulness of Chan (Chinese Zen) and the fluidity of Taiji (Tai Chi) principles, leading some to describe his practice of “I Liq Chuan” as “Zen Mind, Taiji Body”.

As we practiced regularly we developed physical strength, libido, chi development, bone health and internal spirit. Embodying the spirit and distinct qualities of animals we focused on very soft, flowing, supple energy, to develop balance and coordination. Internal Martial Arts (Nei Jia), as their name implies, focus on modifying and strengthening the internal alignment of the body in the primal everyday actions of standing, breathing and walking. The self-defense and health applications of these arts are built upon harmonizing form, breath, movement and intention in order to cultivate a deep visceral understanding of the power inherent in these most basic activities.

Rather than focusing on techniques and developing muscular strength, speed and athletic prowess, internal arts stress relaxation, mind-intention, stillness and natural movement. The principles inherent in the Nei Jia are completely congruent with the principles of Chinese medicine, its deep understanding of the unified nature of the body, mind and spirit and their connection to the natural world.

The beauty of our training sessions came from the fact that Master Li never asked us to mimic the animals, but rather to invoke their spirit through our bodies. We spent sufficient time studying each animal’s signature move for months. But special stress was placed on exploring the characteristics of the dragon, as in Chinese arts the dragon represents Internal Strength. Contrary to popular belief, there is no relation to the Western dinosaur or fire-breathing dragon. Instead, according to Buddhist writings, the Chinese dragon is a mystical creature that can show itself to those he wants, especially to those who have reached the highest levels of enlightenment. Chinese dragons also are said to live in oceans or large bodies of water and are believed to produce rain. They can make themselves large or small, and are sometimes said to be visible within the clouds if you look closely.

In practicing our dragon form daily we combined internal and external energy to produce awesome and devastating strikes. We explored circular movements that could penetrate with sudden explosiveness. We curled our hands in claws, and used the action of the waist as a whip that generated internal power.

Oddly enough, when I immersed myself into Yoga six years later, I could apply this internal power to my asana practice. I could feel the subtle energy emanating from each pose. I wove all the principles of Master Li and “Neigong”, to build a strong and supple practice.

Today I still teach these internal principles to my students by artfully integrating Tai-Chi and Yoga as we develop flexibility, strength and power. We dive like swans, swirl like dragons, peek like eagles and balance gracefully like trees -nurturing the nature within and without.

Yogea routine for flexibility & strength: Supple Power (advanced level)

Designed and inspired by Yoga Alliance Certified Teacher Gessica Paperini.

This Yogea practice flows like a dance of fluid “asana” and links deep breathing with conscious motion to awaken the whole body while building strength and flexibility. It combines “pranayama” techniques to open up the throat and navel chakras and facilitate the flow of life force through all the main nerve channels and systems. A flowing warm brings suppleness to the spine and opens up through the main ligaments and tendons. The middle section offers a wide variety of back and forward bends, hip and quad openers, and twists and introduces a multitude of innovative bind variations to balance both brain hemispheres and help harness internal power. The proper execution cultivates a sense of coherent transitioning when you flow gracefully from moment to the next with an open mind and an attitude of acceptance. The flow undulates from standing to seated, from reclining to inverted, from balancing to detoxifying poses to provide an inner massage of all glands. Empowering poses alternate with introspective variations and strengthening modifications culminate in an invigorating build-up, followed by pacifying forwards bends and pelvic openers. An integrated wind-down pairs restorative with detoxifying poses that calm the mind and purify the filtering organs. A quieting relaxation brings the practitioner in a place of harmony and cultivates a body that is both sensitive and strong, a diamond body that beams will-power and grace.