Sylvia Boey

Life for me has always been pretty smooth, regardless of family, health (not that good but no major ailments), relationships, and I have never really been troubled by financial needs. The heart-wrenching situations that I felt deeply for are also through 3rd party experiences and not really “mine”. Nothing seems to be sorely lacking. Yet, there always seems to be a missing piece. There is just a void space waiting to be filled.

Truth to be told, my sole aim of arriving at this place is purely to strengthen my health but I discovered that meeting Master Ng (Shifu) is much more than what I have expected! I still remember the awe I felt after I began to develop movements, after Shifu helped to strengthen the Ren and Du meridians. Indeed, the movements are still transforming naturally – making me feel like a martial artist, ballet dancer, Chinese dancer with a fan / tapestry, all within a single practice session. Is it confusing? No, it’s not. Simply let your body flow ????

I also remember asking Shifu if he could teach me during the initial months that I arrived. “Yes” he replied with a smile. There I was waiting for further instructions but gradually I understood that this journey is like a phrased process. Step-by-step, differing between individuals, the more you let go, the more you gain, the more you learn. This is a continuous flow. This instruction manual is all within us, we just need to dig it up, dust it, accept the universal truth and the pages will flow.

Being exposed to Theravada Buddhism, meditation is nothing new to me. Yet, the experience of recitation of Amitabha is something new. Being mindful of every sound that comes out of the mouth, it is as if there are speakers next to my ears. The sound goes into the ear, clearly capturing every syllabus of Amitabha. The sound waves travel to the brain, to the body and spread around. It started with only the outer skin layer vibrating, then it feels like cells in the entire body vibrate and at times the body moves, with varied gestures. All these happen during the recitation of Amitabha.

Although I am a Buddhist, I have to admit that I have limited knowledge of scriptures and texts, especially those in Chinese. While I was practicing Qigong or meditating, I realised that some words just ‘pop’ into my mind. I assumed that it was just my imagination. Later on, the words became phrases and after noting them down, and asking around, I realised that they are actually related to Buddhist teachings. Truly interesting indeed.

The first major physical change that I experienced since learning qigong was my menstrual flow. Being a woman, sigh! Since I was young, my flow has always been heavy, with long days and a lot of clots. Treatments suggested by Western doctors always involve hormones and that is not my preferred option. I’ve also undergone treatments by Chinese doctors and that did not seem to work as well. So I resigned to fate and did not expect any changes. However, my flow now has definitely reduced and without much clots.

My limbs are always cold and I don’t feel much sensation through them during practice. Recently, I can feel the energy flowing from my feet throughout my body, towards my head and also my hands. My limbs are finally not so cold! There was also one day when it felt like there were nails screwing through, towards the passage of my heart. After accepting and enduring through the pain, the qi was able to flow through smoothly to the heart, providing much relief.

I have truly enjoyed my journey so far, all thanks to Shifu. Looking forward to learning more, practicing more and letting go more! (Aug 2021)