Hu Long Temple was developed by Shifu Matt Bindon, specialising in teaching traditional Northern Shaolin Kung Fu, Traditional Long-Fist, Sanda, Qi Gong, Taiji and Meditation. The school, based in the historic town of Totnes, has existed for over 25 years under various names, with our lineage tracing directly back to authentic Shaolin Kung Fu throughout history. Shifu Matt is the first Westerner to have been sworn in at the North Shaolin Temple for his dedication and experience and is now the only remaining teacher of this lineage in the UK. Our Kung Fu and Sanda has been tried and tested throughout the ages, and our Taiji and Qi Gong has proven to maintain long health, strengthen chi, and fight illness.
Hu Long Temple
Hu Long Temple is considered a club with charitable purposes, governed by a constitution and a small committee. We are not a registered charity, however we are committed to benefitting the health and wellbeing of our community and the wider population by working together with multiple communities, charities, agencies and organisations to support young people, adults and seniors. Our current national charity we strongly support and run free workshops for is Teens Unite Fighting Cancer. Hu Long Temple is also a proud member of the Safeguarding Code in Martial Arts (SCiMA) developed by Sport England and safeguarding experts; a government funded scheme that advises agencies and families about which martial arts schools are safe to work with vulnerable young people and adults.
Our cohort of students come from all different backgrounds and are a variety of ages and abilities. Our youngest is 5 years old and our eldest member is over 70 — we hold a strong ethos to provide holistic training to everybody, with our instructor and assistants holding enhanced DBS certificates, professional qualifications and experience in working with children, adults and seniors with learning disabilities, mental health difficulties and life-limiting illnesses. As a result, we are able to offer a multidiverse range of skills and knowledge which enables people from all walks of life to experience the true essence of what Hu Long Temple stands for.
Hu Long Temple practice these ancient concepts of Chan as well as the martial and Qi Gong practices. Students are taught Chan philosophy and encouraged to healthily challenge themselves and become more self aware. This is done thorugh physical training of Wushu and Qi Gong, meditaiton practice and mindfulness in day to day life. Other benefits are: - Developing self-awareness of how you feel. - Learning self-control over feelings and emotions such as anger, frustration and anxiety, and being able to not let these have an adverse effect on you. - Devleoping a focused and disciplined mind to help you self-regulate how you think, feel and behave. - Develop respect for yourself and for others. - Develop and use coping strategies to deal with negative thoughts and emotions. - Learning and understanding positive values that you can contribute to the local community and wider society.
'Chan' Philosophy & Approach
"Qi", prounced "Chi" means 'Life Force'. Everything that is alive contains chi -- without it, a living organism would die. In ancient Chinese Medicine, chi is the commander of blood; it runs through our body, our veins, our organs and our breath. When we are ill, emotional, or injured, our chi becomes weakend in a certain area, or blocked. We are able to unblock our own chi, and we are also able to strengthen our chi. Qi Gong exists in multiple forms; they are a series of internal movements that look soft or gentle, but are in fact reigniting the body to cultivate chi -- almost like medicine. The process of Qi Gong is meditative and repetitive which is excellent for relaxation, self-regulation and to rehearse body and breath awareness. It focusses on breathing from the lower abdoment (or 'dan tian') instead of the chest, and moving your body to the pace of your breath. In doing so, awareness of body alignment, flexibility, posture, boosting the immune system, reducing tension and stregnthening organse and muscles, all come into play. We teach soft Qi Gong and hard (Ying) Qi Gong. We mostly teach soft Qi Gong to help with people's health both physically and mentally, with focus on students to practice daily as it can make a massive difference not only on a person's immune system, but also reduces depression and anxiety.
Qi Gong -- Healthy Mind & Body
What do the students say?
Shifu mastered his practice under the best teachers and is only now sharing this knowledge. He is a brilliant teacher with groups and individuals; his communication is excellent; he has the respect of his students and it is very clear that he operates at the highest standards of skill, care, patience and commitment. He is a force for good in the world and I would wholeheartedly recommind him.
I have experienced first-hand and observed in others how the Chan Way, through its practice of internal and external marital art, meditation and awareness of surroundings can help us to better understand who we are, how we interact with others and our place in the world… I am truly grateful of the opportunity to transform my life for the better and wish for others to be able to do the same.
I believe this practice has changed the direction of my life in a very positive way and I’m now more able to function and serve in my community. This also means that I feel able to share these positive lessons with others in my daily life. I believe if we all worked on ourselves in this manner we would see substantial benefits in our communities. More peace of mind, inner strength and stronger health are key to a healthy society.
I have waited a long time to meet someone like Shifu Matt Bindon. I came across his class over 8 years ago and through his training, what was a great past time has become a way of life.
It’s almost a year since I began my training and in that time I have phsycally become healthier and stronger, and have began disciplining my life which is changing me for the better.
They teach us to take our rightful place in the world and defend it if need be, to heal and increase our energy, to be wilful and dedicated to doing good. They help us to apply ourselves to changing our conditions and become the true hero of our life. They teach us persistence, patience, focus, intent… qualities which are difficult to develop, but reap true benefits. They give hope of learning a new way of life to get your health back on track.
At 58 years old, I was worried I might be looking at my current health as the ‘norm’. Within just 3 weeks I noticed a marked improvement in my energy levels. When I was strong enough, I began Taiji and have practiced this since that time. I feel healthier, stronger and fitter. My overall sense of wellbeing is greatly enhanced. My mental clarity, focus and effectiveness has improved. My emotional health has also benefitted — I am more optimistic and contented, stable moods, greater persistence. I have witnessed striking benefits and improvements in others during the last 18 months.
This has helped me with my balance, self-control and co-ordination
I like trying out new things, especially Tai Ji, and not being pigeon-holed for my journey with cancer.