Aug 7 - 11 | GLENDALOUGH, IRELAND | FULLY CATERED

Summer Retreat 2025

A Special Place to Be

Stay

Stay in the breathtaking Glendalough Valley and share this experience with with a heart-centered community
Train

Shifu Yan Xin awaits you here in Ireland—to guide you on the path of the Shaolin Warrior. Train your heart out, embrace the good kung fu pain, find your inner peace and awaken the true warrior spirit within.
Nourish

Nourish your body with heartwarming, delicious, Asian-inspired vegetarian meals prepared by the Deersotone’s in-house master chef—and share in the laughter and joy.
Explore

In the heart of Glendalough, explore not only the beauty of Ireland’s sacred valley, but the deeper terrain of your own spirit—the path of the True Warrior begins within.

Come & Join Us

This is the 10th year we’ve been running our Summer Retreat now! To celebrate this special milestone we have picked a very special venue for you.

This year, our KungFu.Life Summer Retreat takes place in a special venue called, The Deerstone, Luxury Eco Hideaway. Nestled deep within the Wicklow Mountains National Park, in the breathtaking Glendalough Valley—the Valley of the Two Lakes.

This land whispers ancient stories. Its mountains still your mind.

Its waters reflect your truest self.

Join us for an unforgettable 5-day journey into the heart of authentic Shaolin practice. This immersive retreat is more than a gateway - a powerful reset. Step away from the noise of daily life, recharge your energy and awaken your inner warrior spirit.

Return with clarity in your mind, strength in your body, joy in your heart, and purpose in your soul — ready to step into the next unfolding of your life’s path.

Under the guidance of Shifu Yan Xin, 34th Generation Shaolin Warrior Disciple, you’ll train in an environment designed for deep, authentic Shaolin practice - one that nurtures true presence, cultivates discipline, joy and supports inner renewal

At this year’s Summer Retreat, you will step into the rare and thrilling world of the Shaolin Nine Section Whip—a weapon that embodies both chaos and control, softness and steel.

Flexible, fast, and fearsome, the whip challenges you to move with awareness, precision, and flow. In the hands of a Shaolin warrior, it is not brute force but refined timing, sensitivity, and spirit that bring the whip to life.

Under the guidance of Shifu Yan Xin, you’ll learn the foundations of this ancient weapon: how to generate power through relaxation and redirection, how to move with the rhythm of energy rather than against it, and how to transform unpredictability into mastery.

Training with the nine section whip is more than learning technique—it’s an invitation to awaken your reflexes, sharpen your focus, and deepen your internal awareness. You’ll discover how to stay centered amid motion, how to release tension while maintaining strength, and how to embody the stillness within the storm.

Whether you’re new to kung fu or weapons training or ready to expand your practice, the nine section whip offers a truly unforgettable experience—one that stays with you long after the retreat ends.

The Nine Section Whip

How to Transform Unpredictability into Mastery

Training Day

Each day we will start the day with a morning run, Shaolin Stretching & Breathing Exercise

to awaken the body & spirit

Morning

Soft Fist - Qi Gong

After breakfast, we return to the body with Ji Ben Gong—the foundational drills of Shaolin. Known as the food of Kung Fu, these movements nourish your structure, sharpen your technique, and prepare your body to receive more advanced forms. Without them, Kung Fu is hollow. With them, it becomes alive.

Then, Shifu Yan Xin will guide you through a specially condensed version of the Shaolin Soft Fist. Drawing from his deep lineage, he has selected movements from this classic Shaolin form that are not only representative, but deeply beneficial to the body and energy system.

This practice is both Kung Fu and Qi Gong—a form that blends softness with power, breath with motion. You’ll move through postures that cultivate internal strength, focused calm, and a meditative flow state. In time, you begin to dissolve the separation between breath and movement, between form and formlessness—becoming one with the motion, and with the universe itself.

Nine Section Whip

After lunch and a rest | nap, Shifu Yan Xin will take you on an exploration of the rare and dynamic practice of the Nine Section Whip.

We begin this training with something special: you will craft your own practice Nine Section Whip—a safe, training-friendly version of the traditional weapon. This hands-on process is more than just preparation; it’s a ritual of intention, connecting you to the lineage, the practice, and the path ahead.

Then, the fun starts, you’ll step into the world of the Nine Section Whip—a weapon that teaches fluidity, rhythm, and deep internal presence. Though wild in motion, it demands clarity of mind and control of body. In every flick and arc, you’ll learn to channel softness into power, chaos into calm.

this training awakens a new relationship with movement—one that calls forth your focus, flow, and fearlessness.

This is not just learning a weapon. This is getting to know and become friends with yourself—one link, one breath, one movement at a time.

Afternoon

Evening

Tea Chat, Meditation & Reflections

After dinner, we close the day in stillness and reflection. Begin with seated Qi Gong to soothe the energy stirred throughout the day, followed by meditation and reflection to deepen presence. End with a shared tea chat—an open space for questions, insights, and connection. Here, practice meets life, and wisdom flows like tea.