4 Day Swimming Dragon Training with Hans Menck

Qi Gong is an ancient form of somatic movement.
Through gentle, breath-connected sequences, we move Qi – the life force – through the meridians,
and open the quiet field of inner alchemy.

You will learn how to:

• release tension from the body
• calm your nervous system through rhythmic, flowing movement
• embody the stillness of Wu Wei – action through effortless being

Swimming Dragon

Hans will go with us into detail about this beautiful form, which, among other things, stimulates the wood element but also nourishes what we call shao yang and jue yin. These 2 long meridians nourish our blood, among other things, and for that reason are very connected to our body and our creativity.

Swimming Dragon (taiyi you long gong) is a chinese martial art and longevity training method which contains characteristics of qi gong (energy breath work), daoist yoga and taiji quan. It’s often a 15-minute dance that looks like tai chi or vinyasa with many poses on 1 leg. It originated in the Wudang mountain region of China and was passed down as a self defense and health method within a chinese royal family. Master Yu Anren (still living in Changsha) is the last, who received this dance in this form. In 1984, he broke the family tradition and made this form public.

Swimming dragon training emulates the movements of the water dragon, which are slow, smooth, continuous, and twisting, stretching and coiling. The form practice has many low stances and one leg balances. It stretches and strengthens all the joints, tendons and ligaments of the body, massages the organs, and stimulates blood and qi circulation. It is also a moving meditation form, focussing and calming the mind. This form is the external practice of the internal Daoist Qigong practice of Macro-cosmic Orbit (the big cosmic orbit which leads Qi through all your twelve meridians and eight extra meridians.)

There are only 4 students outside China this directly from Liu Anren,who have learned and been allowed to teach , teacher Hans Menck and Liping Zhu being two of them. The moment I (Anoshe) saw this form I was hypnotised and in love! It greatly benefited my back with a slight double scoliosis.

About Hans Menck

Sensei Hans Menck, is the founder of the Freedom School of Martial Arts, and a lifelong martial artist with over 45 years of dedicated training across multiple disciplines.

His martial art study began in 1980 and over the years he delved deeply into diverse martial arts and opened himself up to the study of martial arts as a unified body of knowledge. He eventually found that the only way he could express himself fully was to return to South Africa and create the Freedom School, and teach his own unique way and the individual traditional root arts that he studied.

The main root arts are Intenal Style Gongfu, Capoeira, Muay Thai Buran, and Aikido. Sensei Hans studied all these arts with legitimate masters in China, Japan, Australia, Europe. Hans has been involved with Swimming Dragon now for 20 years and studied under Li Yong Liang in Melbourne and with grandmaster Yu Anren in China (Changsha).

His teaching style focuses on more than physical ability. Students are guided to build character, resilience, and mental clarity.

“Martial arts is not about fighting others — it is about mastering oneself.”

Who this is for

For everyone who loves:

• slow, nourishing muscular movement rather than performance
• more flow, vitality, and centredness
• deepening in martial art based movement
• If you love vinyasa flow you will love this Ancient Chinese Imperial form

You don’t need to be a Yoga or Qi Gong teacher, but not appropriate with knee injuries

Date, Time and Location

Day 1 & 2 – August 13 & 14, 2026 

• 10:00 – 12:30 Swimming Dragon Preparation Movement & Form with Hans Menck
• 12:30 – 13:45 Lunch break
• 14:00 – 16:00 Swimming Dragon Preparation Movement & Form with Hans Menck
• 16:15 – 17:00 Yin Yoga & Alchemistic Qi Gong internal practice with Anoshe Overington
• 19:00 – 21:00 Swimming Dragon martial art contact improvisation with Hans Menck & Loby Lam 

Day 3 – August 15, 2026 

• 10:00 – 12:30 Swimming Dragon Preparation Movement & Form with Hans Menck
• 12:30 – 13:45 Lunch break
• 14:00 – 16:00 Swimming Dragon Form & Pushing Hands (understanding the martial application of the form) with Hans Menck
• 16:15 – 17:00 Yin Yoga & Alchemistic Qi Gong internal practice with Anoshe Overington
• 19:00 – 21:00 Swimming Dragon martial art contact improvisation with Hans Menck & Lobi Lam 

Day 4 – August 16, 2026

• 10:00 – 12:30 Swimming Dragon Preparation Movement & Form with Hans Menck
• 12:30 – 13:45 Lunch break
• 14:00 – 16:00 Swimming Dragon Form & Pushing Hands (understanding the martial application of the form) with Hans Menck

Time

• Daytime program 10:00 – 17:00
• Optional evening program 19:00 – 21:00

Location

• John F. Kennedylaan 100, 3741 EH, Baarn

Self-investment:

• Price: 625 euro ex 9% BTW 

Invitation

Do you feel a yes in your belly?
Click below and join us: spaces are limited.

Hans Menck writes about Swimming Dragon: 

Longevity and Health Benefits

 “Swimming Dragon is a powerful form of longevity training and it has been known to reverse the effects of aging in many practitioners. For example, Yu Anren was imprisoned during the cultural revolution and in that time his hair went completely grey and he developed serious back problems. After his release he used the swimming dragon practice to cured his back and his hair turned from grey to black. The emphasis on low stances is for the improvement of leg strength, because it is known that when people get older the legs grow weak before the upper body. Aging also stiffens the joints and the practice of loosening the joints counteracts the effect of ageing in a process that Master Li calls “retrograde motion.”

About Anoshe Overington

Anoshe Overington has been practicing Qi Gong since 1982. She has trained with, among others, Phoa Yang Thiong, Mantak Chia, Benjamin Lo, Lenzie Williams, Shen Hongxun, Patrick Kelly, Robert Peng, Hans Menck, Liping Zhu, and Jeffrey Yuen. Her approach weaves the lineages of Classical Chinese Medicine and Yin Yoga into one living tapestry of Presence.