Shaolin monk teaches care home residents kung fu

Care home residents in Wrexham have found a new way to get their kicks – thanks to being taught the basics of kung fu.

The residents at Highfield Nursing Home, which is part of the Pendine Park group, were treated to a martial art masterclass by Shaolin monk Pol Wong, who is one of only three ordained Shaolin monks in the UK. The Buddhist Shaolin monastery is the most famous temple in China, renowned for its kung fu fighting monks.

Pol is a regular visitor to Highfield where his father, Jimmy Wong, 97, is a resident. He said: “I’ve been teaching the residents to use breathing techniques to relax and get rid of strain. If you do these before physiotherapy they can help you get the best out of it.

“Breathing is one of the best practices and then combining that with movement. It can make your body stronger, improve your immune system, and help reduce stress levels.

“When your muscles are relaxed it improves the blood flow, and that can make a big difference because it help you if you have high blood pressure. I’ve also been teaching the residents basic arm movements.

“I wanted it to be fun and useful. I’m glad everyone at Pendine Park enjoyed the lesson. I think Pendine Park is friendly, comfortable and the staff are attentive to the needs of the residents. My dad is happy here, and it’s great to see that they’ve got so many activities going on.”

One of the participating residents, Christine Jones, 71, found the lesson really relaxed her. She said: “I didn’t think I’d be able to do it at first, especially when I saw Pol’s amazing moves.”

Highfleld’s enrichment and quality of life coordinator Olivia Thomas added: "This is an interesting addition to our enrichment programme and fits in well with what we do in terms of music and movement.

“It’s really good, because Pol adapted kung fu perfectly for our residents at Pendine Park. They found it really relaxing and they absolutely loved it. It’s something different for them.

“The kung fu moves Pol can pull off are amazing.”

A lifelong interest

Pol’s father Jimmy moved to Wrexham from Canton Province in China in the 1960s, where he set up Golden Kitchen, which had the distinction of being the first ever Chinese restaurant to be opened in North Wales.

Pol said: “I started learning kung fu when I was eight. My father taught me the basics. The basics are incredibly important because they lay the foundation for you to learn everything else. The energetic moves you see all come from the foundation of the basics.”

His interest deepened when he met some Shaolin monks in London in the mid-1990s, “and they invited me back to their temple. In 2002 I was ordained as a monk and was to spend nine more years there.

“Life in the Shaolin Temple was very hard. We had to get up early in the morning, at around 4am, and we’d work from then until 8pm. I’d be practicing kung fu whatever the weather. In the winter it would get incredibly could and in the summer it would get very hot and humid.

“Shaolin kung fu is the original kung fu, so every type of kung fu has come from there. It’s been practiced for nearly 2,000 years. It’s kung fu in its purest form and a way to meditate, and to practise Zen Buddhism.”

For more information about Pol Wong’s kung fu classes visit www.hafanshaolincymru.com.