Zhong Xin Dao – I Liq Chuan Workshop
with Master Hsin Chin
September 6-8, 2025
with Master Hsin Chin
September 6-8, 2025
A good friend with decades of Martial Arts Training under highly skilled Instructors and real world experience with a distinguished career in Law Enforcement traveled here to attend a I Liq Chuan seminar here a few years ago - he was still trying to comprehend and clarify the relationship between his Tantien, Ming-men, and Spine with the Opening and Closing of his Hips -
After Master Hsin Chin corrected his alignments and movements, Hsin turned to me and said something that I will never forget...
"If the 'Mental Reference' is 'Off', it will show up in how the student moves and organizes their body".
This astute observation is so insightful and on point that I think of it every day when I teach.
Underlying all authentic Internal Martial Arts systems are profound philosophical concepts, and principles which comprise the First Stage of your training.
In the Second Stage of training students are given practices that once refined and embodied allow them to achieve True Body Unification. With the guidance of a qualified teacher this theoretical knowledge can become the source of skillful action, and clear perception. Energetic circulations and interconnections throughout the Body are uncovered and reintegrated from a previously frozen or inert state below the threshold of your available means of perception.
It is not possible for you to properly, progressively and safely train and cultivate Internal Power without the correct 'Mental Reference' underlying a System's Core of Physical Exercises.
In the Third Stage partner practices are introduced where different outside pressures and variable forces challenge your Flow, Fending Energy and Mental Equilibrium. Once proficiency is achieved this will allow you to maintain a calm, focused attention and awareness in demanding conditions without your body alignment and motion being affected.
In both the Second and Third Stages training emphasis is placed on the development and adaptation of the rhythms and coordination by which natural patterns of rotational movement are uncovered, enlivened, rediscovered, reprogrammed and reintegrated.
As these 3 stages are integrated and refined everything that needs to be done onward is carried out spontaneously, with a spirit of free inquiry and creative synthesis; without interference from the mind; thinking, judgement, habit, or prior training.
This is the state of freedom which all Martial Practitioners seek but rarely attain...
This stage of freedom is achieved through a deep understanding and rigorous concordance and harmony with the Right Reference, philosophical concepts, and principles of the prior 3 Stages.
After Master Hsin Chin corrected his alignments and movements, Hsin turned to me and said something that I will never forget...
"If the 'Mental Reference' is 'Off', it will show up in how the student moves and organizes their body".
This astute observation is so insightful and on point that I think of it every day when I teach.
Underlying all authentic Internal Martial Arts systems are profound philosophical concepts, and principles which comprise the First Stage of your training.
In the Second Stage of training students are given practices that once refined and embodied allow them to achieve True Body Unification. With the guidance of a qualified teacher this theoretical knowledge can become the source of skillful action, and clear perception. Energetic circulations and interconnections throughout the Body are uncovered and reintegrated from a previously frozen or inert state below the threshold of your available means of perception.
It is not possible for you to properly, progressively and safely train and cultivate Internal Power without the correct 'Mental Reference' underlying a System's Core of Physical Exercises.
In the Third Stage partner practices are introduced where different outside pressures and variable forces challenge your Flow, Fending Energy and Mental Equilibrium. Once proficiency is achieved this will allow you to maintain a calm, focused attention and awareness in demanding conditions without your body alignment and motion being affected.
In both the Second and Third Stages training emphasis is placed on the development and adaptation of the rhythms and coordination by which natural patterns of rotational movement are uncovered, enlivened, rediscovered, reprogrammed and reintegrated.
As these 3 stages are integrated and refined everything that needs to be done onward is carried out spontaneously, with a spirit of free inquiry and creative synthesis; without interference from the mind; thinking, judgement, habit, or prior training.
This is the state of freedom which all Martial Practitioners seek but rarely attain...
This stage of freedom is achieved through a deep understanding and rigorous concordance and harmony with the Right Reference, philosophical concepts, and principles of the prior 3 Stages.
Master Hsin Chin is coming to the SF Bay Area and will be teaching a workshop focusing on Internal Cultivation and Body Unification through the I Liq Chuan 15 Foundational Nei Gung Exercises and the Process of Spinning Hands.
This seminar will be closely guided by Master Hsin, offering both solo and partner-based training.
The Focus of this Training will be how to recognize and organize the Rotational Energy through your Bone, Periosteum (the fibrous fascial sheath that covers your Bones) and Ligamental Lines of connection within your Limbs, Torso and Spine to create the proper conditions for the application of refined Internal Power.
This seminar is about rewiring your system to move, feel, and transmit power clearly from specific places on your Skeleton than most people have never moved from. To understand and train this efficiently and effectively you will learn how to move your skeleton with precise attention to initiation points that are in front of and in back of specific Joints, as your ligaments spiral and stretch.
The proper timing and coordination required to maintain this Line of Axial Skeletal Rotation will develop and heighten your awareness. Power will arise from Precision.
Through this training you will learn the actions of the Three Sectional Powers of your Limbs driven by your Torso and Spine. You will be brought to an understanding of how to place your focus on the specific attachments of your Tendons and Ligaments to maintain the Cross and Central Energetic connections through your Joints. You will refine and clarify the Looping Energy of your Shoulder and Hip Joints mediated by the Tantien/Ming-Men and Spinal Energy.
In 2 Person Drills you will learn to Grab and then Push and Pull in a way that does not just hold your Partners arm, but balances both your and their Skeletal Structure without changing the Angular Relationships of both you and your partners Joints.
This is a hands-on training with personalized corrections and transmission through touch with the ‘heir apparent’ of the Zhong Xin Dao – I Liq Chuan System.
When you learn to align bones, joints, and ligaments through torque, compression, and neutral angular integrity, a different proprioceptive system and a Central Axis Intelligence wakes up in you. The First requirement is you need to observe and recognize the conditions for creating a Neutral Skeletal Alignment.
We will begin by looking at the Line of Axial Skeletal Rotation which allows for the neutral internal alignment. Here Yin and Yang Muscles, Fascia and Tendons balance so they generate a fullness of the pressures within your Joints, Body Cavities and Channels moving through three dimensions with Condensing and Expanding Energy.
This is not theoretical. It is not esoteric. Your awareness creates this organization.
You will experience the real, physical sensation of skeletal neutrality recruiting and directing the spiraling tissues, and the stacking and meeting of the Fascial Planes within your body around a Neutral Skeleton.
This will be a great training opportunity for participants who are new to the Zhong Xin Dao / I Liq Chuan System as well as for those who have developed practice.
You will receive hands on training, feeding of the spinning hands energies, and specific corrections whether you are just beginning or for progress in your current and subsequent levels of the Zhong Xin Dao / I Liq Chuan System.
Hsin has an exceptional eye and can pinpoint gaps in your structure, alignment, connection and attention. Personally, the corrections and insights I have gained from working with Hsin have been transformative and invaluable; opening a new sense of awareness, nuance and clarity to movements I have been training all my time in the Internal Martial Arts.
We’re capping attendance to keep this personal so you get direct, specific feedback on what your body’s doing—and what needs to change
Here's Common Mistakes we will be Examining and What You May Be Missing in Your Training:
Here's What You will learn and embody:
Who is This For:
This seminar will be closely guided by Master Hsin, offering both solo and partner-based training.
The Focus of this Training will be how to recognize and organize the Rotational Energy through your Bone, Periosteum (the fibrous fascial sheath that covers your Bones) and Ligamental Lines of connection within your Limbs, Torso and Spine to create the proper conditions for the application of refined Internal Power.
This seminar is about rewiring your system to move, feel, and transmit power clearly from specific places on your Skeleton than most people have never moved from. To understand and train this efficiently and effectively you will learn how to move your skeleton with precise attention to initiation points that are in front of and in back of specific Joints, as your ligaments spiral and stretch.
The proper timing and coordination required to maintain this Line of Axial Skeletal Rotation will develop and heighten your awareness. Power will arise from Precision.
Through this training you will learn the actions of the Three Sectional Powers of your Limbs driven by your Torso and Spine. You will be brought to an understanding of how to place your focus on the specific attachments of your Tendons and Ligaments to maintain the Cross and Central Energetic connections through your Joints. You will refine and clarify the Looping Energy of your Shoulder and Hip Joints mediated by the Tantien/Ming-Men and Spinal Energy.
In 2 Person Drills you will learn to Grab and then Push and Pull in a way that does not just hold your Partners arm, but balances both your and their Skeletal Structure without changing the Angular Relationships of both you and your partners Joints.
This is a hands-on training with personalized corrections and transmission through touch with the ‘heir apparent’ of the Zhong Xin Dao – I Liq Chuan System.
When you learn to align bones, joints, and ligaments through torque, compression, and neutral angular integrity, a different proprioceptive system and a Central Axis Intelligence wakes up in you. The First requirement is you need to observe and recognize the conditions for creating a Neutral Skeletal Alignment.
We will begin by looking at the Line of Axial Skeletal Rotation which allows for the neutral internal alignment. Here Yin and Yang Muscles, Fascia and Tendons balance so they generate a fullness of the pressures within your Joints, Body Cavities and Channels moving through three dimensions with Condensing and Expanding Energy.
This is not theoretical. It is not esoteric. Your awareness creates this organization.
You will experience the real, physical sensation of skeletal neutrality recruiting and directing the spiraling tissues, and the stacking and meeting of the Fascial Planes within your body around a Neutral Skeleton.
This will be a great training opportunity for participants who are new to the Zhong Xin Dao / I Liq Chuan System as well as for those who have developed practice.
You will receive hands on training, feeding of the spinning hands energies, and specific corrections whether you are just beginning or for progress in your current and subsequent levels of the Zhong Xin Dao / I Liq Chuan System.
Hsin has an exceptional eye and can pinpoint gaps in your structure, alignment, connection and attention. Personally, the corrections and insights I have gained from working with Hsin have been transformative and invaluable; opening a new sense of awareness, nuance and clarity to movements I have been training all my time in the Internal Martial Arts.
We’re capping attendance to keep this personal so you get direct, specific feedback on what your body’s doing—and what needs to change
Here's Common Mistakes we will be Examining and What You May Be Missing in Your Training:
- You’re prioritizing the Circular Movements of Action over the Essential Skeletal Bone Line Rotation which should be balancing 90 degrees to your opponent’s center
- You’re moving your limbs before Balancing the Pressures (commonly called Chi) within your Joints and Body Cavities without proper coordination of the extension of your Central Axis Intelligence.
- You’re pulling with contracting muscles instead of aligning and lengthening spirals in the specific direction of the Yin & Yang Flows through your Tendons, Muscles and Fascia.
- You’re feeding force without listening - and losing the loops generated by the Hip Roll, Shoulder Rotation & Procession, and the Spinal Energy interacting between the differentiation of the C7 and T1 Vertebrae.
Here's What You will learn and embody:
- Counterbalancing Complimentary Energy - Learn how the 2 unequal qualities of Yin-Yang balance, harmonize and flow moving through the muscle-tendon-fascia matrix without breaking your alignment.
- Spiraling Tissue and Ligaments to Stack your the Bones – Use looped fascial and articulated skeletal vectors, so when you Open and Close your Joints correctly you can align through your Bone Line - Your internal reference for neutral power.
- Push, Pull, and Feed with your Power and Internal Force having no Gaps as they are connecting to Multiple Centers
- Learn how to switch forces through internal triangulation and skeletal integrity.
- Silent Listening Practice – Long-period solo drills to refine your attention, touch, and the feedback of reflecting energy meeting and matching your Partner's structure and action.
- Tactile Refinement Through Spinning Hands – Partner-based practices that expose blocks in energy flow - feel the complementary Open and Closing of the Joints and Spinal axis
- Create Pivots - Figure 8 Rotations - on the Offense & Defense Points of another person’s Skeletal Structure in order to Capture and Disrupt essential actions of Flow within the Yin & Yang Muscles, Tendons and Fascia.
Who is This For:
- Martial artists practitioners of Tai Chi, Hsing-I, Ba Gua, I Chuan, Aikido, Systema, Wing Chun, Jujitsu, Judo, Karate, Kung Fu, Wrestling, Boxing etc., who’ve tasted something deeper but can’t produce that quality consistently - If you’ve known something deeper was there but couldn’t quite access it…This is it.
- Body-workers, and Acupuncturists who understand the Nervous System and 3 Dimensional Spiral Nature of the Energy Channels, but want to feel kinetic intelligence in action
- Educators who want to investigate an Embodied Learning Pedagogy with a proven track record for merging Eastern/Western philosophies and amazing, clear descriptions of Anatomical Function as they relate to Martial Arts and Mind-Body disciplines
- Practitioners of Meditation, Yoga and Somatics Arts and Therapies who want to increase their interoception and proprioceptive skills, through a dynamic practice of embodied cognition, directly experiencing the crucial role your body plays in shaping your thoughts and brain processes; which are deeply intertwined with your somatic experiences and interactions with your environment.
- Dancers and Movement Teachers (Pilates, Gyrotonics, Feldenkrais, etc.) who crave structure-based flow that moves from the inside-out - not just shape and style
- Anyone sincerely interested in Internal Cultivation who wants to train in a supportive non-competitive environment and connect with an authentic reliable source of quality information in an age of short attention spans and too much disinformation. In the words of one of my students with an extensive Wing Chun Background after a recent correspondence…”There is a significant signal to noise ratio problem in these arts. This is the central reason why Kung Fu has declined - you have hundreds of OK/mediocre/wrong teachers sharing their faulty information with impressive certainty - how is any beginner/intermediate student to tell the difference when they come upon them?"
Dates: Saturday & Sunday - September 6-8, 2025
Time 10:30 am to 6 pm
(there will be a 1 1/2 hour lunch break both days)
You may arrive as early as 10 am so we can start the workshop promptly at 10:30 am
Location:
In Motion Center
1091 Calcot Place Suite 412 Oakland, CA 94606
There will be 1 day of extra training on Monday Monday
Participation for Monday is limited to ILC/ZXD Members who can spin - or invited guests training in another art under a licensed ILC Instructor receiving this email.
Times Monday will be 10:30 am start time till 6 pm with Lunch Break.
Tuition for Monday $125
Weekend Workshop Tuition is $ 235 for non ILC Members
To sign up contact:
Bernard Langan
email: [email protected]
phone: (510)-261-4570
You can arrange to pay via PAYPAL Venmo, Zelle or credit card by phone - but you must contact Bernard first by email or phone.
Discounted Pricing for the Weekend ILC ZXD Workshop – For Active ILC Members:
ILC Members: $215
Students Level 3 & above: $ 205
Certified I Liq Chuan Instructors – Level 1: $195 – Level 2: $185 – Level 3: $175
$125 for 1 Day of Weekend Training
Time 10:30 am to 6 pm
(there will be a 1 1/2 hour lunch break both days)
You may arrive as early as 10 am so we can start the workshop promptly at 10:30 am
Location:
In Motion Center
1091 Calcot Place Suite 412 Oakland, CA 94606
There will be 1 day of extra training on Monday Monday
Participation for Monday is limited to ILC/ZXD Members who can spin - or invited guests training in another art under a licensed ILC Instructor receiving this email.
Times Monday will be 10:30 am start time till 6 pm with Lunch Break.
Tuition for Monday $125
Weekend Workshop Tuition is $ 235 for non ILC Members
To sign up contact:
Bernard Langan
email: [email protected]
phone: (510)-261-4570
You can arrange to pay via PAYPAL Venmo, Zelle or credit card by phone - but you must contact Bernard first by email or phone.
Discounted Pricing for the Weekend ILC ZXD Workshop – For Active ILC Members:
ILC Members: $215
Students Level 3 & above: $ 205
Certified I Liq Chuan Instructors – Level 1: $195 – Level 2: $185 – Level 3: $175
$125 for 1 Day of Weekend Training
Testimonials for Hsin Chin...
"Sifu Bernard Langan: thanks for organizing the “standing room only” Master Hsin Chin Seminar. Very absorbing program indeed. It was held at In Motion Center in Oakland.
I don’t normally post material on Facebook, but would like to send this note for everyone to read about my experience, last week.
Hsin is a Master and 'Heir Apparent' of the Zhong Xin Dao/I Liq Chuan Art of the Chin Family; he is the son of the lineage holder Grandmaster Sam Chin. He has a thoughtful mind, big shoulders, strong hips and powerful legs. As a teacher, he manifests gentle calmness, and a deep capacity to engage with individual practitioners and distill and refine their movements both mentally and physically. His clarity and his attentiveness to the limitations and capabilities of each practitioner, enables them to enhance their abilities and to utilize their innate tools. Individuals are heart-fully encouraged to uncover ways of effectively balancing the flow of their body dynamics. When in doubt he would humbly default to “ask my Father”. He is keenly aware of each individual practitioner’s specific needs: listening attentively and feeding appropriately; not overwhelmingly. At the same time, he can speak to the entire group and personally to each participant.
It’s nice to work out and train with Master Hsin, a gentle giant from the pedigree of established founding practitioners. As 'a curious old guy on the block', I know that Hsin and The ZXD process has made a significant difference in the lifestyle changes of my current total lifelong learning. I have attended many of his intensives over the past several years, and they are all totally enjoyable.
Thanks, Hsin!"
Wan Chan, MD Comment from Master Hsin Chin -
"Thank you very much for the kind testimonial Wan, you're a pleasure to have and a wonderful inspiration for me, and the rest of our community.
"Sifu Bernard Langan: thanks for organizing the “standing room only” Master Hsin Chin Seminar. Very absorbing program indeed. It was held at In Motion Center in Oakland.
I don’t normally post material on Facebook, but would like to send this note for everyone to read about my experience, last week.
Hsin is a Master and 'Heir Apparent' of the Zhong Xin Dao/I Liq Chuan Art of the Chin Family; he is the son of the lineage holder Grandmaster Sam Chin. He has a thoughtful mind, big shoulders, strong hips and powerful legs. As a teacher, he manifests gentle calmness, and a deep capacity to engage with individual practitioners and distill and refine their movements both mentally and physically. His clarity and his attentiveness to the limitations and capabilities of each practitioner, enables them to enhance their abilities and to utilize their innate tools. Individuals are heart-fully encouraged to uncover ways of effectively balancing the flow of their body dynamics. When in doubt he would humbly default to “ask my Father”. He is keenly aware of each individual practitioner’s specific needs: listening attentively and feeding appropriately; not overwhelmingly. At the same time, he can speak to the entire group and personally to each participant.
It’s nice to work out and train with Master Hsin, a gentle giant from the pedigree of established founding practitioners. As 'a curious old guy on the block', I know that Hsin and The ZXD process has made a significant difference in the lifestyle changes of my current total lifelong learning. I have attended many of his intensives over the past several years, and they are all totally enjoyable.
Thanks, Hsin!"
Wan Chan, MD Comment from Master Hsin Chin -
"Thank you very much for the kind testimonial Wan, you're a pleasure to have and a wonderful inspiration for me, and the rest of our community.
Comment from Bernard Langan
Wonderful Share - Wan ! - FYI the 'curious old guy on the block'; Dr. Wan Chan is truly an inspiration to everyone in Zhong Xin Dao/I Liq Chuan who has the opportunity to train with this fine gentleman. Born in Malaysia, he is a retired Obstetric Physician with a career spanning 50 years - delivering 10,000+ babies on 3 continents and in 4 countries; Wan speaks 4 languages. After the seminar this weekend, I asked Wan how he got started - he said 'Serendipity' - 'Good Luck in making Unexpected and Fortunate Discoveries.';
recounting that he was an avid traveler, golfer and fly fisherman; before a hand injury 10 years ago prompted him to begin training in the Internal Martial Arts.
At the age of 75, Wan began learning Tai Chi from expert Instructor Sifu Michael Chan at Tai Chi Tutelage of Palo Alto.
Wan describes himself as a 'lifelong learner' and thinks his practice of I Liq Chuan for the last 5 years will allow him to live a healthier more productive life. I asked Wan, now 85, if he thought his practice would also help him live longer - he replied, "Definitely, healthier and more productively, but it is honestly hard to say what will allow someone to live longer; and what is the point of living longer, if you are not healthy and enjoying what you are doing." Wan is always the first practitioner to sign up for Zhong Xin Dao/I Liq Chuan workshops, and keeps me and other Instructors who are assisting very busy answering his questions and giving him feedback.
One's present circumstances do not determine where you can go. It merely determines where you begin. If you are interested in training Internal Martial Arts, Nei Gung and Qi-gong to a high level of skill, in a community of like minded people, In Motion Center in conjunction with TTOPA we will be bringing Hsin's Father, our teacher Grandmaster Sam Chin - a remarkable Martial Artist to the Bay Area December 11th - 15th, 2025 . Master Hsin is be back in the spring 2026 and we are looking to announce a seminar for Hsin's Sister Yen Lee - who will be taught and shared her outstanding skill for the first time at her own seminar in Europe last April.
Vivian Kaiwe Goo RPT Licensed ZXD/ILC Instructor, Honolulu Hawaii
"I have had the good fortune to meet and train with Master Hsin Chin thru several years of seminars. He has a sensitive touch. His feedback is detailed. He takes his time to see and feel what I’m doing, and then gives specific instructions for me to feel more directly, my structure, movement and especially my attention. Though he is at an incredibly higher level than me, he is able to relate to my level, and give me feedback that I can work with. Hsin pushes me to my limit, to expand understanding. Hsin has the feel of ZXD/ILC and is ever so generous in sharing it."
Wonderful Share - Wan ! - FYI the 'curious old guy on the block'; Dr. Wan Chan is truly an inspiration to everyone in Zhong Xin Dao/I Liq Chuan who has the opportunity to train with this fine gentleman. Born in Malaysia, he is a retired Obstetric Physician with a career spanning 50 years - delivering 10,000+ babies on 3 continents and in 4 countries; Wan speaks 4 languages. After the seminar this weekend, I asked Wan how he got started - he said 'Serendipity' - 'Good Luck in making Unexpected and Fortunate Discoveries.';
recounting that he was an avid traveler, golfer and fly fisherman; before a hand injury 10 years ago prompted him to begin training in the Internal Martial Arts.
At the age of 75, Wan began learning Tai Chi from expert Instructor Sifu Michael Chan at Tai Chi Tutelage of Palo Alto.
Wan describes himself as a 'lifelong learner' and thinks his practice of I Liq Chuan for the last 5 years will allow him to live a healthier more productive life. I asked Wan, now 85, if he thought his practice would also help him live longer - he replied, "Definitely, healthier and more productively, but it is honestly hard to say what will allow someone to live longer; and what is the point of living longer, if you are not healthy and enjoying what you are doing." Wan is always the first practitioner to sign up for Zhong Xin Dao/I Liq Chuan workshops, and keeps me and other Instructors who are assisting very busy answering his questions and giving him feedback.
One's present circumstances do not determine where you can go. It merely determines where you begin. If you are interested in training Internal Martial Arts, Nei Gung and Qi-gong to a high level of skill, in a community of like minded people, In Motion Center in conjunction with TTOPA we will be bringing Hsin's Father, our teacher Grandmaster Sam Chin - a remarkable Martial Artist to the Bay Area December 11th - 15th, 2025 . Master Hsin is be back in the spring 2026 and we are looking to announce a seminar for Hsin's Sister Yen Lee - who will be taught and shared her outstanding skill for the first time at her own seminar in Europe last April.
Vivian Kaiwe Goo RPT Licensed ZXD/ILC Instructor, Honolulu Hawaii
"I have had the good fortune to meet and train with Master Hsin Chin thru several years of seminars. He has a sensitive touch. His feedback is detailed. He takes his time to see and feel what I’m doing, and then gives specific instructions for me to feel more directly, my structure, movement and especially my attention. Though he is at an incredibly higher level than me, he is able to relate to my level, and give me feedback that I can work with. Hsin pushes me to my limit, to expand understanding. Hsin has the feel of ZXD/ILC and is ever so generous in sharing it."
Weekend Workshop Tuition is $ 235
To sign up contact:
Bernard Langan
email: [email protected]
phone: (510)-261-4570
You can arrange to pay via PAYPAL Venmo, Zelle or credit card by phone - but you must contact Bernard first by email or phone.
Discounted Pricing for the Weekend ILC ZXD Workshop – For Active ILC Members:
ILC Members: $215
Students Level 3 & above: $ 205
Certified I Liq Chuan Instructors – Level 1: $195 – Level 2: $185 – Level 3: $175
$125 for 1 Day of Weekend Training
To sign up contact:
Bernard Langan
email: [email protected]
phone: (510)-261-4570
You can arrange to pay via PAYPAL Venmo, Zelle or credit card by phone - but you must contact Bernard first by email or phone.
Discounted Pricing for the Weekend ILC ZXD Workshop – For Active ILC Members:
ILC Members: $215
Students Level 3 & above: $ 205
Certified I Liq Chuan Instructors – Level 1: $195 – Level 2: $185 – Level 3: $175
$125 for 1 Day of Weekend Training