Qigong Yiquan Cascais

Martial arts school Cascais, Qigong Yiquan Cascais offers an ancestral Chinese martial art and health practice centred on Yiquan. The school is located on Rua Dom Francisco de Avilez and is led by Matthias, a disciple of Master Cui Ruibin who trained for ten years at his school near Beijing.

Yiquan brings together body-mind training through zhan zhuang, a standing meditation practice, alongside postural work and exercises adapted to each student’s context. Training uses mental imagery, multiple postures and near-stillness, then develops into slow, faster and more explosive movement drills.

Classes welcome people of different ages and abilities, from practitioners interested in combative martial arts to older adults and people with medical conditions seeking to support their health. The training is accessible to people with limited mobility, and participants can choose to focus on health or progress towards martial application.

The programme includes qigong-type health exercises as well as martial practice, including intense drills, two-person drills and sparring. Yiquan is presented as a practice for improving health, self-knowledge and personal potential, regardless of age or gender.