By Huai Hsiang Wang
Back from two seminars, Darmstadt and London, with Howard Wang in Prana Dynamics.
…a heart-opening and mind-clearing experience.
This is not form.
This is flow.
Not doing – but being.
Not pushing – but connecting.
Intend from the heart.
Grow. Heal. Transform.
Grateful to all who participated and shared their wisdom.
And to Howard – thank you for illuminating the path . 
Dear Howard and Drew,
I want to express my deepest gratitude for introducing me to the profound journey of Prana Dynamics. Over the past several months, I have experienced more growth than I ever imagined—far beyond martial arts. It feels as though the shackles are falling away, and a new version of myself is emerging—free, open, and limitless.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this incredible gift. What you have given me is nothing short of a new life.
With immense appreciation,
Daniel Hester
I have just completed the Prana Dynamics course that’s available from the Martial Man website and I have enjoyed every minute.
First of all, it was refreshing to have ‘live classes’ for this course. Each lesson is conducted via live Zoom meetings. This makes each class fully interactive; you will not just be watching videos.
Howard is a highly accomplished instructor with over 10 years of teaching internationally. He is highly intelligent and able to verbalize concisely in good English what he wants to get across in each class.
Howard has patience for all his students.
The curriculum for the course is well-planned. Howard gives time for you to ask any questions that you may have during the classes, and he actively encourages questions throughout the course. You can also message Howard or email him with your questions, he responds promptly.
The recordings of all the classes every fortnight, both the European and the US time zone classes, will be available to you for downloading when each class is finished.
All classes are live so will vary slightly although the curriculum is the same for each class.
The recordings are great for recapping the classes and also for hearing again the questions asked and answers given.
At the end of the course you will have amassed a library of 48 hours of class material, yours to download and keep so there’s no need for this course to be online to re-watch any of the classes. The more you watch them over and over, the more you will see each time as you continue to learn.
Prana Dynamics: ‘Life Energy in Motion’. Whether you are here reading this review from a martial artist background, internal energy fascination, self-healing journey, or an energy practitioner; this Prana Dynamics course will open up your understanding of your internal energies, exactly what you are, and how you can best use what you are.
Prana Dynamics has applications across all martial arts and healing systems. It is valuable knowledge to add to one’s toolbox at whatever stage of your internal energy journey that you may find yourself at.
The end of this course is really just the beginning of your Prana Dynamics journey.
Filled with gratitude for two weeks of plunging into the Prana Dynamics dimension, I look back on an extraordinary experience.
Meeting you eccentrics trying to get out of our stubborn minds was really inspiring, humbling, and reassuring. Above all, our kindness and friendship made me realize that we are standing as one as soon as we lose our minds.
Howard’s guidance is priceless; he created the opportunity and does not hold back from sharing his wisdom. Wish I had the wits and openness to absorb it all.
And I am grateful I have been shown in real-time while it’s there for grasping it can’t be taken nor held. (That’ll keep me busy for a while
)
I wish you all the ultimate Prana Dynamics experiences.
Until we meet again in good health and spirit.
Prana Dynamics refers to ‘Energy In Motion’. It is a course on using ‘internal energy’ rather than ‘physical strength’ in martial arts. During the Taipei Prana Dynamics in-person seminar, I experienced the effective use of energy without feeling the use of physical strength.
Howard’s understanding of and ability to communicate Xing Yi, Taiji, and other related classic texts were effective for my development. In my years of practicing Taiji and self-studying the Taiji classics, I read the instruction,’Raise the spirit and sink the qi’ as a physical practice. In my first lesson with Howard, I realized that this entailed coordinating ‘Heaven, Man, and Earth in Oneness’. It is about rooting, from which all the internal energy variations derive and without which, there is no Kungfu.
Overnight, I learned that I should keep the mind outside the head and not in the body, I should surrender the mind to the command of the heart and should intend from the heart. However, what I should do is not the same as the ability to do. For that, an in-person seminar is necessary.
For example, the Taipei seminar is not about understanding and knowing but about validating your ability with your practice partners. In the seminar, I received many corrections, pointers, and feedback from Howard, as well as from my classmates. They were all constructive, non-competitive, and also open to feedback I gave them, even though many of them had more years of practice than I.
I enrolled in the Prana Dynamics Master Program, which is the prerequisite for the in-person seminars, after I reached a plateau in my Taiji practice. I was initially hesitant because there was a chance that I would not improve and would be wasting my time, but that was not the case.
There is a lot more that I could say about the benefits of learning from Howard, but my best advice is for you to get started sooner rather than later.
Wang Lang/王朗, Taoist alias Yeyo Shan Ren/葉友山人 (literally, the recluse friend of the flora), a man from Jimo city/即墨 of Shang Dong/山東 province, China, the founding Master of Praying Mantis/螳螂拳 system of Kung Fu.
When Wang Lang was young, he was athletic and loved martial arts. His teacher was a Taoist Monk, alias Yuhua/羽化真人 (Literally, the holy man of immortality), at the Trinity Temple/三清宮 at Laoshan/嶗山 of Shang Dong province.
Yuhua taught Wang Lang martial arts and Taoist alchemy for a couple of years. The martial arts taught by Yuhua were mainly various martial applications and techniques without the traditional naming of a system.
At Wang Lang’s graduation, Yuhua told Wang Lang that seeking a master is not as good as friendship and exchange with other martial artists /賢師莫若訪友妙.
Wang Lang left his teacher and embarked on a journey of friendship and exchange with other martial artists to validate his skill level.
Attracted by the reputation of Shaolin Temple, Wang Land made his way to Shaolin Temple to exchange and to validate his skill.
The legend said that Wang Lang was defeated on the first day of his arrival at Shaolin temple.
Exhausted and confused, Wang Lang was resting underneath a tree outside of the Shaolin Temple, trying to figure out why he lost the challenge to upgrade his skill.
Suddenly, Wang Lang noticed a Praying Mantis trying to catch a cricket on the tree branch, mimicking some martial application principles.
Wang Lang pricked and played with the Praying Mantis, simulating martial applications gaming.
Mesmerized in a trance state, something sparkled from within himself, the martial techniques he learned before converged into principles in the form of awareness, enabling the applications in the flow.
Out of his excitement and thrill, Wang Lang knocked on the Shaolin Temple gate again before the gate was open early in the morning.
The legend said that Wang Lang won the challenge.
The Shaolin Abbot witnessed the magic, invited Wang Lang to have tea together.
The Shaolin Abbot asked Wang Lang: ”What happened to you last night? How come you lost the challenge yesterday, and overnight, you become invincible? What is your system?”
Wang Lang as baffled by the question, and answered: “Praying Mantis.”
This is the coming of the naming of the Praying Mantis system of Kung Fu.
The Shaolin Abbot asked: “Can one tree blossom two flowers?”
Wang Lang responded: “All martial artists are of one family.”
Befriended, Wang Lang left Shaolin Temple.
After Wang Lang’s departure, based on Wang Lang’s demonstrations, Shaolin monks summarized into a form set titled “Plum Flower Praying Mantis/梅花螳螂拳”.
The twelve Praying Mantis principles are: Hooking/鉤, Flipping/摟. Plucking/採, Blocking/掛, Connecting/沾, Sticking/粘, Gluing/貼,Closing/靠, Evading/閃,Twisting/轉,Jumping/騰.and Moving/挪.
By the time Wang Lang left Shaolin Temple, one of the Shaolin Monks followed Wang Lang and became Wang Lang’s first student, his Taoist alias is Accenstion/昇霄道人.
Another Wang Lang’s student’s Taoist alias is Universe/宇宙道人.
After Wang Lang left Shaolin temple, he began to assimilate martial applications from across schools and disciplines based on the Twelve Principles of Praying Mantis and formalized the Praying Mantis System of Kung Fu.
It was during the era when the northern Qing/清 were invading Ming Dynasty/明朝(1644-1683) in Chinese history.
Wang Lang, being a citizen of the Ming Dynasty, actively participated in the Restoration Movement.
After Qing conquered Ming Dynasty, Wang Lang escaped and escorted his teacher to the mountains, living a hermit life and disappeared from the landscape of history.
Note: Translated and edited based on page 12 of the 2nd edition of Applicable Praying Mantis/實用螳螂拳續集,武術螳螂拳術密笈, self-published/authored by Wei Hsia Tang/衛笑堂.
Photo: Wei Hsiao Tang/衛笑堂
Thank you for all you have taught me with your master’s course. You’ve helped me fill in numerous details and connect so many missing areas like no other teacher.
I’ve been fortunate enough to work with a proper training partner for a few years now, and the aha moments and validations continue to manifest, thanks to you and your training methods.
My training partner and I are from a martial background but that is now only secondary to the growth and freedom we’re experiencing through the spiritual practice of Prana Dynamics.
We are so very grateful we found you and genuinely know how difficult and improbable it is to find one who can teach the true essence of the internal arts in a way that is quite accessible.
With gratitude and love,
Ray
The prerequisite for modulating the energy flow is to relax the body-mind to make room for the energy flow at the command of intent from the heart.
Tension refers to the contraction of the electric mental energy through focus/attention.
Where the mental focus is, energy flows; where there is the energy flow, magic happens.
The energy trinity is Consciousness, Vital, and Mental energy.
Consciousness is Awareness and is magnetic. Both the Vital and the Mental energy are electric.
Awareness is the observer within; when pristine, it is free from the confinement of space and time and is free of the adulteration of the colorization of sentience; therefore, the mind can not sense it.
Awareness is the only One knower, observer, and creator within.
Vital and Mental energy can function in the form of attention and attachment through contraction within the invisible limits of animated sentience.
The intent from the mind will invoke the electric energy in contraction; therefore, it only enables mechanical, physical movement in fragmentation due to energetic contraction in bondage.
Therefore, the true internal breathing mechanism is about the intent from the heart to modulate the magnetic fluid flow en tandem with the convergence of the counter force to shape the electric energy contraction outside of the body to the partner or to space at the command of intent.
In peace.
Mr Wang is extraordinary in his simplicity, sincerity, and generosity. Not only that, he has really extracted himself from forms and styles; he teaches in a direct and refined way how to become one with his partner, erase his own ego, or rather put it at the service of Unity and thus make “the magic of the unified movement of self and partner.”
Through its universal teaching, beyond styles, internal and energetic martial arts will be able to nourish and sublimate themselves, but not only that! The internal energetic arts in general, such as Qigong, can find there both a validation of Unity with the partner beyond its solo practice, and a path for the dissolution of the ego and a return to Unity, a connection to the One, in practice and especially in everyday life. Because working together puts us face to face with our fears, our conditioning, a true blessing, a material to transcend our revealed limits to help us progress on the path to Being
The Darmstadt Prana Dynamics seminar was a few weeks ago. I can with a clear conscience sign everything that others have written in their testimonials. Yet, I have not been able to put my own resume into words so far.
The reason for this was that the encounter with Howard was truly a profound experience for me, just as he himself had prophesied on the first day.
The more I digested my experiences at the seminar, the clearer it became that they had made waves on all levels of my life. My testimonial would have been different every day.
What Prana Dynamic is to me and what the seminar has brought me, I still cannot put into words properly today because I am still so touched and speechless.
However, I can say the following: The Prana Dynamics Master Program was already very enriching. His deep, extensive knowledge resulted from his experiences, and his long journey served on a silver platter. Yet, it does not compare to an in-person interaction. Even though he can talk very well about the intangible, he can tell volumes wordlessly with his touch. He opens up entirely and gives himself ultimately to you. He reveals everything his soul carries with just one touch.
Even weeks after the seminar, I still feel like I’m conversing with him, and new levels of knowledge and new perspectives on life are constantly revealed.
One carries the encounter close to the heart, and it accompanies one throughout the day. It is like a living student-teacher relationship on the heart level, guiding one deeper into one’s own true inner monologue at every moment.
When Prana Dynamics is brought to life in one through the experience of his touch, it provides a framework in which all your experiences with life fit in a way that the mind can follow.
The touch of Howard resets, if one is ready to accept it, the relationship between your body and your mind, allowing the heart to open again and especially the own light to emerge again. Fearlessly. It brings one back into contact with oneself.
Enveloped in security and love, he brings one to a door through which one can step if one chooses. However, here begins the real challenging path, one’s own true subjectivity.
In the sanctuary of Howard’s presence, enveloped in love and security, one finds the courage to step through the doorway to self-awareness, embracing the transformative power of Prana Dynamics.
Prana Dynamics guides you on the journey from the fragmented realm of the mind back to the unified world of oneness.
When you traverse the doorway within your heart, you discover the opportunity to rejuvenate your mindset within the sanctuary of your genuine love, liberated from the burdens of your past and those of others, allowing for a fresh start.
Your soul can plant a new seed and flourish once more, unencumbered by fear, as you embrace the unwavering power of your integrity.
This is where the magic in your life begins, not only on the inside but also on the outside.
With love,
Emina
