About Us - Masters

From Stillness, comes Awareness. From Stillness and Awareness, comes Sensitivity. From the integration of Stillness, Awareness and Sensitivity, Wisdom arises.

Donald and Cheryl Lynne Rubbo Donald grew up in New York City, New York. In 1969, at the age of 12, Donald started studying karate, and then switched to the Chinese form, learning Shao Lin Chuan from "Nelson" at Five Tigers Martial Arts on Chambers Street. At 16, Donald became legal guardian for his younger brothers and at 18 he moved with them to San Francisco. Donald started attending Grandmaster Kuo Lien Ying's martial arts studio across from Portsmouth Square Park in Chinatown, continuing with Shao Lin Chuan training.

Cheryl Lynne grew up in Marin County and San Francisco. In 1973, she followed her younger brother Paul to Grandmaster Kuo's studio and began studying Shao Lin Chuan. She quickly developed a reputation for grace, precision, flexibility and speed.

As serious Kuo students, Donald and Cheryl Lynne practiced outdoors in the park in front of the studio, arriving every morning at 5:00 am, rain or shine. Grandmaster Kuo demanded that his students practice every day, and would not allow them to learn another movement if they were late or missed too many days.

Both Donald and Cheryl Lynne, who met at Grandmaster Kuo's studio in 1975, excelled at the demanding art of Shao Lin and they went on to master Tai Chi Chuan and several other internal arts forms from China. The discipline they developed from daily practice at Kuo's has shaped and defined them, and provided a strong foundation for them to teach the martial and healing arts.

Their teachers include Kuo Lien Ying, Bing Gong, Angela (Shen) Wu, George Kuo Ming Xu, Bruce Kumar Frantzis, Dr. Xie Pei Qi, Master Yang Yuan Jing and Master Zhu Hui. [link to new page for Our Teachers]

As leading authorities and popular educators, drawing from their more than 35 years of excellence in the healing arts and martial arts, the Rubbos have brought to the community:

  • Five Tigers Martial Arts Summer Day Camp, for children ages 6 to 12 (1995 to 2000)
  • First Qigong program in a California Hospital: "Qigong for Health and Wellness" Marin General Hospital, 1995.
  • Free Weekly Wellness Class (now in its 12th year!)
  • Visiting Masters Series, featuring internationally acclaimed masters in healing, movement, art and music
  • Qigong for the Dean Ornish Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Trial
  • A Rigorous Three Year Teacher Training Program
  • Free Tai Chi and Qigong for Seniors Class (now in its 3rd year, sponsored by Bank of Marin)
  • Free Health and Wellness for Hispanic Women (sponsored by Wells Fargo Bank)
  • Free Meditation Class for Cancer Patients
  • Established ongoing Health, Healing, Movement and Martial Arts programs in Switzerland, Italy and Israel
  • 27 years of martial arts classes, workshops and retreats, in Tai Chi Chuan, Qigong, Shao Lin Kung Fu and other internal systems

"If one life has breathed easier because you have lived, your life has been a success." Ralph Waldo Emerson