Breath
Natural breathing is coordinated with posture and movement to develop calmness, composure, internal connection and efficient use of the body.
Indonesian internal training
Tenaga Dalam
You may know Qigong, Tai Chi or Yoga. Indonesia and the wider Malay world also preserve traditions of breath, structure, movement and internal development.
In Master Abdur Rahman Blanchette's teaching, Tenaga Dalam is a living Indonesian internal practice cultivated through breath, body alignment, movement, intention, physical training, composure and sustained teacher-led development.
A lesser-known Southeast Asian tradition
Breath, structure, movement and balance.
Tenaga Dalam is an Indonesian approach to internal training in which breath, structure, movement, attention and physical development are trained together. Within the tradition, this is understood as cultivating internal energy and a stronger connection through the whole body.
Introductory training develops breathing, posture, structural alignment, grounded movement, relaxation without collapse, balance, attention and the ability to connect these qualities in motion.
The Cimande perspective
Internal strength is developed through practice.
The training develops internal connection, balance, coordination, composure, efficient movement and the ability to organise breath, body and attention as one integrated practice.
Master Abdur Rahman describes the work through breath, a body changed by physical training and inner discipline. Introductory workshops give people a direct experience of this method, while deeper lineage-specific material is developed through the teacher-student relationship at the appropriate stage.
About Master Abdur RahmanFour foundations
What an introductory session explores.
The exact exercises are selected by the teacher for the people in front of him. These are the public principles around which an introductory workshop can be built.
Structure
The body is organised through posture, skeletal alignment, grounded stance and the relationship between muscles, tendons and joints.
Movement
Simple movements link breath and structure so the practitioner learns to move without unnecessary tension and to return to balance.
Inner discipline
Attention, patience, intention and sustained practice matter. In the Tarikolot transmission, internal training sits inside a wider ethical and spiritual framework.
Who is it for?
You do not need to be a Silat practitioner.
The introductory pathway is designed to make this Indonesian tradition understandable to people who may never have encountered Southeast Asian internal training before.
Qigong and Tai Chi communities
Explore a different cultural approach to breath, posture, movement and internal development.
Martial artists
Study how breath, alignment, relaxation, grounding and composure relate to practical martial movement.
Complete beginners
Experience a gentle, structured introduction without needing previous Silat or martial arts training.
Seminar formats
From a first encounter to a hosted programme.
Introductory workshop
A two-to-three-hour first encounter for complete beginners, martial artists, Qigong or Tai Chi practitioners, and movement communities.
Half-day or full-day seminar
More time for cultural context, breathing, posture, alignment, movement, correction and carefully selected partner exercises.
Private small group
A focused session for martial arts schools, retreat groups, cultural organisations or experienced practitioners with defined aims.
Hosted programme
A national or international seminar developed with a host who wants to introduce Indonesian internal practice responsibly to an established community.
Training and transmission
Tenaga Dalam brings together breathing, posture, movement, balance, composure, intention and internal training within a traditional Indonesian framework.
The practice deepens through dedicated training, guidance and development over time. Within Cimande, Tenaga Dalam is closely connected to the healing side of the art, with internal training and healing understood as related parts of one wider practice.
Participation in a class, workshop or seminar does not in itself qualify or authorise someone to teach Tenaga Dalam.
Permission to teach is given through the lineage and requires appropriate training, experience and explicit authorisation from a recognised teacher.
Some teachings and methods are introduced only at the appropriate stage of a practitioner's development and under the guidance of an authorised teacher.
Discover Tenaga Dalam
Ask about a workshop or private group.
Tell us where you are, what kind of group you have and what you hope to explore. We will reply with the most suitable next step.