“It Takes a Lot of Training to Be Natural”

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By practicing Qigong, you can expect to:

• Feel more energized and balanced.
• Gain balance, coordination, more natural movement, and better posture.
• Reduce tension and improve your mental clarity.
• Connect with the natural flow of energy in and around you.
• Deepen your awareness of yourself and your surroundings.

Qigong is a way to feel more present, powerful, and naturally in harmony with the world.

Qigong is for anyone looking to:

• Improve posture, flexibility, and balance.
• Relieve stress and find inner calm.
• Boost energy and feel more connected to their body.
• Explore meditation or spiritual practices in a gentle, embodied way.

It’s suitable for beginners and experienced practitioners alike, whether you want to enhance your health, discover personal strength, or simply feel more at peace.  

“I have enjoyed working with Michael in qigong, the martial arts, and related disciplines for many years. He has a solid grounding in basics and advanced practices, teaches clearly and supportively, and communicates these concepts and practices very well. Highly recommended!”

     —Jonathan

“Having both worked with and learned from Michael, his commitment to practice and his deep well of knowledge is clear and shows up in every way he works; as a teacher, he is clear, understanding, knowledgeable, and intuitive. He has a deep understanding of how Qi moves through the body and of helping students to feel it, too. He works from research and practice in many different practices, movement forms, and philosophies that are made visible by how he approaches his teaching curriculum and the way he works - steadfast, grounded, and generous in how he offers advice and information.”

     —Jorgie

Different forms of qigong can be more or less complicated, and can take anywhere from a few sessions to several months to learn the movements, breathing patterns and visualisations.  That is just the first level, as the practice deepens over time, and we refine our physical, mental, emotional and spiritual experience of qigong.  As several teachers have said, “simple to learn, a lifetime to master.”

No.  Qigong practices were part of Chinese healing practice, martial arts and spirituality, Daoist and Buddhist.  Sets of these integrated practices were often transmitted as “gong fa”—work sets— and they evolved significantly over time, and have been called by many names.  This type of practice is very old—perhaps between 2000 and 4000 years old—and while the word “qigong” appears in some ancient and medieval texts, it became more popular in the 20th century.  This evolution is explored more in various upcoming entries in the Writing section.

That said, many martial arts have deep connections and similarities with qigong.  Taiji and Yi Quan are connected to qigong styles I practice and teach.