September Qigong Teacher Training Review

This September students from all over the world came to the beautiful Tao Garden Resort in Thailand for the annual three-week 5 Element and 8 Trigram White Tiger Qigong Teacher Training. It’s unbelievable, how during such a short period of time we became so close to each other, one big team with the same desire to learn ancient Qigong from Master Instructor Tevia Feng. The course was filled with truly amazing moments we shared together from daily classes to chats while having meals, group trips to Chiang Mai and a goodbye party. We worked hard, put our heart to a daily Qigong practice, but at the same time had a lot of fun together, an experience that we will definitely remember for a long time.

Our Daily Schedule

Every day was very well organised. At 7am students who needed more practice could start the day with free morning session led by one of the Tao Garden practitioners or practice in their own small groups frequently led by White Tiger Qigong assistant instructors, Thanh Van and Sarah Divine. Then, there was time for breakfast before the first 10am morning Theory session followed by Qigong training practice on the Thai Chi Field up until 1:30pm. After a lunch break at 3pm, we were meeting again for the second round of theory and practice sessions, which usually lasted for three and a half hours. In the evening, we had free time and those students who wished could join the evening 6 healing sounds and Tao Yin yoga practice.

Weekly Course Content

The first week was directed towards learning the basis of Qigong theory and Inner Alchemy practice, and getting 5 Element and 8 Trigram Qigong forms detail by detail. This is the foundation of any Qigong practice. The proper posture ensures we are opening the proper meridian channels, through which the Qi energy can flow freely. That is why it was so important to focus on the physical aspect of each form during these first days before adding the breathing techniques and Qi flow visualization.

The second week was all about diving deeper into the forms, refining each movement, going further into the philosophy learning and more, as well all adding inner alchemy practices, such as Primordial Breathing with Golden Elixir practice. By this stage students became comfortable with the forms and could start adding the breath and really synchronize it with the movements.

The final week of the course was when the Qigong Teacher Training section had really begun. At this stage, we were getting a real experience of teaching. All students were divided in small groups where we took turns to teach mini classes. This was a very effective method of learning as it helped to recall and remember the very fine details of each form, and also get feedback from the group members on how well we did and what the areas of improvement were.

During the last two days of the training, each student was also recorded doing all the forms he/she had learnt, which was followed by the video tape analyzation of these forms in slow motion. This allowed us to get a detailed feedback from Tevia on what we need to work on at home in order to become a certified White Tiger Qigong Instructor.

Upon completion of the course, all students received the Assistant Teacher’s Certification, which allows to share this Qigong in their groups free of charge. In order to become qualified to teach it professionally, students are required to train for at least another 3 weeks at home working on the areas they need to improve and the at home study course. After that when they are ready, they may take 2 tests and write an essay to become a certified teacher of these Qigong forms.

White Tiger Qigong’s Unique Teaching Approach

What was so unique about White Tiger Qigong training is that it allowed its students to learn Qigong at a very deep level. During the training, Tevia Feng not only taught us the very ancient Qigong forms, but also explained what effects each of these forms has on our body. He talked about a unique role of fascia and how Qigong helps to remodel it. He taught us the actual anatomy behind each Qigong exercise and explained how different Qigong forms work different meridian and organs systems within the body. In order to explain it deeper, Ben Elan, Chinese Medicine Doctor, was invited to give several talks about Chinese Medicine Theory and how to use it to prescribe Qigong. This allowed students to look at Qigong from all these different angles and get a broad yet very specific picture. Tevia could explain the benefits and effects on your body of every single twist and every movement he taught. This is something that is very rare to find among all other teachers out there.

Great Bonuses from Tevia Feng

One of the greatest bonuses we got from Tevia Feng was all the additional learnings and practices he kindly shared with us apart from the course content. One of these practices was the basic Circle Working Qigong we learned and absolutely loved.

Tevia also organized lovely tea ceremonies, where he shared his fascinating stories about his Qigong journey, tea journey, as well as my one time favourite ghost story. If you are planning on attending the next Qigong Teacher Training course, don’t miss it!

To finish up the course, we had a goodbye party with dancing and lots of fun!

Overall, this 3-week training was a truly unique experience. We learned a lot, made friends and acquired some of the most amazing memories. A big Thank You to everyone who made it happen, especially to our Master Tevia Feng.

For more information about the next White Tiger Qigong Teacher Training check our upcoming events.

Natalia

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