Become a Professional Qi Gong Teacher
Becoming an experienced and confident Qi Gong teacher takes a few years. There are many exercises, skills, principles and forms to learn, remember and practice regularly. To succeed in this kind of training you will need to commit 3 to 4 hours of practice every week. You can choose if you want to practice
Standing Qi Gong
Seated Qi Gong
Qi Gong on the Mat
Shaolin and/or Daoist Meditation
Breathwork
You will have access to the recorded content for life, so you can always review the exercises when you need to. The recorded video content is organized and edited to ensure you have quick access to the skills or forms you are looking for.
The weekly live sessions are usually on the website within 24 hours if you cannot be there for the webinar class.
When you feel that you have the experience, expertise, and clarity with the content to begin teaching, then Welcome to the team!
The best way to learn to teach is to teach! If you plan to teach, then I will do my best to help you get there!
The 500 Hour Professional level of training is for those who feel called to learn a complete tradition and carry it forward into the future.
There are Three Phases and Ten Levels to this High-Level training opportunity.
Each level takes you deeper into the journey of Embodied Awareness, Somatic Healing, Mindfulness, Vitality, and Daoist Inner Cultivation.
The Ten Levels and Three Phases of the Soma Dao Process
Phase One Training
Qi Gong Foundations Instructor
(200 hours/1-2 years)
Everyone starts here!
Whole-Body Stretching and Strengthening
Dynamic Flexibility
Meditative Awareness
Traditional Forms
Postural Rehabilitation
Instinctual Coordination
Healing Breathwork
Qi Gong and Daoist Principles
Once you have completed this phase of your training, you will be ready to teach Foundation classes in your own studio, a local studio, a recreation center, a Senior’s center, a corporate retreat, or other retreats or gatherings.
Phase One includes Level One, Two, and Three
If you have a few years of experience with Qi Gong practice, Martial Arts, or Yoga you could complete this training in one year!
Level One
Movement, Posture, Breath, and Stillness
We will begin your training by gently stretching and toning every muscle, joint and nerve in your body.
As you become more flexible and fit, you will begin to explore the essentials of Breathwork.
You will notice changes in your postural alignment and Energetic Awareness very quickly.
It is always a good idea to try new things carefully, especially if you are new to an exercise, have any chronic health concerns, or have any previous injuries.
You will also be guided into meditative states of stillness, connection, and experiential opportunities to become more coherent and adaptable with your awareness.
This shift into more conscious movement will improve your coordination and change how you embody distress, fatigue, and tension.
Level Two
Traditional Qi Gong Forms and Applied Principles
In Level Two you will explore two traditional Qi Gong forms.
First, you will learn the famous Eight Pieces of Brocade (Ba Duan Jin).
Second, you will Learn the subtle Balancing Heaven and Earth (Tian Di He Yi Fa).
Your Breathwork practice will evolve with the Deep Healing Flow.
Forms are repetitive and choreographed routines and are an essential aspect of Qi Gong practice.
With the skills and experience you have from Level One, you can now begin a thorough exploration of Qi Gong Principles.
In Level Two we will delve into your Three Basins, your Pocket Muscles, the Four Layers of Qi Gong and the practice of transforming your connective tissue – Yi Jin Jing.
Level Three
Deep Stillness and Precise Coordination
Level Three will challenge and augment your dexterity and aligment
We will begin with a Qi Gong Warm-Up for Martial Artists
You will open the vast treasure chest of Standing Meditation. This is the most effective practice to bring anyone back into their body.
You will also be guided into the Essentials of Chan (Zen) Seated Meditation practice. An ancient doorway into patience, focus, and compassion.
An Introduction to Transformational and Shaolin Breathwork will empower you heal your body, release trauma, and reconnect with your intuition.
To challenge your coordination and patience you will also study the classic Chan Si Jin – Silk Reeling Exercises. This is one of the most unique and powerful aspects of Qi Gong and martial arts practice.
EVERY athlete and dancer would benefit from this level of coordination!
Phase Two Training
Fertility and Longevity Qi Gong Instructor
(350 hours/2-3 years)
Graduates of Phase One can continue on and learn:
Therapeutic Exercise – Injury, Stroke, Coma Recovery
Daoist Lying Qi Gong (Inner Work)
The Microcosmic Orbit
Shaolin Strength Training
Somatic Mindfulness Qi gong
Trauma Release Breathwork
Core and Hip Rehabilitation
Shamanic Reconnection with Nature
Opening your Meridians, Energy Centers, and Energy Gates
Inner Purification Breathwork
Bone Marrow Cleansing
Longevity and Fertility Qi Gong
Ancient and Modern Preventative Medicine
At this level of training, you could easily work in (or run) an Integrative medicine clinic. It would be easy to build an online brand as a Qi Gong for Fat Loss, Fertility, and/or Longevity expert. You could consistently fill up specialized weekend seminars with this level of knowledge.
The Shaolin Qi Gong is highly sought after in many martial arts schools.
Phase Two includes Levels Four – Seven
Level Four
Therapeutic Movement and Shamanic Healing
Level Four focuses on Shamanic healing, therapeutic exercises, dynamic and safe flexibility, core strength and postural rehabilitation
We will begin with Taking Care of Your Body with Qi Gong – a self-massage and energy clearing seated practice.
You will learn the world-renowned 18 Therapeutic Exercises – (Lian Gong shi Ba Fa). This Qi Gong Form is specifically for people recovering from severe injuries, a stroke or a coma.
One of the simplest ways to improve your posture, mood and metabolism is to Re-Charge Your Core tone with Qi Gong.
This easy to learn combination of exercises will reconnect every muscle between your ribs and your knees.
The Deep Healing Flow series is safe and yet dynamic enough to help your nervous system adjust to many new positions. The focus is not on touching your toes as much as it is on rewiring the way your muscles and bones talk to each other.
Qi Gong began as a Shamanic practice. The Great Reunion with Nature – Tai Li Fa will be your next immersion into connecting with the forces of nature. This powerful 4-minute routine is also an amazing way to clear your mind and come into being with wholehearted intention.
We will complete our rehabilitation training with some Postural assessment skills.
There are some fundamentals to postural rehabilitation that EVERYONE should have learned in high-school.
Level Five
Shaolin Temple Qi Gong
The Shaolin Monastery is considered the birthplace of modern Kung Fu and Chinese Buddhism.
You will begin your Shaolin training with a deep dive into the next level of the life-changing Muscle Tendon Change (Yi Jin Jing). This practice includes the special dietary requirements, massage protocols, and herbal linaments to rejuvenate EVERY muscle, tendon, and fascial system in your whole body.
The essentials of the advanced practice called Bone Marrow Washing (Yi Jin Xi Sui Jing) will also be introduced.
As a celebration of being halfway through your training, you are invited to engage in a 49-Days Mindfulness Rite of Passage.
Level Six
Opening Your Meridians and Energy Gates
On the journey of deepening your awareness with Qi Gong practice, learning about your meridians, subtle circulation and deeper aspects of tissue formation and repair will be essential.
In Level Six, you will learn the Daoist ‘Willow Dance,’ a Shamanic way to explore and open your Meridians (Jing Luo) and instinctual Connective Tissue Reflexes (Jing Jin).
You will also be introduced to advanced theory and practices to cultivate your three Energy Centers (Dan Tien) and your Six Innate Minds (Yuan Shen).
In Level Six, you will also be guided through a complete reintegration of all of the previous skills, exercises, and traditional forms.
In order to encourage a playful way to cultivate Awareness and Harmony in your Mind, you will also learn a modern practice called Inner Dialoguing.
WARNING!
Actively opening your Meridians, Dan Tian, and Innate Minds can have unexpected results…
Level Seven
Yang Sheng Fa – Nourishing Health Principles
This course is for Teachers, Healers, and Practitioners who love to learn both leading-edge and ancient approaches better Vitality and Longevity.
Level Seven is a university-level Chinese medicine course on Yang Sheng Fa – The Methods of Cultivating Vitality.
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- Theory of Vitality, Longevity, and Immortality
- A Seasonal and Ancestral Diet
- Fitness and Fatloss
- The Four Constitutions
- Balancing Work, Rest and Play – 5 taxations
- Sleep Hygiene
- Sacred Intimacy
- Self Assessment and Integrative Medicine
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As a ‘soon to be Qi Gong teacher’, you will feel more confident answering questions about general health with this training.
In the modern world of drugs and surgery, some traditional Folk Medicine can go a long way.
This course will also introduce the principles of Evolutionary and Function Medicine.
Phase Three Training
Professional Qi Gong Instructor
500 Hours – 3-5 years
Welcome to the final phase of your training.
Advanced Shaolin Qi Gong
Advanced Daoist Shamanic Qi gong
Reintegration of all previous training
Advanced Monastic Breathwork
Advanced Visionary Breathwork
Daoist Ontology, Cosmology, and Indigenous Wisdom
Shaolin Buddhist Rites of Passage
Contemporary Quantum Spirituality
Hands-on Healing
Trauma Release Bodywork
A professional-level Qi Gong teacher, in my opinion, should know all of the Qi Gong that a doctor of Chinese medicine should learn – as well as some aspects of Daoist and Shaolin Buddhist monastic training.
Traditionally, a Qi Gong expert was also a healer. You are not required to help others in this way, but you may want to share those skills someday.
If you are excited to learn the oldest form of healing in the world, you will have skills that can help others and support you throughout your life and long into your retirement.
Level Eight
Advanced Daoist and Shaolin Qi Gong
Self Quantification with Qi Gong (Jing, Qi, and Shen)
The Shaolin Nei Jing Gong – Inner Purification Theory
Shaolin Nei Jing Gong – Step-By-Step
Harmonizing Heaven and Beings – Tian Ren He Yi Fa
Harmonizing Earth and Beings – Ren Di He Yi Fa
Qi Gong as a Ceremonial Practice
Level Nine
Daoist, Buddhist, and Indigenous Wisdom Teachings
Qi Gong is a way of life, and a good life needs Wisdom, Philosophy and Connection.
Level Nine will introduce you to the Daoist teachings on Cosmology and Ontology (Yu Zhuo), Spiritual Luminosity (Shen Ming), Walking in a Good Way (Dao, De, Zi Ran, Wu Wei), as well as Feng Shui and Seasonal Attunement.
We will explore modern Buddhism and embrace the Four Noble Truths and develop an experiential relationship with Karma
We will also explore the Indigenous Medicine Wheel teachings and practices from my Indigenous Elders and Relations.
This part of the program will also guide you through your 100-day Rite of Passage.
You will also learn Tortoise Breathing and some ancient Daoist Shamanic Breathwork for inducing visionary experiences.
We will also take a deep dive into Quantum Physics, Indigenous Fractal Consciousness, Epigenetics, and the Neuro-science of Breathwork.
Level Nine will close with a review of the classic texts of Daoism and Qi Gong.
Level Ten
Hands-on Healing
As a Qi Gong Teacher, you will be asked to guide your students towards better Health.
In your final level of training, you will be taught an Ancient form of Hands-On Healing.
If you choose, you could also begin to practice as a Qi Gong Healer.
Imagine helping others with everything from the Common Cold to Cancer.
These skills are sourced in Temple Healing Arts and Indigenous Healing Ceremonies that I have inherited in a traditional way.
Online Training
Consistent and Spontaneous Support
In my experience, mentoring is always about Guidance, Evaluation, and Support. For an Athletic, Qi Gong, Meditation, Shamanic or Medical Student to feel confident, they naturally require consistent opportunities to connect, share, inquire and explore whatever skills and knowledge they are trying to master.
Successful learning and the building of confidence rely on support as much as anything.
This program includes three forms of live, interactive and essential support.
Weekly LIVE Webinars
The first forms of support will be weekly LIVE webinar events.
Over the next few years of your training, we will be spending a lot of time together!
EVERY WEEK, (or two) we will focus in on the most essential, foundational and tangible principles of Qi Gong practice, Step-By-Step, Level By Level.
These live webinars will help you stay focused and inspired on your journey, while ensuring that you get to ask questions and refine the skills of your practice.
If you cannot participate, you are invited to email a question which will be answered during the class. The recordings are usually available within 24 hours.
Monthly Group Collaborations
The second form of support is Monthly LIVE group co-teaching, Q&A, sessions, and seasonal webinar events.
Every Month we will gather as a goup and take turns teaching and sharing – when you are ready.
EVERY MONTH, we will focus on the best tools and tricks to teaching modern Western people a complete Qi Gong practice.
EVERY SEASON, we will learn how the seasons effect your Qi Gong practice. We will also share some tea eplore what we are learning about our selves.
Private Personal Mentoring
The third form of live and in person, (or in e-person) connection will be your Private Review, Evaluation and Guidance sessions.
These Bi-Monthly One-on-One sessions will give you a chance to demonstrate what you are learning, ask questions, share breakthroughs, and get some feedback on the subtle details of your practice.
These ‘serious and scary‘ exams usually include a lot of laughing and personal growth.
I am committed to helping others share Qi Gong with the world.
Keep in mind that this is a 3-5 year long commitment to learning and practicing an ancient and beautiful art.
During those many months of guidance, you will be asked to practice for at least 500 hours – mostly solo – under the full moon or at sunrise – or anywhere you like.
With each exercise you will have to ask, am I sure that this is right, can this hurt anyone? Can I teach this exercise in a playful and gentle way?
By the end of your training, you will have learned a new language for staying healthy, fit and aware of your deeper self for the rest of your life.
How Much Does This Training Cost?
$4,888.00
If you are not certain how deeply you are invested in this practice or the information available in this program, please look into my shorter and more specific programs.
LEVEL ONE – The Foundations of Movement, Posture, and Breath
200 Hour Qi Gong Teacher Training
If are already a Qi Gong student or practitioner and are certain that you want access to the essential skills, theory and knowledge base but are uncertain if you want to become an instructer, this training is still a great value.
If you feel drawn to becoming a professional Qi Gong teacher, I can say with absolute confidence that this program is the best online training available today.
Payment Plans Below
Michael Smith, Dr.TCM
Martial Arts and Qi Gong Expert
Michael began his training in Martial Arts and Qi Gong at 10 years of age, which was 40 years ago.
He has had the good fortune to learn from some of the highest level Masters in the Western world.
As a Martial Artist, he has taught civilians, Law Enforcement, Corrections Officers and members of the Military for over 25 years.
Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Dr. Smith studied Traditional Chinese Medicine in a Daoist Oral Lineage as a part of his journey to becoming a Lay-Priest in the Huan Yuan tradition of Daoism.
Michael is a co-founder of the prestigious Academy of Classical Oriental Sciences (ACOS), the first five-year full-time school of Chinese medicine in Canada.
He is presently the Medical Director at Integrative Health Solutions and is the Clinic Supervisor for the Doctoral Candidates at ACOS.
Professor, Author, and Speaker
Michael is constantly learning, researching, writing about and teaching all things health, mindset, lifestyle, and Spirituality.
He has a Blog, a Podcast, a youtube channel and plans to publish at least one book a year for the next decade.
His first book, Returning to an Ancestral Diet, has helped MANY people recover their health.
Payment Plans
Helping others learn to Move, Relax, Meditate, and Pray is the most REWARDING ‘work’ I have ever had!
During your training, you will have many opportunities to grow as a person and get your feet wet as a uniquely qualified kind of fitness trainer and health coach.
If you are completely new to Qi Gong practice, I encourage you to give yourself the time you need to feel familiar and confident with your practice before sharing it with orthers.
If you have enough experience and feel ready, I encourage my students to start a volunteer ‘practice with’ group in your second year of practice.
This is basically a chance to show a few people (for free) what you are learning. Imagine taking some friends and curious strangers through a 40 minute well organized and inspiring experience. Every week.
You don’t get paid, but you get a chance to shake off any nervousness and work out any bad habits before you start asking for money. In your third year of training AND teaching, you will be asked to teach a regular class. As a teacher in training, you can offer this by donation.
In your final year you will offer a weekend workshop. If you charge a moderate fee you wil recover your investment for this training.
If you are consistent in your teaching efforts, you could pay for this course AND very likely change your life.