Integral Qigong and Tai Chi FAQs

How do I find a Certified Integral Qigong and Tai Chi teacher?
Check the Institute's Find A Teacher page. If there are no Certifed Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Teachers or Practice Leaders in your area, consider the opportunity this presents you by pursuing certification.

See other resources for locating a teacher.
How do I learn Integral Qigong and Tai Chi?
Integral Qigong and Tai Chi can be learned by attending a workshop or retreat hosted by the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC) and geared toward certification, through one of the public events at retreat centers such as Esalen Institute or Omega Institute and led by the Institute Director, Roger Jahnke OMD, or in your community with IIQTC Certified teachers and Practice Leaders. People of all ages and medical conditions can do Integral Qigong and Tai Chi.

If you are unable to find a teacher in your area, or travel to a location where Dr. Jahnke is leading a workshop, you can begin Integral Qigong and Tai Chi training in your own home though books, The Healer Within and The Healing Promise of Qi, and videos, Qigong-Chi Kung: Awakening and Mastering the Medicine Within and Tai Chi Easy.
What are the health benefits of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi?
Regular practice of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi can bring a wide range of health benefits to the muscular, skeletal and circulatory systems. The flowing movements of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi serve as a moving meditation that reduces stress and provides a way to cultivate harmony of your body and mind.
What about health problems or handicaps and learning Integral Qigong and Tai Chi?
Most people can do the Integral Qigong and Tai Chi in spite of handicap or ailment, although the way the form is practiced may have to be adapted to suit their specific needs. Many illnesses have been shown to improve with the regular practice of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi. Pregnant women, or those with an acute health problem should check with their personal physician before beginning any Qigong or Tai Chi training program.
How do I become an Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Teacher?
To teach Integral Qigong and Tai Chi you must complete a 200 hour teacher training led by Dr. Roger Jahnke. See certification overview.
What types of certification do you offer?
We offer several types. Please see Certification Overview for a complete synopsis. Our most widely attended certification courses are as follows:
 
  • Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification (see the Healer Within Foundation website)
  • Integral Qigong Practice Leader (Level 1)*
  • Integral Tai Chi Practice Leader (Level 2)*
  • Advanced Integral Qi Cultivation (Level 3)*

* To become a Certified Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Teacher, you must complete all 3 levels of training, and all course work.
Where and when do you offer certification trainings?
We generally offer Level 1 and Level 2 (2 of the 3 courses that make up our 200-hour Certified Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Teacher training program (see Certification Overview) annually at a wonderful retreat centers. Please consult our Training Calendar.
 
Why do I need to be certified to teach Integral Qigong and Tai Chi?
In the ultimate sense, certification is irrelevant next to sincerity and alignment with universal truth. However, our lives unfold in a cultural context. In that context, certification is the essence of "how" things work. Most agencies and institutions that have the capacity to serve many are, by their nature, culturally constructed to "need" certified personnel.

At IIQTC we have explored this and explored it again, penetrating the question of the relevance of certification to the core, until we have found the best of both sides -- perhaps the Yin and Yang -- of certification. In a kind of naturalistic sense certification just creates a barrier to natural innovation by citizens who long to serve but do not have time or inclination to become Qi professionals. However, on closer scrutiny it becomes obvious that those in power to create programs that can help people heal or improve their lives -- the program directors, the CEOs and the funders -- could not even discuss or relate to Qi cultivation until it was "certified".

At the hospitals, social service agencies, public schools, universities, corporations, faith-based health ministries, prisons, YMCAs and more -- certification is the key to accelerating the effect of Qi cultivation and its benefits.
So, the IIQTC ideal is this...
Proliferate Qigong and Tai Chi widely into families, institutions and communities -- and inspire anyone who wishes to share with others as enthusiastic citizens to do so. When it is required by those who make decisions that effect others to require certification, then provide certification. In this way the cultivation of Qi, maximum capacity and virtue can all flourish unrestrained in all contexts.
After I complete the 200 hour Integral Qigong and Tai Chi Teacher Training, are there additional levels of certification I can attain?
Learning and practicing Qigong and Tai Chi can be a lifelong process. While some students only take the initial class out of curiosity, many students continue to practice and attend more advanced classes and become certified to teach others or incorporate Integral Qigong and Tai Chi in their health care profession. See Certification Overview.
Can I learn Integral Qigong and Tai Chi using videos or books?
Videos and books can serve as aids, but cannot replace the role of a trained teacher who can offer feedback and support as you progress in your practice. Ultimately your best teacher is your own practice.
Why should I take your program, as I am already a martial arts or yoga instructor?
The Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi's programs will help you diversify and maximize the skills you already offer. By practicing and teaching Integral Qigong and Tai Chi, you will learn practical steps to help lead others and to deepen your own practice.