Qigong Courses
June 2025
Dancing with the Rivers:
An Exploration of the Embodied Experience of the Body's Rivers
Overview
The rivers of the body are far from metaphorical, they are an aspect of our embodied lives and a doorway to the intricate workings of the body's profound ability to restore itself. In this month-long Qigong course, we will explore all twelve of the main rivers of the body and the ways in which we experience their states of ease and disease, and learn some simple but profound methods to restore them. This course is excellent for practitioners wanting to improve their clinical skills, patients wanting to help themselves in their path to recovery, and anyone else who wishes to increase their awareness of the ecology of their own body.
The Methods
The Willow Dance Qigong is a method that DJ learned from Dr. Michael Smith that explores the rivers and channels of the body in a gentle and progressively connected way. It is both easy to learn, and infinitely deep in its practice. On this journey, we will explore our rivers where they are open, flowing, congested, or empty, and learn the nine ways in which our circulation can become injured. We will also learn the subtle ways to unwind these patterns for ourselves and others.
Schedule
The course will take place over 4 weeks from June 7th-28th with each class running 90 minutes from 10am-11:30am.
June 14th
Week 1: Learning the Dance: Embodying the Anatomy of the Twelve Watersheds.
June 21st
Week 2: Progressive Relaxation and Introductory Techniques to Manage Distress.
June 28th
Week 3: The 9 Qi Wounds.
July 5th
Week 4: Review, Integration, and Melting the Body.
Location
All classes will be held in person, at the Apricot Grove Canada Clinic
Cost: $350CAD
Upcoming Seminars
June 15th, 2025
Attuning to the Seasons:
Introduction to Seasonal Pulse Diagnosis from a Neijing Perspective
Living and breathing with the seasons is a key component of Chinese medical practice and life nourishing methods. But how do we know if we or our patients are in tune with this grand orchestra of nature as is moves through its song? The Neijing proposes a brilliantly elegant and straightforward way of not only assessing if someone is out of tune, but also how they are out of tune. When we are equipped with clinically precise tools for diagnosis, we can make clear and targeted clinical interventions that bring about significant change to patients health and overall wellbeing.
In this day-long workshop, we will cover the basic qualities of the 4 seasonal pulses in their ideal, excess, and deficient states in the radial artery. We will also explore the dynamic of the Carotid-Radial ratio as it relates to seasonal changes, and touch on some methods of intervention that can bring about rapid restoration of the seasonal breath.
This course is excellent for anyone who wants to learn more about pulse diagnosis whether they are just starting out or have some experience, and anyone interested in a more classically minded approach to diagnosis and treatment.
Cost: $105
Time: 12pm-5pm with a short lunch
Running the Watersheds:
The Lower Taiyang
In this day-long seminar, we will explore the Neijing Nature-Based Medicine (NNBM) method of exploring, examining, and restoring the lower taiyang watershed. This is one of the largest watersheds and includes all of the back Shu-Communication regions for the major organs and so is one of the first places we examine and treat.
Throughout the day, we will explore the watershed pathway, its root and crown regions, the major aspects of its western anatomical correlates including major vascular regions and musculoskeletal considerations. We will learn to see the river with the Artist’s Eye, balancing symmetry, contour, colour, texture, and exploring figure-ground relationships. And we will explore tissue-level palpation skills that are fundamental to any intervention in NNBM.
Cost: $105
Time: 12pm-5pm with a short lunch
Previous Seminars
April 6th, 2025
Aging Gracefully:
Integrating Classical and Modern Understanding of the Aging Process
Aging is a process that affects every single person and a thorough understanding of this process is essential in all forms of skilled medical practice. In this course, we will examine the two main chapters of the Huangdi Neijing that describe the aging process. As we progress through these chapters, we'll explore modern correspondences with new research and discuss a wide range of treatment and lifestyle modifications that are simple, proven, and effective.
This course is an excellent opportunity for those wanting to bridge the gap between eastern and western understandings of common ailments and will explore prevention methods that align with both of these models. By the end of the course, students will gain the knowledge to guard themselves and others with broad ranging tools and develop the skills to start to customize these approaches for the individual.
Cost: $105
Time: 12pm-4pm with a short lunch
Physical Culture Classes
QiGong - Beginner/Casual
QiGong is a term that is used to describe a wide variety of Chinese health practices and exercises based on refined movement and breathwork. In these classes, students receive thoughtful and detailed instruction on various therapeutic exercises and routines that help to balance the body and guide the individual to abundant health.
These classes focus on the basic principles of all Qigong systems in straight forward, easy to grasp ways. They are excellent for those who are new to Qigong in general and looking to dive deeper, or for those looking for some guided casual practice.
At the introductory level, we focus mainly on ideal body mechanics and movement patterns and simple breathing methods. The main forms that are practiced include standing meditation (Zhan Zhuang 站桩) from the Daoist Heavy Hands lineage, simple movements from Xu Gongwei’s Taiji Qigong, and various single movements derived from other systems.
Chinese Internal Martial Arts - Beginner
TaiJi, XingYi, and BaGuaZhang, among others, are known as the Chinese internal arts. They focus on using soft, relaxed power to overcome sometimes stronger opponents. Many practices for the internal arts are derived from or have developed their own QiGong methods as well. In these classes, the focus is on the martial and self-defense aspects of the training. Practicing the internal martial arts are a great way of getting sometimes vigorous exercise for people who like a little more rough and tumble kind of activity and who like to “blow off steam” in a way that brings them into deeper relationship with themselves.
DJ has mainly studied under Kevin Wallbridge, Michael Smith, and Jason Deatherage.
Timing and Locations
Weekly classes are currently on hiatus. If you are interesting in pursuing Qigong or Martial Arts training with us, please reach out and we’ll let you know when they will resume.