About
Why I Teach
I was first introduced to Martial arts, meditation, and Qi Gong when I was 10 years old.
Although it was a very basic beginning, it began a love affair, a Healing Journey, and an exploration of the most powerful practices that I have encountered in my life.
That was about 48 years ago.
Forty years ago, I began studying with lineage-holding Masters of Martial Arts, Qi Gong, Daoism, Chan/Zen with a lineage holding Canadian teacher named Eric Tuttle (Shifu). Eric inspired me to go on and learn the highest-level teachers from China. That journey has continued until today.
In 1996, as a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine, I was a co-founder of the first full time 5 year doctoral level training in TCM. I have been a front line clinician, and part time professor ever since.
There have been two defining experiences that feel worth sharing as an introduction to where I am coming from, as a student and teacher of any of these arts. One experience was a near-fatal rock-climbing accident that should have left me paralyzed, or dead. The other was living as a Hermit as a formal Daoist initiate. One kind of led to the other.
When I was 23 years old, I almost died falling off of a mountain. At the time, I was on the journey of becoming a professional Martial Arts and Qi Gong teacher. I was also preparing to go to China and become a Daoist priest. After the accident, I was certain that I would need to rethink my career and let go of my passion.
Fortunately, with the guidance of amazing teachers and healers, and many months of daily Qi Gong, Daoist Inner Cultivation (Nei Gong), and other Healing practices, I was on the mend. I had recovered most of my agility and range of motion in just over a year. And I had discovered a new world.
Whew!
The world that I had discovered; learning and practicing more advanced Inner (Nei Gōng), began calling to me. Within a year I had moved across Canada, made my commitment to becoming a Daoist Priest, and found a place to go through an initiation process of sorts. Which, at the time, involved 49 days of complete solitude, a few hours of Martial Arts training, and at least 4 hours of Nei Gong and Meditation practice per day.
I imagined that this is what training to be a Daoist priest involved, and I wanted to make sure I was able to commit to that level of training.
It turns out Daoist priests rarely train that hard.
At the time I was teaching Qi Gong and Martial Arts, while continuing my studies with three of the highest-level Masters in the Western world (1992 – 1997). I had planned to return to my teaching and learning but had made a discovery that I did not want to lose.
I realized that not having students and teachers watching my every move had stopped me from trying to get it ‘right’.
When I decided to stay in the forest, a quality of performance for others fell away, and I began to move in unexpected, but profoundly more effective ways (for me). Meditation invited me into completely new dimensions of stillness, tranquility, and absorption.
Living as a hermit for 49 days, exploring my meditation practice, breathwork, and Qì Gōng as deeply as possible every day, was a life-changing experience. After the seven weeks were over, I wanted to stay in the forest for the rest of my life. My practice had transformed in a way that could not have happened in any other way.
I lived that way for as long as possible, but eventually had to return to the modern world, my students, and my teachers. I was nervous that people would complain about the changes I had made to my practice. I expected my students to be upset at having to learn things ‘all over again’ and my teachers would try and make me go back to the old way.
The opposite happened.
One of my primary teachers smiled and said, ‘I see that you have bled into the scrolls.’
I had never heard that expression, but it made perfect sense. What I had learned was what I could see and ‘read’ from my teachers. I had learned to imitate them all and had spent thousands of hours getting it ‘right’.
We all have to go through that process.
Learning from the outside in…
At some point, those of us who are committed to taking our practice as deep as possible, need to practice from the inside out. As a teacher, it has become my passion to help people move in this direction as soon as possible.
Every Qi Gong teacher and student begins by imitating the scrolls – practicing what we can see and understand. Eventually, if you are determined and willing to commit to a few years/decades of personal practice, you will ‘bleed into’ or pour your heart and soul into your practice and then it will become yours.
This time in the mountains changed the nature of what I understood to be possible, at least experientially with practices like Martial Arts, Qi Gong, Nei Gong, and Meditation.
I have continued to ‘bleed into the scrolls’ and share what make balances traditional practice and modern needs – ever since!
I will always be a student of Qi Gong, meditation, and Martial Arts.
My absolute favourite experience to have is an ‘Ah Ha’ moment when learning something new and meaningful. It is also my favourite experience to share.
As a student, I am grateful that I will continue to learn by doing my best to teach these ancient and life-changing skilsl – sometimes through a computer screen.
I look forward to helping you learn – and learning together in a playful and focused way.
HERE is my training history, my teachers, and the lineages I hold or have trained in for many years.