October 2016 | Program Host: Vicki Dello Joio
The world of Qigong is simultaneously simple and yet challenging. At its simplest, it is the combination of movement (or lack thereof), breath, and intention to create a desired energetic outcome. At its most complex, it still is the combination of movement (or lack thereof), breath, and intention to create a desired energetic outcome. To manifest the energetic potential of qigong completely requires tedious refinement of subtle mechanics. These refinements can be taught but may take years for the student to truly integrate. Only through diligent effort and awareness on the part of the student and the instructor can this be achieved. Medical qigong is a progressive science. With skill it becomes an art form. As the student’s understanding and energetic awareness increase, their training is refined through more subtle physical mechanics as their levels of awareness and qi emission are honed. The challenge for a qigong instructor is to learn how to take these vital details that are so subtle as to be almost invisible, and learn how to translate them into a direct and reproducible experience for the student. To take the intangible and make it tangible.
Dr. Bernard Shannon is an internationally recognized teacher of Medical Qigong therapy, Daoist cultivation, alchemical and mystical practices, and martial concepts. Executive Director of the International College of Medical Qigong and Abbot of the Temple of Peace and Virtue, he served for seven years, as the Executive Director of the International Institute of Medical Qigong, as master instructor and curriculum developer. He is also licensed as a Doctor of Traditional Chinese Medicine as well as of Medical Qigong through the People's Republic of China. He is the Vice Chairman and Executive Director of the World Academic Society of Medical Qigong (China) and served as Chairman of the Board with the National Qigong Association (USA) where he has been certified as an Advanced Clinical Therapist and a Level IV Qigong Teacher. Dr. Shannon is a duly ordained Daoist priest and abbot and was recently appointed to represent the Qing Cheng Mountain Daoist Association as their Ambassador to the United States.
