The 18th Patriarch of YeYoung Lineage Grandmaster YeYoung and his student Master Zhi Zheng
Mission Statement
When I first started practicing massage and bodywork, I was surprised to find the toll that it took on my own body. Though I had been trained to use proper body mechanics, I found that I too often lost focus on my form in my effort to help others. I took on the stress I was trying to relieve, and I came away from sessions with depleted energy and nagging pains. It did not take long for me realize that I would not last long in my chosen career, unless something changed.
At the time, I was working a few days a week in an incredibly busy acupuncture clinic in San Francisco. The acupuncturist, who had been my long-time teacher, reminded me of the Qi Gong exercises that she had taught me years before. I began performing these simple exercises for a few minutes before my workdays began, and I was shocked to experience immediate results. Within three to four weeks of consistent practice, my back pain was reduced by 80 percent, and I had much more stamina throughout my workday. This inspired me to make Qi Gong a daily practice, and I continued to see improvement in my physical condition.
In 2008, I moved my bodywork practice from San Francisco to Sacramento. Though I was leaving my teacher in San Francisco, I wanted to continue nurturing my Qi Gong practice in order to cultivate my energy and presence as a healer. Though I have always enjoyed studying and reading, I have never attempted to learn a physical or spiritual practice through books or instructional media. I always sought an experienced teacher who could address my particular needs and guide me in my practice. I have been privileged to learn Yoga, meditation, and the foundations of Chinese Medicine from teachers who were firmly rooted in the ancient traditions and texts of their respective practices. So when I began looking for a Qi Gong teacher in Sacramento, my standards were fairly high. When I met Grandmaster YeYoung, I knew I had found an authentic teacher.
Before practicing with Grandmaster YeYoung, I considered Qi Gong to be a sort of physical therapy to improve my health and stamina, and I expected to continue along these lines when I became his student. What I got was so much more. It is true that the practice has given me more physical and energetic stamina. What I did not expect, however, was an awareness that would affect nearly every aspect of my life. This was not a huge revelatory event that changed my life all at once; rather it was a subtle shift in how I viewed the small details of life. For example, I became aware of how harshly I often communicated with my partner and how that perpetuated an underlying hostility, and competitive blame in our relationship. Consequently, we now enjoy a much lighter sense of humor and harmony in our communication. I began to recognize how the media I consumed affected my emotions and my body, and I am more cautious about television before bed, and newspapers in the morning. Over time, I have noticed a greater sense of calmness and clarity in decision–making, while nagging little problems like keeping up with paperwork and organizing my home, are resolving naturally and without struggle.
I now see Qi Gong as not only a physical practice, but a meditative and spiritual practice as well. It has shown me that the mind and body cannot truly be separated, and that when the mind is quiet, the body relaxes and heals while the emotions become balanced. After practicing for a few years, YeYoung Qigong & Neidan has become a lifestyle for me. It has taught me that the quality of life resides in the small details. I change my diet when my digestion is off, and I am acutely aware of when I need rest. Rather than striving to accomplish some “great thing,” I now strive to be aware of the small things, like wiping my feet on the mat, paying the bills on time, making good tea or cooking a good meal. In this way, YeYoung Qigong & Neidan has taught me how life itself becomes the ultimate physical and meditative practice.
I was honored when Grandmaster YeYoung invited me to become a teacher in the YeYoung tradition. My purpose in teaching is to share this discipline with others who seek an authentic practice, and who wish to discover the benefits for themselves. In discovering the benefits of Qi Gong meditation, I believe that we not only improve our personal lives, but the entire world around us as well.
Biography
I have lived in Sacramento since 2005, and have been certified to teach YeYoung Qigong & Neidan since 2009. I am a Certified Massage Therapist with a private bodywork practice offering various massage modalities and Cranial Sacral Therapy.
I was born in North Carolina and raised in Colorado. I moved to San Francisco as a young man in 1988. Living in San Francisco during the peak of the AIDS crisis, I served my community as a Certified Personal Trainer, and worked in this capacity for nearly two decades. During this time, I discovered the value of alternative healing practices such as Chiropractic care, Massage Therapy, and Traditional Chinese Medicine. It was through Traditional Chinese Medicine that I was first introduced to Qi Gong in 1990.
In 1992 I made a commitment to my life-partner Richard MacIntyre, and we have been together ever since. In 1998 we moved together to New York to pursue a job opportunity for Richard. While there, I earned a BA degree in English Literature. I also studied Yoga at the Iyengar Institute in San Francicso, and Traditional Chinese Medicine at Touro College in New York.
In 2005, Richard and I returned to California, dividing our time between San Francisco and Sacramento. In 2008, we settled permanently in Sacramento, and I became a student of Grandmaster YeYoung. In addition to practicing Qi Gong, I continue to enjoy weight-lifting and Yoga exercises, using YeYoung Qigong & Neidan as my guiding practice in achieving a balanced life.