Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC)

11/24/2025

Bring balance to your body's inherent self-healing capacities with Breath Medicine

Breathing correctly is not only important for feeling better, living longer, and preventing disease — it also improves your mood so you can perform at your best.

Did you know that the lungs, in addition to absorbing oxygen into the blood, activate the immune system, soothe and calm the autonomic nervous system?

Learn more: https://9mm4bsz2.pages.infusionsoft.net/

Pranayama from the Yoga and Ayurveda tradition and Qigong from tradition of traditional Chinese medicine are both focused on utilizing the breath for health sustainability and empowerment.

Let's look at some benefits of focused breath practice and deep breathing, AND why it's important for you to make this practice part of your daily self-care.

Research shows that breath practice can bring balance to your body's inherent self-healing capacities:

• Increases the relaxation response and vagal tone
• Increases energy levels
• Supports sleep
• Neutralizes inflammation
• Enhances natural internal antioxidant production
• Nourishes health telomere functionality
• Regulates the neurotransmitter milieu
• Increases homeostatic capacity
• Reduces anxiety and depression
• Decreases stress and overwhelm
• Strengthens the immune system
• Improves mental concentration

Get excited!

You can tap these profound benefits in a video program called "Breath Medicine: Activate the Most Profound Medicine."

In this program, you'll learn simple – yet immensely powerful – breath practices that you will find easy to remember and practice. Click here to learn more: https://9mm4bsz2.pages.infusionsoft.net/

11/23/2025

A Simple Closing Ritual with Dr. Jahnke

Bring your Qigong or Tai Chi practice to a peaceful close with this gentle closing practice guided by Dr. Roger Jahnke.

In this calming moment of stillness, you're invited to pause, breathe deeply, and resist the pull of distraction. Follow along as you scan for tension, soften through each exhale, and gather your energy inward.

Want more practices like this?

Discover the healing power of Tai Chi and Qigong by joining the Tai Chi & Qigong Way Free Library, an inspiring resource filled with videos, audios, and tools to support your wellness journey. Click here to learn more: http://iiqtc.org/free

11/22/2025

From Stress to Serenity: Heal with the Healer Within

Practicing Qigong, the cultivation of your vital energy, is a way to support your optimum well-being and invest in your own health, healing, and happiness. You can heal your pain, reduce stress, become happier, healthier, more positive, more creative, and more joyful.

Have you tried it for yourself?

Transform your personal energy for improved health, inner peace, and a higher quality of life with the Healer Within Medical Qigong Video Program. Click here to learn more: http://iiqtc.org/mqlibrary

The Healer Within Medical Qigong Video Library offers essential Medical Qigong practices for daily self-care based on our book 'The Healer Within.'

The program includes the following videos for streaming and download:

• Video Preparation Practice
• Video Movement Basket
• Video Breath Basket
• Video Self-Applied Massage Basket
• Video Meditation/Mindfulness
• Video General Practice
• Video Physiology of Qigong
• Syllabus Page
• Resources (PDF)

The Healer Within has been utilized in programs at hospitals, universities, corporations, social service agencies, school systems, faith-based institutions, the military, and more.

Dr. Roger Jahnke suggests that engaging in a brief daily Qigong practice can provide benefits that your body will appreciate. Feel the transformative power of Qigong as it nurtures your inner medicine, creating a sense of well-being that radiates throughout your entire being. Click here to learn more: http://iiqtc.org/mqlibrary

11/21/2025

From High Cholesterol to Healing: The Power of Tai Chi Practice

Tai Chi and Qigong instructor Russ McWhorter shares a surprising and meaningful improvement in his personal health.

During a routine annual checkup, Russ discovered that his cholesterol levels were the lowest they had ever been—solidly in the green zone. What surprised him most: he had made no changes to medication, diet, or exercise. The only difference was that he had been teaching more Tai Chi.

Russ highlights the powerful impact Tai Chi and Qigong can have on holistic health, not just for practitioners but for teachers as well.

Join Susan Axelrod and Russ McWhorter for the full episode of the "How Qigong and Tai Chi Changed My Life" podcast—now available on the IIQTC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/iwqWULQibAE

11/20/2025

Discovering Qigong: Jessica Kolbe's Journey Into Mind-Body Practices

In this origin story, Jessica Kolbe talks about her early experiences with Tai Chi, the stress of working in high-end design, and the moment Qigong ignited her passion for energy movement.

Jessica was working as a high-end interior designer in Santa Barbara, navigating stress, pressure, and the fast-paced demands of Montecito clientele. She was searching for a personal practice connected to energy work, and eventually, she discovered Qigong—and everything changed.

▶️ Watch the extended conversation with Susan Axelrod on the IIQTC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/XU7QdkzhfgI

Jessica's story shows how Qigong can spark creativity, inner awareness, and emotional resilience at any stage of life.

11/19/2025

Mindful Living Made Simple: Jill Robinson on Qigong, Stillness, and Self-Care

In this insightful conversation, Qigong and Tai Chi teacher Jill Robinson shares how taking charge of your own well-being begins with shifting your way of being. She explains that practices like Qigong encourage a slower, more intentional pace, helping you step out of constant busyness and reconnect with yourself.

Jill emphasizes the value of creating time for stillness, noticing your inner world, and observing the environment around you.

Her message highlights that well-being does not require perfection, just small, consistent moments of slowing down and paying attention.

Watch the entire episode of the "How Qigong and Tai Chi Changed My Life" podcast with Susan Axelrod over on the IIQTC YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/VkHmoJ4W2To

11/18/2025

From Fighter to Healer: The Martial Effectiveness and Healing Power of Tai Chi

Discover how Tai Chi helped transform Russ McWhorter's life—from decades in external martial arts and recovering from hip surgery, to becoming a teacher focused on wellness, balance, and empowerment.

🎥 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwqWULQibAE&feature=youtu.be

In this inspiring conversation on "How Qigong and Tai Chi Changed My Life," Russ shares how Tai Chi revealed both real martial effectiveness and deep healing potential. What began as a recovery tool became a doorway to strength, mindfulness, and purpose.

🎧 Hosted by Susan Axelrod, this episode explores how Tai Chi can change the body, calm the mind, and open the heart—no matter your age or experience.

Topics covered:

• Using Tai Chi to recover from hip surgery
• How internal arts blend martial power with health benefits ("the Reese's Cup effect")
• Martial effectiveness in internal arts
• Teaching Tai Chi for healing and empowerment
• Why investing in yourself through Tai Chi brings lifelong benefits

👉 Subscribe for more transformational stories in Qigong and Tai Chi: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iwqWULQibAE

How can something so slow and graceful be martially powerful? 💥In this episode of How Qigong and Tai Chi Changed My Life, Susan Axelrod speaks with Russ McW...

11/17/2025

Dr. Roger Jahnke shares the foundational structure of Tai Chi and Qigong by outlining what the "four baskets of practice." These include: movement practice (focused on the body and posture), breath practice, self-applied massage, and meditation or deep relaxation.

He explains that together, these four components form the operational definition of mind-body practice, specifically in the context of Qigong and Tai Chi.

Discover ancient secrets of radiant health and longevity. Check out our free membership site today: http://iiqtc.org/free

11/16/2025

Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification (In-Person Training on April 5–10, 2026)

What if there was a simple, proven way to bring more calm, balance, and vitality into your life — and share it with others?

Join IIQTC senior trainers Brian Trzaskos and Audra Mace for the in-person Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification in Kripalu Center for Yoga & Health in Massachusetts on April 5–10, 2026. Learn more: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

Tai Chi Easy™ was developed by Dr. Roger Jahnke, the author of The Healer Within and disseminated widely by the Institute of Integral Qigong and Tai Chi (IIQTC). In this Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader Certification, you'll master the gentle yet powerful Tai Chi Easy™ method designed for all ages and fitness levels.

In this program, you will learn:

• Gentle movements: Learn simplified forms that promote healing, balance, flexibility, and relaxation.
• Breathing techniques: Discover how to synchronize your breath with movement to enhance energy flow and calm the mind.
• Mindfulness and meditation: Experience the meditative aspect of tai chi, helping you cultivate inner peace and presence.
• Self-applied massage: Enhance circulation and promote overall well-being by soothing muscles and relieving tension.

Secure your place today and start your journey as a Tai Chi Easy™ Practice Leader: https://kripalu.org/experiences/tai-chi-easy-practice-leader-certification-0?sku=18438953

11/15/2025

Health Qigong Walking Eases Anxiety and Improves Blood Sugar in Type 2 Diabetes

Can mindful movement help manage diabetes and anxiety?

A study says yes!

Researchers from a study called "Effects of Health Qigong Walking Practice on Anxiety and Serum Metabolites in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus" found that practicing Health Qigong Walking for 12 weeks significantly reduced anxiety and improved blood sugar control in people with type 2 diabetes—showing even better results than regular aerobic exercise.

Unlike standard workouts, Health Qigong Walking combines gentle movement, breath regulation, and mindfulness, helping balance both body and mind.

Metabolomic analysis also revealed that this mind-body practice positively influences amino acid and nitrogen metabolism, offering deeper insight into how it supports overall health.

Qigong Walking may be more than just exercise—it's a holistic way to calm the mind, support metabolism, and nurture well-being.

We can enhance our own capacity for healing, vitality, stress mastery, longevity, creativity, and inner peace. Activate your self-healing potential and elevate your well-being with the Healer Within Medical Qigong Video Program: http://iiqtc.org/mqlibrary

Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41176176/

11/14/2025

Pressing Pause: Jill Robinson on Finding Stillness Through Qigong and Tai Chi

After years in a demanding legal and environmental career, Jill Robinson discovered a new way of living, one rooted in mindfulness, movement, and stillness.

In a podcast episode of "How Qigong and Tai Chi Changed My Life," host Susan Axelrod welcomes Jill Robinson, a Los Angeles–based artist, environmentalist, and Tai Chi teacher, who shares her inspiring path from a high-pressure legal and environmental career to a more mindful, grounded way of living.

Her story reminds us that sometimes self-care means doing less, not more—and that true healing begins when we take time to pause.

▶️ Tune in to the full conversation on the IIQTC YouTube Channel:

How can slowing down change your life?Artist and Tai Chi teacher Jill Robinson shares how her lifelong connection to nature — and her work in environmental s...

11/13/2025

☯️ Golden Elixir Cultivation with Dr. Roger Jahnke
📍 Sivananda Ashram, Nassau, Bahamas
📅 June 13–17, 2026

Looking for a way to reduce stress and boost well-being — for yourself and your community?

Join Dr. Roger Jahnke for Golden Elixir Cultivation (10 Phases of Immortal Energy Mastery) and experience the wisdom of the ancients: https://sivanandabahamas.org/course/golden-elixir-cultivation-june-2026/

Benefits include:

• Awaken deep healing and harmony of body, mind, and spirit
• Enhance vitality, immunity, and energy flow
• Reduce stress and stabilize emotions
• Cultivate mental clarity, focus, and spiritual connection
• Experience lasting inner peace through the union of Spirit and body

Begin your journey of inner transformation and awaken the healing power within: https://sivanandabahamas.org/course/golden-elixir-cultivation-june-2026/